Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
Book # 38 (!) for 2006:
Assassination Vacation, by Sarah Vowell, is a look into the assassinations of Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley. Sounds boring, but it was fascinating. I am not one for American history, but this book made me want to learn more about it. Funny and often macabre, Vowell brings to light many obscure facts about these presidents and their final days.
And if that's not enough to get you to read it, here are some highlights:
Insane wives! Robert Todd Lincoln, aka Jinxy McDeath! Totem poles! Cannibals! Gay statues! Preemptive war strikes (in 1898)! And...a nineteenth century sex cult!
Let's just say I learned a lot about my country this week.
posted by
junipar