Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell is a trippy field trip to both the exciting and the mundane locations along the way to three presidential assassinations--Abraham Lincoln's, James Garfield's, and William McKinley's. Vowell, the NPR commentator, is forthright in her disdain for our current president, analyzing her feelings against the backdrop of those just crazy enough to commit murder for their ideology. Vowell is humorous and her opinions are clear without being overwrought, but more than anything she is informative. She's fascinated by presidential history, and reveals details both obscure and eye-popping. Even after reading Manhunt, the excellent analysis of Lincoln's murder by James Swanson, I still picked up new insights from Vowell, particularly the preponderance of evidence against Dr. Samuel Mudd, the doctor who assisted the fleeing John Wilkes Booth. The life of Garfield's killer, Charles Guiteau, is explored and the reader is acquainted with the odd Oneida Community cult of the 19th century. Guiteau was a frustrated failure at this free-sex community where he was often referred to as "Get Out" by the non consenting ladies. Finally, McKinley's murder in Buffalo (by Leon Czolgosz) is explored, a story which features the assassin's punch-out by a waiter and the dramatic ride of Theodore Roosevelt from the crest of the Adirondacks to take command of the country. A great read through-and-through, Assassination Vacation scores an A-.

I usually don't write reviews, but when i saw that this book didn't have 5 of 5 stars i was shocked! I loved it. Not only do I own the book, I own the author narrated audio version!

America needs more Sarah Vowell. Perhaps more importantly, I need more Sarah Vowell. I know this review won't exactly make me one of Amazon's Top Reviewers. Nevertheless, I'm just saying. Sarah Vowell, here's five stars -- for you.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. It focused on Abraham Lincoln and took the author to some interesting places. I found it educational and entertaining, even though it isn't something that I would normally read about.

I am not that into recent American history, and that may be why I didn't enjoy the second half of the book as much. Presidents Garfield and McKinley aren't that interesting to me. I didn't think that it was any fault of the author, for she seems to really get into geeking out at historical sites, and likes things that make my eyes melt from the boredom.

I think the book is worth reading, just for the first half, and if you are interested in the other two men, you will enjoy it even more.

This book makes me want to throw my kids in the car and drive them as quickly as possible to the nearest historical memorial/museum/old graveyard/bronze plaque and giggle, tell stories, do ANYTHING other than fret over their brains turning to mush on a Webkinz/Sims diet. Assassination Vacation is not just history for a witty leftie reader. Can you imagine how someone in the future will write the history of OUR time? Do you want just the mentioning of a war in Iraq and details about the number of people who died, or do you want someone to read the part about missing weapons of mass destruction? If you're the kind of person who thinks details like missing WMD's makes the story of our time come alive, you'll really 'get' Assassination Vacation. And you might also learn to love James Garfield and his special, comfy reading chair, which is worth the price of purchase by itself. Great writing.

Sarah Vowell's very chatty and informal overview of the first three successful presidential assassinations manages to chart, in its off-kilter way, a compelling if highly selective version of American history from the Civil War to the Spanish-American War through a series of anecdotes concerning the assassinations, the presidents who were the victims, the assassins themselves, and most of all the U.S. historical events associated with these events which Vowell manages to visit with the help of her friends and family, and where she meets a charming assortment of local volunteers who become the unofficial heroes of her narrative. Even if you're well versed in Stephen Sondheim's ASSASSINS, which explores much of the same territory in a completely different manner (and which Vowell enthuses over at the very beginning of her narrative), there's still much to find new and interesting here, and Vowell's candidness about her political affiliations and enthusiasms are very refreshing.

Vowell does identify herself on the bookjacket as "a McSweeney's person," and for better or worse that is a fairly accurate self-assessment. On the plus side, the book is charming, hip, ironic, and clever. On the other, it can be a bit self-consciously twee (favoring anachronistic terms in her writing like "looky-loos" and "mosey"), it's in strong need of an editor, and Vowell seems to need to tell us constantly how many supportive and brilliant friends and relations she has. It's almost impossible to nitpick, though, about someone who can be fervent and honest about her nerdy love for American history. This is a fun book to read.

Sarah Vowell's very chatty and informal overview of the first three successful presidential assassinations manages to chart, in its off-kilter way, a compelling if highly selective version of American history from the Civil War to the Spanish-American War through a series of anecdotes concerning the assassinations, the presidents who were the victims, the assassins themselves, and most of all the U.S. historical events associated with these events which Vowell manages to visit with the help of her friends and family, and where she meets a charming assortment of local volunteers who become the unofficial heroes of her narrative. Even if you're well versed in Stephen Sondheim's ASSASSINS, which explores much of the same territory in a completely different manner (and which Vowell enthuses over at the very beginning of her narrative), there's still much to find new and interesting here, and Vowell's candidness about her political affiliations and enthusiasms are very refreshing.

Vowell does identify herself on the bookjacket as "a McSweeney's person," and for better or worse that is a fairly accurate self-assessment. On the plus side, the book is charming, hip, ironic, and clever. On the other, it can be a bit self-consciously twee (favoring anachronistic terms in her writing like "looky-loos" and "mosey"), it's in strong need of an editor, and Vowell seems to need to tell us constantly how many supportive and brilliant friends and relations she has. (Even considering that she famously does not drive, does she ever do anything substantial all by herself? Would she be brave enough to tell us if she did?) It's almost impossible to nitpick, though, about someone who can be fervent and honest about her nerdy love for American history. This is a fun book to read.

Sarah Vowell's very chatty and informal overview of the first three successful presidential assassinations manages to chart, in its off-kilter way, a compelling if highly selective version of American history from the Civil War to the Spanish-American War through a series of anecdotes concerning the assassinations, the presidents who were the victims, the assassins themselves, and most of all the U.S. historical events associated with these events which Vowell manages to visit with the help of her friends and family, and where she meets a charming assortment of local volunteers who become the unofficial heroes of her narrative. Even if you're well versed in Stephen Sondheim's ASSASSINS, which explores much of the same territory in a completely different manner (and which Vowell enthuses over at the very beginning of her narrative), there's still much to find new and interesting here, and Vowell's candidness about her political affiliations and enthusiasms are very refreshing.

Vowell does identify herself on the bookjacket as "a McSweeney's person," and for better or worse that is a fairly accurate self-assessment. On the plus side, the book is charming, hip, ironic, and clever. On the other, it can be a bit self-consciously twee (favoring anachronistic terms in her writing like "looky-loos" and "mosey"), it's in strong need of an editor, and Vowell seems to need to tell us constantly how many supportive and brilliant friends and relations she has. It's almost impossible to nitpick, though, about someone who can be fervent and honest about her nerdy love for American history. This is a fun book to read.

What a great and interesting read. This book reads like the best sort of history book, or the best sort of travel log. There is no such thing as a dry statement of facts in Vowell's world, and her particularly droll delivery leaves waffly, wishy-washy, romantic travel tales in the dust. It's particularly amazing how she can weave in the fine details of the assassins, presidents, and ephemera and make them not only interesting but pertinent. I've never read Vowell's work before but will read more now.

On p. 118 of the 2005 hardcover edition of this excellent book, there is a rare typo (perhaps the only typo). Lincoln did not say "If slavery is wrong, nothing is wrong." He said, "If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong."
Thank you, Ms. Vowell, for one of the best history books I've run across (we're reading it in my book group). I assume there will be further editions; perhaps you have already spotted this error.

So, I started this book while working at a youth arts camp for bratty children and fell into it very quickly, having it act as a getaway more than anything, at first.



Vowell has a very great tone in her writing that, apparently, not everyone finds as endearing as I do. Having visited many of the sites she's writing about (hooray, family road trips!), it's refreshing to read her accounts of the places.



Certainly, the section of the book concerning Lincoln is the best. I haven't done a lot of presidential reading, though I have caught the occasional special on PBS about various presidents, but I felt that the section of the book concerning Lincoln's assassination showed a side to everything that I'd never known about--i.e. Wilkes-Booth's thespian family roots, Robert Lincoln aka the Angel of Presidential death, etc.



The other two sections seemed, to me at least, rushed, although, as Vowell points out, it's hard to compare other presidents, even in death, to Lincoln.



All in all, I felt it was a great quick read that leaves you with some conversation fodder for your next shindig. Everyone enjoys some presidential trivia, right?

So, I started this book while working at a youth arts camp for bratty children and fell into it very quickly, having it act as a getaway more than anything, at first.

Vowell has a very great tone in her writing that, apparently, not everyone finds as endearing as I do. Having visited many of the sites she's writing about (hooray, family road trips!), it's refreshing to read her accounts of the places.

Certainly, the section of the book concerning Lincoln is the best. I haven't done a lot of presidential reading, though I have caught the occasional special on PBS about various presidents, but I felt that the section of the book concerning Lincoln's assassination showed a side to everything that I'd never known about--i.e. Wilkes-Booth's thespian family roots, Robert Lincoln aka the Angel of Presidential death, etc.

The other two sections seemed, to me at least, rushed, although, as Vowell points out, it's hard to compare other presidents, even in death, to Lincoln.

All in all, I felt it was a great quick read that leaves you with some conversation fodder for your next shindig. Everyone enjoys some presidential trivia, right?

If you know Sarah Vowell from NPR, you'll hear her idiosyncratic voice on every page. And I guess if you don't know her from NPR, then it will just be a fantastic, funny, historic read in your own voice. Vowell is droll, sarcastic, and a Mistress of Irony. It's facinating to see how her mind works, making connection after connection that would probably never occur to mortal humans like the rest of us.

This was a library pick, as I wasn't entirely sure if it would be a keeper. While not exactly something I'd read over and over, it was definitely a good read, honestly, a perfect little book for your summer reading list, as it's light enough to be read in bits, but chock full of fun things that will prepare you to compete on Jeopardy.

The book is part history, part travelogue, part memoir, covering Vowell's various trips to locations around the United States that have links to three presidential assassinations. The book is witty, sarky, and full of dark humor. Honestly, I think she wanted an excuse to write about a trip to the Mütter Museum. In the book she covers the assassination of Lincoln, McKinley and Garfield. She does so by interspersing random bits of trivia (did you know that Robert Todd Lincoln was present or nearby all three assassinations?) She also manages to tie together such disparate things as a Victorian-era sex commune and America's newest national park.

She does it all in a quick-paced, rapid fire, seemingly random association of events. Sometimes they do click, sometimes they don't, but either way, you'll walk away from the particular topic going "Hrmm... I didn't know that."

This book should be particularly entertaining to people who live in DC or New York City, as a lot of her accounts involve locales in this area. I found the DC stuff particularly charming, as nearly everything she pointed out is familiar to me on some level. I half expected her to start blathering about the Roxy Owls, to be honest.

The low point for me, though, has to do with the fact that the book starts off with a sort of smug cosmopolitan egotism that really turned me off. The whole "I know what bubble tea is, and these backwater farmers I'm visiting don't." I was particularly annoyed with her commentary about Richmond, as she seemed to paint the entire place as full of racist hatemongers. She made this assumption based purely on the fact that the Confederacy based its capital here, and John Wilkes Booth spent a good deal of time here. Heck, she even goes so far as to conjecture that Booth and Poe are so messed up because they lived here at some point.

I'm kinda offended by this, as I live here, and Richmond, honestly isn't that bad, especially in the racist hatemonger side of things. Sure, we don't have a decent place to get bubble tea anymore, but Richmond is not really fitting of the whole aura she gives it.

But honestly, that was my only sore point with the book.

I will also add, as a bonus she is one of us. You know what I mean. She drops the secret handshakes all over the book. From her giddiness at visiting the Müter Museum, to her amusement when a docent patted her gently to warn her that it might be a little "scary," to her pride in the fact that her three year old nephew has the word "crypt" in his limited vocabulary. I can assure you, that you are reading a book written by someone who has listened to "Floodland" a few times.

Finally, if you consider yourself conservative, support the Iraq war, and think George Bush is the awesome (which is honestly what she should have picked on in regards to Richmond), then this book will annoy you. Avoid it. Otherwise, it's worth the few days to read it!

It's a darned good book. Everyone should go and read it. It's a great page-turner, and Vowell's fascination with American history is infectious. (If this were a book about the history of typhoid, that would be a joke, and it would be *money*.) She's a funny writer, has a number of ingenious turns of phrase, and draws connections between events in a way that would make James Burke (of Scientific American) proud. Highly recommended.

I want to hang out with Sarah Vowell. More to the point I want to take in some museums and historical landmarks with her and listen in on her conversations with curators, docents and misinformed teens (is there any other kind?). The great thing about Vowell is that in reading one of her books you feel as though you ARE hanging out with her and the assorted lucky friends and relatives who accompany her around America's historical sites. These sites include the arcane, the morbid and the iconic an whatever else is in between.

The pretext for this meandering is to gain insight into the first three assassinations of American presidents That fourth one has, and doubtless will continue to be, beaten quite to death by writers, journalists, researchers and curmudgeons like me resulting in way more questions than answers. The deaths of Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley are a lot tidier in a whodunit and why sense. The latter two especially have received scant attention from the general American public. (There was some president named Garfield McKinley killed by an anarchist office seeker in 1873, I think.)

Anyway Vowell and readers have a lot of fun tracing the events and participants of these assassinations. From Key West, Florida to Springfield, Illinois to New York, New york. From statues, museums, plaques and monuments soak in some American history and enjoy the unique and humorous voice of Sarah Vowell.

While I enjoyed most every page I particularly like the chapter on Garfield who's surprising rise to and brief time as president is so emblematic of an era and who's assassin was such a bizarre character so emblematic of a particular kind of psychosis.

Readers will also appreciate that Vowell is always true to her voice and never hides her biases and predilections but never betrays her true intent of telling a charming and insightful story.

A good time will be had by all.

I had just finished reading (listening to) Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer (P.S.) and this was a good follow-up (recommend that one too).

Pros: Abridged by the author herself. Read by the author, so perfect emphasis of how she wanted you to hear it (cf. Stephen King's intro to Dark Towers that he narrates - you get advantages and disadvantages with the author reading their own work). Interesting facts sprinkled throughout. Good other voice talent - King was a great Lincoln.

Cons: Read by the author, who sounds like she's twelve. We get it, she doesn't like the current president, or any Republican or the GOP itself. I didn't think I was listening to current political commentary. The fifth time or so she brought it up made it go from 5 to 4 stars and was one of the very few occasions I fast forwarded an audiobook, EVER. Usually love Jon Stewart, but he was over-hamming it.

Overall, I liked it a lot.

Sarah Vowell is something of a poster child/voice of Generation X but her book, ASSASSINATION VACATION speaks easily to younger and older alike. About her Gen X cool credentials: contributor to "This American Life" on NPR, hangs out with the McSweeney's gang (Dave Eggers and Nick Hornby), was the voice of Violet in the animated feature film "The Incredibles." Then there's her jacket photo on this book: the bobbed haircut and the gaze into the camera that shouts wary, smart, articulate, gamine. This is a person you'd typecast as reporting on politics for MTV or investigating companies producing greenhouse fumes. This is not a person you'd attribute a deep abiding passion for American history and finding out how we became the country we are today, but that's Vowell.

It is not everyone who would satisfy historical curiosity through the lens of presidential assassinations, in particular those of Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield and William McKinley. It's Vowell's thing. She calls herself a pilgrim going after relics as she rummages around museums and historical sites (the "vacation" part of the title) and in biographies and collections of letters. She ferrets out motives and causes and effects on national and personal levels and pulls out some major connective tissue between the three assassinations as America grows into a world power. She spares no one her appraising eye, even her hero, Lincoln. She is by turns indignant, bemused, amused, and, more often than not, awash with an endearing sense of wonder. She nails the benchmark events that turned the party of Abraham Lincoln into the party of Dubya. By the end of the book, her interest no longer seems oddball at all. You are ready to head off to monuments, read plaques and tramp through graveyards yourself. You might even buy a copy of that paperback of Lincoln's speeches and letters that Vowell clutches. You wish there was a way to naturally bring up the Compromise of 1877 in conversation.

Academics may sneer that this is "history lite" and decry the lack of footnotes. Stalwart fans of George W. Bush may be dismayed that she does not share their enthusiasm. Everyone else can stand ready to be charmed.

I really enjoyed reading this book, actually it was even one of the better books I've read for a class in school. It was humorous and educational at the same time. Basically, the book is a first hand account of Sarah Vowell's journey to President Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley's gravesites. As Vowell describes each life and ultimately each assassination, it is as though you are standing right next to her at these historic landmarks. I would recommend this book to anyone who has no problem laughing at our country's past and present presidents - I'm not by any means suggesting that Vowell does not love her country, she just as a knack for finding irony in our nation's past and present.

You do not need to love history to love traveling down this history trail with Sarah Vowell. Interesting tidbits shared and to be savored like the last bite of fresh out of the oven chocolate chip cookie. Fun and funny, I learned more from this than from 16 plus years of school.
Don't listen to comments that the melodic tone of Sarah's voice is, can you believe this?, annoying. It is part of the charm..Montana style.
Commuting into work..gotta improve your trip with this audio CD version.

You're about to read a book about 3 U.S. presidential assassinations. (1) The book will include some information on the assassins, the culture of the US at the time they were killed, and what remains to honor the fallen presidents today. (2) you're about to have a kick-in-the-pants good time.
Those two concepts sound incongruous, but the really fun part is experiencing the author, Sarah Vowell, pull them together chapter by chapter. The author is opinionated, and open about it. She doesn't like the Bush administration and says so. If that is enough to keep you from enjoying this book, give it a pass. If you're on the more rational side, you ought to have a ball. I did not know that Abraham Lincoln's son Robert was actually present at 3 assassinations. I howled with laughter when Vowell describes him as a sort of Zelig of presidential doom. I did not know that the original Oneida Commune embraced free love. I loved it when Vowell sums up their religious theology as "Let's move upstate and sleep around". Vowell is smart, sassy, and neurotic, luckily for us, she is also obsessed with history. Seeing presidential assassinations through her eyes is just about as much fun as assassinations can get. You may think that a severe understatement, but if you read this book, you'll know what I mean. Begin sceptical, finish laughing (and slightly more informed).

You're about to read a book about 3 U.S. presidential assassinations. (1) The book will include some information on the assassins, the culture of the US at the time they were killed, and what remains to honor the fallen presidents today. (2) you're about to have a kick-in-the-pants good time.
Those two concepts sound incongruous, but the really fun part is experiencing the author, Sarah Vowell, pull them together chapter by chapter. The author is opinionated, and open about it. She doesn't like the Bush administration and says so. If that is enough to keep you from enjoying this book, give it a pass. If you're on the more rational side, you ought to have a ball. I did not know that Abraham Lincoln's son Robert was actually present at 3 assassinations. I howled with laughter when Vowell describes him as a sort of Zelig of presidential doom. I did not know that the original Oneida Commune embraced free love. I loved it when Vowell sums up their religious theology as "Let's move upstate and sleep around". Vowell is smart, sassy, and neurotic, luckily for us, she is also obsessed with history. Seeing presidential assassinations through her eyes is just about as much fun as assassinations can get. You may think that a severe understatement, but if you read this book, you'll know what I mean. Begin sceptical, finish laughing (and slightly more informed).

Let's see...someone with such a case of BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome) that she has trouble actually writing his name..."the current president, titter, titter", who takes a vaction to revisit the assassinations of 3 Republican presidents. Hmmm...I know there's a connection here somewhere.

This is what passes for a commentator on NPR these days? The opening bit, where she's sitting in a B&B and nattering on and on as her fellow guests edge toward the door (more or less) sort of wraps it up quite nicely.

AV reads like an extended episode of This American Life on NPR. Not surprising. Very satisfying. Vowell's quirky, sometimes dark, humor cuts to the quick. And her serious observations (about contemporary society, politics, and history) are astute. AV is, uniquely enough, a fun and sobering book. Well worth a few hours' read.

Her audio publisher should have advised her to have someone else narrate. She sounds like a thick-tongued, high-pitched school girl. What she has to say is great, I love the writing, but I could hardly endure the voice reading to me. It just wasn't worth it....and it didn't have to be done that way. I will still look for her books--but only the paper paged versions.

Containing wit, an appetite for history and a love of adventure, Sarah Vowell's assassination travelogue is one of the best books I have read recently. Throughout its reading as I exclaimed to others that "I am reading this really great book....about....Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley's assassinations....." if the listener didn't look away with fallen eyes, I knew they would be hooked on this storytelling adventure as Sarah Vowell and several of her co-erced relatives as they traveled the presidential assassination sites of our Land.

The book is organized into three basic sections, logically around each of three assassinated U.S. Presidents, Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley. It is not however, an historical romp through dates and surrounding circumstances. Ms. Vowell interjects humor and opinion, as well as noting historical coincidences when apt (i.e. President Lincoln's son, Robert Todd Lincoln's "cameo" appearance at all three assassinations). There is also profound wisdom in her comparisons of our current political state to an America of one hundred years ago. Both periods have questionable traits and the author reminds readers of this in a clever and well written manner.

One might be inclined to see this only as a book about three U.S. Presidents and the sudden loss of their lives, but Sarah Vowell mixes their fascinating stories with the men and women who influenced their Administrations and were centeral figures at the times of their death. This is not a morbid book, nor by its subject, does it promote a negative view of history. Rather, it pulls together people and their circumstances in a thoughtful and intelligent manner. You want to know the people she encountered through her research. Living or dead, she animates the history she has brought to life in Assassination Vacations.

Newbury, NH

I liked this offbeat book. Both the subject matter and author were interesting. The book is about a kooky history buff that visits sites surrounding the Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley assassinations. I listened to the book on tape read by Sarah Vowell the author. Sarah's voice seems to match her personality to a "T", a little odd but interesting.

Sarah is a bit eccentric, she doesn't drive, is afraid of heights, is fascinated by the historical macabre, and she sounds a lot like Yeardley Smith. If you don't know who Yeardley Smith is then buy a TV. Yeardley has been in a few movies and television shows but is probably most noted for her voice of Lisa Simpson. I digress.

In any case, I found Sarah's idiosyncrasies and ties to current political situations an asset to the book. But I love horror movies and historical fiction so it may just be me even though Steven King has a short speaking role in her audio book version. Her description of John Wilkes Booth as "smoldering" seemed odd at first but gave me a better mental description of the man then if she had just described his facial features alone. It was also honest. You know someone is giving you there honest opinion if they are willing to admit that they think the man who shot Lincoln was a little hot.

In summary, read the book, or better yet listen to the book, if you are at all interested in Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley and the places and events that culminated in and surrounded there assassinations and assassins or if you like offbeat storytellers who are a bit morbid. I know I do.

A look at the history of U.S. presidential assassinations. Part history, part comic commentary, Ms. Vowell extensively documents her visits to sites (official or not) associated with these events. The history of the assassinations alone is interesting and details are often overlooked (or not looked at at all - e.g., Garfield, McKinley) when these events are presented / captured in popular forums. It is a quick read that will shed light on and insight into these assassinations that you never considered before.

I read this book aloud to 5 pre- and teenagers on a grueling road trip down south over Easter. Not only did it hold their attention the entire time it was an incredible coincidence to pass an important site in the book at the EXACT time we were reading about the capture of John Wilkes Boothe. Because of the author's exacting description we were able to arrive at the exact site she describes in such detail and VOILA, nearly living history. (Of course, being uncouth Northerners we allowed our dog to pee on the shrine in question and one child left eggs from his Easter basket on the marker).This book compelled me to read three or four more books about Lincoln, Booth and assorted others Vowell writes about. She captures history in such a remarkably approachable manner, I've since bought copies for every history teacher in our school district. Every American should read this book and even if you think you know about our first assassinations, you will learn something, and laugh while learning it. Spectacular.

Assassination Vacation is one of the best books I've read this Summer. Ms Vowell should take up teaching American history. Her brilliant and expert knowledge of her subjects (normally written about in stententious and serious tones given the subject matter) is quite impressive. But, it is the wit and humor and unusual angle of expression and personal observations that is the most captivating. I was amazed to learn so much more about the Lincoln assassination and conspirators (despite more than 35 years of reading and research on the subject) and view it from a different and less reverent angle. But even more, I was entranced by the Garfield and McKinley coverage - which added huge amounts of information to my very limited knowledge of either of these presidents or their assassins and the events surrounding them. Garfield came off so much better than I ever knew - which was very little. And his hilarious "disappointed office seeker" far more ambitious (Ambassador to France?) and political (Stalwart for Grant) than I ever knew. Don't know how one can make an account of assassinations hilariously funny? Read this book - and don't assume that it isn't historically accurate, because it is. This one is a real keeper and I am thinking of buying it on tape - just so I can listen to it while stuck in traffic, so that fellow travellers can see someone who is having fun while in the midst of DC rush hours.Have fun with this book and share it with everyone you know who loves history and has a good sense of humor.

The author is funny, and along the way you'll learn some of the most esoteric historical facts about Presidential assinations. She definitely brings her NPR sense of humor along for the ride. Honestly I am becoming a great fan of Sarah Vowell thanks to this book. I have already gone out and purchased Patriot.

The only reason I haven't given this 5 stars is because of the way she injects her politics. Don't get me wrong, I share her views almost completely, but they really feel inserted and abrupt in the text. It's almost as if she added them after editing they are that abrupt. Still, there are only two or three moments where she does this, and they don't stop this from being a great read.

Enjoy!

Sarah Vowell tours sites related to the assassinations of Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley; her morbid fascination leading to some good comedic scenes, historical trivia, and the occasionally riff on her unhappiness with George W. Bush's leadership (Her comparisons of Bush and McKinley, while not new, are telling as to where she stands on that subject). Lincoln gets the lion's share of the coverage, as is to be expected, where the obvious sites like Ford's Theater and the off the beaten path scenes like Dr. Mudd's house get equal treatment. Vowell is not a historian, but she does show an aptitude for clearly explaining these events, while keeping her tongue firmly planted in her cheek. Garfield and McKinley are covered but Vowell's focus tends to drift a bit more in these sections and the book loses steam. Maybe it's too much of the same thing. Using Robert Lincoln as the connecting point for her journeys, as he was present or near each of these assassinations, is a clever way to keep these events linked, but it also allows an escape for Vowell ; she doesn't have to treat Kennedy's assassination with the same lighthearted approach she uses on the rest. I found that to be a bit of a cop out , but other than that this is a quick and often very funny view of how these events are perceived today.

This is an excellent book. I started reading it and I could not put it down. Sarah Vowell is a gifted writer that makes history and current events interesting. I am now reading some of her other books and they are also superb. Keep up the good work Ms. Vowell!

Generally, the words "quirky" and "witty" are the kiss of death when applied to books, but Sarah Vowell's has written a book that is both-- and it's a great read. It may be difficult to understand how someone could write a book about the assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley that is respectful of the history (and, generally, of the men) but is laugh-out-loud funny in many places, but Vowell pulls it off.

The book is a combination of travelogue, memoir, and history that came out of her travels to numerous sites that are associated with the first three presidential assassinations. On the face of it, that sounds like a bad idea for a book, but what might be deadly dull is not, mostly because of Vowell's witty style. In addition, the book is thoughtful and even moving.

A bonus is the vast store of presidential assassination trivia that Vowell packs in. My favorite: Robert Todd Lincoln was present in the Peterson House when his father died. No surprise there; however, he witnessed the fatal wounding of Garfield in a Washington, DC, train station, and he walked into the building at the Pan American Exhibition where McKinley was shot just minutes after the event. Weird enough, but when he was a student at Harvard, he fell off of a train station platform in Boston and was rescued by a notable actor who happened to be on the scene: Edwin Booth, brother of John Wilkes Booth.

This is a wonderful book that richly rewards the effort of reading it.

Most books detailing historical events are heavy on facts and figures and light on side commentary. Sarah Vowell's approach to her book "Assassination Vacation" is a bit different. Her tale is as much about her and her twisted, sarcastic sense of humor as it is about Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and their killers.

I have wondered lately why it is that a few people I know have suggested this book repeatedly. I regret now that I did not listen to them earlier. I am familiar with her from NPR and "This American Life". The author's voice is distinctive and I have caught snippets of her here and there flipping channels. After reading the book I now understand that the reason I was pointed to "Assassination Vacation" is that my sarcastic sense of humor and ability to link esoteric bits of trivia together into a string of seemingly random connections have met their better in the figure of Sarah Vowell.

Worse yet, after reading about hard to find plaques and assorted adventures on the road researching the sites and historical figures behind these political assassinations, I have a deeper desire to read a bit more. I actually want to find out a bit more about Emma Goldman and the anarchist movement in America. Somewhere, someone has written a bit more about the utopian Oneida community. Also, it seems that Vowell has some more books I have not read yet as well. I think "Radio On" will be next on my list.

There are several reasons why I dig Sarah Vowell and this book, Assassination Vacation. For one, Vowell is an unapologetic history geek. She is willing to go the extra mile to see the place where an assassin experimented with hippie style free love in the 1800's. She's willing, no enchanted, with the idea of visiting some obscure site where Robert Todd Lincoln once fell on the railroad tracks. She goes the extra mile so we don't have to, see?

But for me, that's just it. I do want to go that extra mile. I am also a history geek, and Vowell's book brings out the Nerd Nerdy McNerdington in me, wanting to visit all of these out of the way, unheard of trivial places just like she does.

Secondly, she does a really good job of telling a story, as I believe all good teachers must do, and she does it in a witty, eloquent, sometimes verbose, definitely tangential way that I find endearing. Most history students in the world would rather do anything else than read about some 1800's dead people, but Vowell has the talent to make those stories come to life.

Finally, there's the history she reveals, most of which the average Joe would never have known. I won't include the spoilers here, but I have taught for 15 years, have a college degree in history, and was unaware of many of the details of Presidential and assassination history to be found in her book.

Toss in a somewhat macabre sense of humor and a striking resemblance to Wednesday Addams of Addams Family fame, and you have the makings of an entertaining weekend.

Sarah Vowell's previous books included a year in her life listening to radio (Radio On) and two collections of essays (Take the Cannoli and The Partly Cloudy Patriot), both of which included a lot of her work for This American Life. In a sense Assassination Vacation is a different direction for Sarah, but it includes much of what has made her previous efforts so enjoyable. Assassination Vacation is a full-length, non-fiction work of the historical tourist genre. Sarah Vowell is a history buff and in Assassination Vacation she takes us through the assassinations of Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley as a tourist might experience them. Except that Sarah sounds like the true power tourist; she has done her research, so she knows where she is going and what she is looking for. Perhaps I am an easy sell as I have always enjoyed history myself, but I think Sarah could make history palatable for most anyone. She makes you laugh while giving you lots of information, and she uses her tourist approach to connect the past with the present. Sarah also shares of her life, and her opinions (of which there are plenty to go around) in a way you will never get from a traditional approach to history. I look forward to reading more of Sarah Vowell.

Sarah Vowell recreates American historical landmarks into something the country has rarely seen them as, funny. Even if you don't agree with her occasional partisan remarks, anyone could get a laugh out of her sarcastic sense of humor. Those who have heard her speak on NPR's "This American Life" know that her actual voice cannot escape her literary voice while reading this book because a dry and witty humor lies in both. Vowell takes us on a journey through some of America's strangest and most important sights we'll ever know about. From the community sex cult to Ford's theater, Vowell makes the action come alive. Her satirical, in-depth look at how entertainment, over factual history, makes these landmarks landmarks, make even her own vacation seem ironic. But you'll surely want to join her after a few pages.

Who would have thought there could be a connection between Liza Minelli's wedding reception, Herman Melville, Oneida dinnerware and President Garfields assassination? Or that Lincoln's eldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln had such an ominous presence at three assassinations? With writer Sarah Vowell, we are taken back and forth in time, gaining insight into the often overlooked or disregarded details of the assassinations of Lincoln, Garfield and McKinlay. Vowell leads us through for instance the Museum of Funeral Customs, The Mutter Museum in Philadelphia and various National Park Service locations to visit the statues and odd exhibits memorializing the events and people involved. This is not a scholarly, dry text of dates and events but rather a journey of discovery that invites connection to present-day America. It is also at times entertaining as Miss Vowell has a finely developed dry wit. I found myself laughing out loud a few times. This was a very enjoyable read. I highly recommend it, notwithstanding the comment she made on Page 144 of the hardback edition. :)

The assassinations of Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, and William McKinley provide the author a chance to take a vacation and share her philosophy with readers. She certainly has an off-beat sense of humor, a quality of the book that might be off-putting to those who think that the murders of United States Presidents should be treated in a more serious way. It is interesting that she did not give her flippant treatment to John F. Kennedy, whose death is recent enough that there are still people alive who might take offense. The other poor fellows have been dead a long time. If you are looking for some light reading about a heavy subject, this is an option. If you really want to know the facts surrounding the events, go elsewhere.

Vowell is a great writer- that's absolutely the case. What we get here is a great history of presidents and assassins, written by someone who is an admitted history geek, but not some ancient, boring history professor with no personality.

Vowell's got personality in spades. Quick to make a joke or admit her unabashed nerdiness, she's a charmer. Unfortunately, Vowell's nerdiness can sometimes give way to a judgement that seems to hold no changes in sway. Inspirational speeches about people like Grant give way to ugly jabs at Jefferson Davis- painting him and everyone who fought in the confederacy a horrible, racist joke. Nevermind the thousands of details and plethora of reasons the Civil War was fought outside of slavery. Those on her side are treated unquestionably as saints- those against her are unthinking sinners.

Perhaps this is what made the book so enjoyable for me- despite the fact that I sometimes disagreed with Ms. Vowell, I found that I liked the writing so much that I couldn't put it down. Good on her for that. Overall, a nice, light history book about some very interesting times.

It is very clear that Sarah has been greatly inspired by the Stephen Sondheim musical Assassins. When you read the book you will learn the how, when, where, and why of this inspiration. Which I think is unimportant to the story. She should have stuck closer to the concept of relics and how people draw on them to get closer to historic greatness. After all, as she writes, this is a tour of relics.

It is clear that she is a liberal democrat, nuff said. Unfortunately, she can't say enough and continually peppers the book with comments that make it unnecessarily clear to the reader. While my views mirror hers, the novel would become more timeless if she left them out.

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read with some humor along an educational journey. Any reader that has an interest in true history, but not to the depth of The Metaphysical Club, or Master of the Senate, will enjoy this book.

The final chapter (19 pages) is a non sequitur in my opinion. It has nothing to do with dead presidents, assassins or anything the reader would miss if it were never to exist.

I think Sarah Vowell is an up and coming author. Her style right now is light, but captivating. Keep an eye on her works, eventually she will hit her stride and pen a classic.

I really enjoyed this book. I felt like I was chatting with someone about history rather than studying it in a book. Sarah Vowell has a way of telling a story that is conversational and very enjoyable. She mixes personal anecdotes with american history and while I'm laughing about her nephew or something I sit back and think "I know a lot about New York politics in the late 1800s". I love learning new stuff or seeing old stuff in a new way. This book delivers that effortlessly. This book is probably not for the conservatives, though. Vowell tosses in enough liberal perspective that I was nodding in agreement several times. That alone tells me that my uber-conservative chums will not appreciate me recommending this book to them. But someone who likes history more than politics will like this book regardless of their personal views. Vowell makes all three presidents real people and describes the events around their assassanations vividly. She does the same for the assassins and the many other personalities that surround the events, like Robert Todd Lincoln. If I became president back then the first thing I would have done would be to send R.T. Linclon to the other side of the planet.

This book takes a very close look at the assassinations of Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley. Everyone knows about the Lincoln assassination and Vowell gives it a human perspective, giving time to how it affected the nation. No one knows anything about the Garfield assassination so Vowell describes it in a way that made me want to know much more. That section of the book made me want to read more about him and appreciate him much more. Thanks a lot. She gives the same treatment to McKinley's assassination and talks about how his presidency and the events around it match what is going on today with our president. This is where the conservatives might get squidgy but, if they dig history and move on, this shouldn't trouble them too much.

This was a very enjoyable book and I am now a big fan of Sarah Vowell. If she needs a driver for any Colorado or Virginia stuff, I'm free.

Had your fill of adventure guides where young machos kayak down rapids and expect you to do the same? Or travel guides that are so awash with addresses, websites, tips and sidebars that you can no longer find the text? Let Sarah Vowell take you long on a trip unearthing American history and politics. With a guide who can write satire and laugh-out-loud humor along with an ability to turn arcane history into fascinating stuff, you're in for a funny and incredibly informative ride.
This woman can't drive! Yet she takes the train to Philadelphia's Mutter Museum to see bits and pieces of Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth; she takes the bus to Chester French's home in Massachusetts simply because he sculpted the statue in the Lincoln Memorial (didn't he also do the Minute Man statue?)
For her many trips she cajoles friends and relatives who can drive to track down plaques and historic homes that are related to three assassinations: Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley.
You do get a dose of American history, but also a real feeling of empathy for all those docents who wear period costumes and preside over the relics of Americana: the keeper of the Oneida colony house in Ohio, the woman who sells cookbooks written by a fervant anti-abolitionist somewhere along the "John Wilkes Booth escape route tour", the NPS guide in a prison in Dry Tortuga I had no idea existed.
Be warned--this book is not for lovers of G.W.Bush--and you get a lot of analogies between present day policies and McKinley era expansionism. You also get descriptions of mausoleums, monuments, statues of generals in Washington,D.C. and even occasional hotels and B&Bs. No addresses, phone numbers or sidebars, but I bet a lot of those hidden historic homes and churches will be getting a few more tourists this summer!

Author Sarah Vowell is without a doubt the most engaging and eloquent chronicler of American history in today's dialogue. Picture Wednesday Addams giving a lecture on the 1890's workers strikes, and you pretty much have the idea. Would that her work had been available millennia ago, when I was studying it in school. I might have actually learned something.

In Assassination Vacation, Vowell trains her gimlet eye and forensic analysis to the circumstances of the first three U.S. presidential assassinations: those of Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley. Inspired by Sondheim's musical Assassins!, Vowell undertakes a pilgrimage to visit as many sites and relics of the aforementioned presidents and their assassins as can be crammed into a summer. The book starts, appropriately, with Lincoln. " Going to Ford's Theatre to watch the play is like going to Hooter's for the food". On detailing Lincoln's deathbed, she observes that his "oldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln, was in close proximity to all [of the first three presidential assassinations] like some kind of jinxed Zelig of doom... late in life, when he was asked to attend some White House function he grumbled `If only they knew, they wouldn't want me there'.".

She also examines the lives and personalities of the killers themselves. Of Guiteau, who murdered Garfield, she observes that although he lived in a free-love commune in Oneida he was unable to get laid, earning him the nickname "Gitout". Before this book, I could not have told you who Garfield's killer was to save my soul; now, I'll never forget his name.

Vowell's descriptions of McKinley's murder had me so hungry for more information that I entreated a judge friend of mine in Buffalo to go out and snap photographs of all the plaques and sites to send to me; this quirky act is, of course, itself an homage to the Vowell spirit of historical fact finding. Even though I'm sure he wore chinos, I will forever fancifully picture my friend wearing his judicial robes and aiming a cell phone lens at the rock marking the spot where McKinley fell.

No typical dry political history text would have inspired such obsession on my part. Vowell has aptly been called "a madonna of Americana", and "one of the more important voices of her generation". I for one hopes she churns out books like this for years to come.

we'd have young historians out the wazoo. Vowell gives us an unconventional book on some seminal events in American History that is an absolute hoot to read. Her research is solid and her narrative style written as part history/part travelogue/part personal journal makes this one of the most interesting books I've read. She takes particular interest in the overlooked assasinations of presidents Garfield and McKinley and brings them out into a light they have heretofore been denied. A great book!

This is a work of art. I listen on the iPod on the bus and laugh out loud. Great history lessons with a lot of humor mixed in. If my high school history teacher had been like Sarah, I might have learned something. I love her details and the tangents that add so much spice to the historical info.

Sarah's voice grew on me -- it's almost annoying but just quirky enough to be interesting. Don't understand why they found it necessary to dub in the male voices some of the time; inconsistent, disruptive, didn't add to it at all. Give me Sarah!

Sarah Vowell is an intelligent sort of funny, and this delightful road trip of a book is both a perfect introduction to a great, current mind or a refreshing second helping for those already familiar with her. Self-depreciating and smarmy at the same time, Vowell has written a fun little memoir-style travel diary with some of the more interesting stops available in the United States.

And it's a learned book. The insights into presidential (assassination) history is informative but light, the way we wish our textbooks had been written. Vowell's style of humor fits perfectly into the morbid subject matter, but she keeps it respectful and even hits solemn notes on occasion, making for an entirely fulfilling read.

I highly recommend this book.

I read Sarah Vowell's last book, The Partly Cloudy Patriot, a couple of years ago and enjoyed it immensely. I also enjoy hearing Vowell's frequent commentary on National Public Radio. So, I was very interested in reading her latest, Assassintation Vacation.

Assassination Vacation is Vowell's journey into an unusual part of the American landscape; that of assassination buffs. Vowell's people and the monuments they guard are the jumping off point for her strange look into the interconnectedness of U.S. history through its most famous killers...and wannabe killers. The assassinations of Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley are the book's core, but it's the little twists of fate, the historical trash, and the offbeat characters she meets along the way that make this book so enjoyable and original.

Vowell's impressive research and lust for her subject have made for a book that is part history lesson, part personal travelogue, part murder-mystery, and part social criticism. With each assassination explanation she pieces together an interesting history that reveals brilliant connections between people and their eras.

These little tidbits of American history are glued together by Vowell's sarcastic and witty style, both humorous and attuned to coincidence. Her attention to detail puts her in the top ranks of popular non-fiction writers, in my opinion. Quirky digressions and anecdotes are her bread and butter, and her observations are sharp commentaries on today's world as seen through the window of history.

Vowell's style is especially endearing. The personal parts of her journey are the most rewarding, as she describes her days dragging friends and family to monuments and roadside attractions as she continues her research. Insight and humor are pulled from the smallest details on these trips. Vowell's perspective is slightly warped, but it works so well.

This was a quick and breezy read, broken up into several stand alone chapters.

I highly recommend this book to fans of Vowell's, or to history buffs who are looking for something a little off the beaten path.

Final Grade: A

The audio version of Sarah Vowell's new work "Assasination Vacation" is as intriguing as it is unique. The content alone is riveting, but the added dimension of the author's own voice (literally) gives the book the unique dimension of hilarity! "Celebrity guest voices" add to the mix of treatise and theater.

Vowell's reading completely removes any sense of the normal "dryness" that could easily be associated with historical material of this type. One could assert that this an historical work for those who are not particularly fans of historical works - it is as entertaining as informative!

Joe Allison, DMA
Professor of Conducting
Director of Bands and Foster Music Camps
Eastern Kentucky University