Lafayette in the Somewhat United States
Title: Lafayette in the Somewhat United States
Author: Sarah Vowell
Genre: Historical Non-Fiction
Rating: Four Stars!
The older I get, the more I look toward the past. I’m told this is normal, so while I’ve always embraced an “in the moment” type of philosophy, I’ve also always understood the importance of looking back often. “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it” has been an old adage for a long time for a reason—because it’s true. So while history wasn’t always my favorite subject, I’ve grown to love it—and nowadays, there seems to be an endless stream of fun, inventive ways to learn all about the past! Take Sarah Vowell’s book Lafayette in the Somewhat United States. This book was recommended to me by a dear friend who instantly won me over by pitching it as “a sequel to Hamilton.” I couldn’t very well turn that down (because, in my world, there are gods who walk among us—and Lin Manuel-Miranda is one such man.) It also helped that Sara Vowell is the voice of Violet—of The Incredibles variety—so I was all for reading it!
I happily grabbed my copy and dove right in—excited to learn more about our Founding Fathers. Here’s what the book jacket says about it…
“Lafayette in the Somewhat United States” Book Synopsis
Chronicling General Lafayette’s years in Washington’s army, Vowell reflects on the ideals of the American Revolution versus the reality of the Revolutionary War. Riding shotgun with Lafayette, Vowell swerves from the high-minded debates of Independence Hall to the frozen wasteland of Valley Forge, from bloody battlefields to the Palace of Versailles, bumping into John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Lord Cornwallis, Benjamin Franklin, Marie Antoinette and various kings, Quakers, and redcoats along the way.
Drawn to the patriots’ war out of a lust for glory, Enlightenment ideas and the traditional French hatred for the British, young Lafayette crossed the Atlantic expecting to join forces with an undivided people, encountering instead fault lines between the Continental Congress and the Continental Army, rebel and loyalist inhabitants, and a conspiracy to fire George Washington, the one man holding together the rickety, seemingly doomed patriot cause.
While Vowell’s yarn is full of the bickering and infighting that marks the American past—and present—her telling of the Revolution is just as much a story of friendship: between Washington and Lafayette, between the Americans and their French allies and, most of all between Lafayette and the American people. Coinciding with one of the most contentious presidential elections in American history, Vowell lingers over the elderly Lafayette’s sentimental return tour of America in 1824, when three fourths of the population of New York City turned out to welcome him ashore. As a Frenchman and the last surviving general of the Continental Army, Lafayette belonged to neither North nor South, to no political party or faction. He was a walking, talking reminder of the sacrifices and bravery of the revolutionary generation and what the founders hoped this country could be. His return was not just a reunion with his beloved Americans it was a reunion for Americans with their own astonishing, singular past.
Vowell’s narrative look at our somewhat united states is humorous, irreverent, and wholly original.
Summer’s Take on “Lafayette in the Somewhat United States”
That last line of the book jacket synopsis is the gospel truth. Lafayette in the Somewhat United States is a refreshingly unique view of our country’s past. It’s funny; it’s witty; and it speaks to the unrequited truths of the time in bold fashion. I think, after reading it, that Sarah Vowell and I could be friends—she’s got that kind of moxie that reminds me of Samantha Bee (the Full Frontal television host). I love the way her mind works, which is evident throughout the book because it’s written in an almost diary, stream of consciousness kind of way.
I’m told that the style makes for a very entertaining audiobook, and while I thoroughly enjoyed reading it myself, I must admit that I didn’t care for the conversational tone in the actual text. It felt as though it led to there being no need for any real chapters, and in the beginning of the book, even section breaks are hard to come by, so if you’re a one chapter per day sort of reader, you’ll have to come up with a new strategy for this book—I went with reading until I fell asleep. Also, and most importantly, is that it’s pretty hard to actually learn anything about Lafayette, per se—I mean, there’s just a lot of information, and it sort of bounces around—in a very logical, organized way, mind you, but it’s still hard to nail down anything of substance.
At the end of the day though, I think it’s a great book if you already have a working knowledge of the Revolutionary War. If, however, you don’t—I wouldn’t recommend selecting this book as your study guide. It’s definitely accompaniment-worthy, and if you do have a little background in the founding of this great nation, then I do highly recommend it, especially in audiobook form. You’ll definitely get a few good laughs out of it and you’ll pick up more than your fair share of cool factoids along the way!
