I wasn't truly engaged during the first few chapters. The humor felt artificial, as other authors have done a more captivating job of debunking the myths surrounding Gettysburg, Salem, and Plymouth. Additionally, Vowell's delivery in the audiobook lacks the appropriate comedic pacing.

However, then a realization dawned on me. It's as if Violet Parr from The Incredibles (voiced by Sarah Vowell) grew up and became the snarky, intelligent, and independent young woman we all anticipated. Even better, since these essays are set in the late 1990s to early 2000s, it's like Rory Gilmore had an equally bookish but less anxious/self-centered older sister. This sister's adorably unapologetic nerdiness was inspired by Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and she was the prime target audience for The West Wing. OMG!

With ample snark and self-deprecation, Vowell reflects on how candidates for higher office are unfortunately diminished by the selective hearing of an overworked press corps. She also contemplates the concept of patriotism as a Gore supporter at Bush's inaugural compared to the weeks following 9/11. Additionally, she grapples with how to best honor and remember the legacy of national figures, especially those with skeletons in their closets. Some of her observations are like a charming time capsule. Eighteen years later, it's difficult to recall a time when political listserves hosted thoughtful debates, organized carpools to D.C., and led to lasting friendships. Now that the GOP has given us the rhetoric of Trump, Palin, Cruz, and Bannon, Bush's inaugural address seems astonishingly centrist, kind, and collaborative, and Vowell's distaste appears rather petty.

I have always been captivated by Sarah Vowell as an essayist. There seems to be an uncanny resemblance between us. We both hailed from Montana and traded the tranquility of country life for the hustle and bustle of New York City. Our shared passion for history and trivia often leads us to engage in rather peculiar social behaviors.

The Partly Cloudy Patriot is yet another collection of essays that deeply resonate with me. Among them, The First Thanksgiving stands out, evoking those agonizing pangs and the bittersweet sense of homecoming that accompany a family visit. The New German Cinema also caught my attention, as I could relate to the specific town, the theater festival, and even the film professor she mentioned. And then there's The Nerd Voice.

Interestingly, the fact that this book was penned in 2000 added a touch of nostalgia to my reading experience. The Nerd Voice, in particular, struck a chord when SV expressed her wish for the country to have the courage and wisdom to elect an unapologetically intelligent and nerdy individual as President. As I read those words, I couldn't help but think, "Just wait, Past Sarah Vowell. That's precisely what we got in Barack Obama." It's almost as if her prediction came true.

Unless it's for school requirements, I usually don't have the habit of rereading books. However, this particular book has a strange allure that keeps drawing me back time and time again. I just can't seem to get enough of it. It's truly a remarkable piece of work. Thank you, Sarah Vowell, for creating such a captivating and engaging book that has managed to break my usual pattern of not rereading. Your words have touched me in a special way and I look forward to many more rereadings in the future. <3

Dry, drab, hard to get through, usually utterly unfunny. This description might fit many things in life. It could refer to a book that fails to engage the reader, a movie that lacks any real entertainment value, or a speech that drones on and on without any spark.

Such experiences can be frustrating and disappointing. We often look for something that will capture our attention, make us laugh, or inspire us. But when we encounter something that is dry, drab, and unfunny, it can feel like a waste of time.

However, it's important to remember that everyone has different tastes and preferences. What one person finds dry and uninteresting, another might find fascinating. So, while we might be quick to dismiss something as being completely without merit, it's always worth giving it a second chance or looking at it from a different perspective. Maybe there's something hidden within that we just haven't discovered yet.

In conclusion, while dry, drab, and unfunny things can be a drag, we should try to keep an open mind and not be too quick to judge. Who knows, we might just be missing out on something truly great.

Sarah Vowell is nearly the same age as I am.

I read this book many years after its initial publication. However, I could highly relate to the topics as I was living during the same time period as she was.

This book is extremely witty and humorous. Nevertheless, I have learned an abundance about my favorite subject, which is history.

I really enjoy Sarah on This American Life. Additionally, I am looking forward to reading more of her books.

It's quite interesting how her writing style combines entertainment and education so effectively.

The stories and anecdotes she presents in the book make history come alive in a unique and engaging way.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in history or simply enjoys a good read.

I can't wait to see what other wonderful works she has in store for us in the future.

Unlike some of Sarah Vowell's books, this particular one was a diverse collection of essays, stories, and letters. It didn't confine itself to just one historical area.

That being said, her vast amount of historical knowledge, combined with her dry wit and humor, was, as always, a delight for me to listen to. Even though some of the stories were a bit dated, considering it was published in 2002, I still found myself laughing and experiencing heartbreak. There were tales about the 2000 election FBAR, the new wave of patriotism that emerged after 9/11, her letter to the outgoing POTUS offering advice on handling scandal in his future Presidential Library (based on her observations in other Presidential libraries), and her numerous asides about the quirky and corny nature of this country and all the goofy things we do here in America.

I especially loved her reflections on Thanksgiving, State Parks, and the little ditty included about managing your anxieties by focusing on how much worse things could be: 'Andersonville, Gallows's Hill...it could be worse!'

Some parts of it were truly funny and interesting, capable of making you burst into laughter or captivating your attention.

However, there were also some parts that were rather rant-y and irritating, as if the author was simply发泄ing their emotions without much consideration for the readers.

And then there were those parts that were just plain boring, lacking any excitement or engaging elements.

Overall, it was a mixed bag of experiences. When all these aspects are averaged out, it unfortunately leans towards the unlikeable side. It's a pity that such a combination of qualities results in a less than satisfactory impression.

Perhaps with some adjustments and a more balanced approach, this could have been a more enjoyable piece.

Bottom Line First:
Sarah Vowell's collection of essays, The Partly Cloudy Patriot, published in 2002, represents her voice as she entered her 30's. This is my initial thought as I present the bottom line first. She shines when confronting the central fact of the greatness of being an American. We accomplish remarkable feats, often through teamwork and obedience to the government. But we are most American when we disagree, don't get along, and are suspicious of power. In her best essays, she is touching, humorous, and almost teary-eyed about her country. At her worst, she can be overly focused on herself as a nerd, a liberal policy wonk, a city slicker, and almost all the typical white female concerns except body image. I wonder how her writing will evolve as she grows up.

The Partly Cloudy Patriot commences with a wonderful essay as Ms. Vowell attends the annual battlefield reading of the Gettysburg Address. By the end, The Wife, myself, and some individuals who allowed me to quote them had been moved, laughed out loud, and had serious matters to contemplate. Not bad for an 8-page essay (I have the hardback editions with fairly large print).

In a subsequent essay, she investigates a campaign lie told about her candidate, Al Gore. She traces the misquote to its source, establishes the correct quote and its context, then names the reporters who got it wrong before highlighting the television commentators who exploited the misquote. For many, this would have sufficed. As a partisan, she could have blasted the maliciousness of those who turned the misquote into another weapon against the victimized Gore. Instead, she presents the misquote in context, meaning that Gore had placed himself in a position where reporters following him closely would be prone to mishear him and not think to verify. The world of politics has devolved into an increasingly divided, no-holds-barred, error-admitting world. In the Left/Right divide of 2015, one wonders if she would still exert the extra effort.

Returning to Gore the candidate in another essay, she explains that part of a political candidate's job is to entertain. Actual knowledge of the subject, beyond a Trivial Pursuit level, is often undesirable. A president with whom you can swap stories over a beer is preferable to one with a complex understanding of complex issues. Perhaps this is oversimplified, but Ms. Vowell's conclusion is that Gore needed to have been a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There, he would have learned to be more cautious about revealing how intelligent he was.

She makes the case for the underground lunchroom at Carlsbad Caverns. She concurs with The US Park Service that it was a mistake and that it detracts from the visitor's more authentic experience of the natural world 700 feet below. But she argues that the mistake makes the experience more human and, if possible, more exotic. My own thought is that the lunchroom may have served "real food," that is, locally cooked food prepared by people using individual imagination and local diner techniques. Now, I suspect that the 2015 lunch counter offers sandwiches from some nationwide distributor, with no more personality than plastic-wrapped meals in a low-end franchise food outlet.

What prevents these essays from being better is the semi-neurotic voice of Ms. Vowell. Her hang-ups, her hesitations, and her misspent youth clutter too many pages. Sometimes, I felt as if I were grading essays from a nationwide student essay contest titled "What America Means to Me." Perhaps now that she has traveled more, done more, and experienced more, she has decided whether she is writing about people and events beyond herself or if her proper subject is herself. I prefer her when she is outwardly focused.

OK. I almost gave this book 2 stars because it was cheesy in an NPR/This American Life/The Onion/Obama sort of way. It's a book that delves into patriotism and skepticism, being American and pondering what that truly means. And really, really liking America. I mean, with a conscience and all, but having a real affinity for those red, white, and blue things. So that's the part that made it a bit hard to swallow.

However, interspersed within are truly moments of insight and good writing that merited another perspective. Her musings on Al Gore and the 2000 election are quite on point. And the chapter on selling maps and the history of geography was really excellent and highly amusing to a history dork like myself. She has a great deal of nerd pride alongside her patriotism, which is what enabled me to even finish the book.

I would imagine she has better books because this one gives the impression that she either has, or is about to, write a really good book, which I'm looking forward to reading. In the meantime, this book was really nice to have for 8 hours in a waiting room for sure.

This is a very quick and enjoyable read. It's likely that my partial agreement with the author's political stance (being a Democrat) adds to the appeal. However, while she is firmly atheist and I am not, that doesn't detract from the overall experience. Her discussions about the 2000 election, the post-9/11 changes, and her enthusiasm for Clinton and Gore are all very sincere.

Some might be put off by this, but she has a great dry sense of humor and can turn a phrase with the best of them (perhaps not on the level of Lincoln and Jefferson, whom she writes about in the book, but still quite good). I really loved the State of the Union snippet and the discussion of the Gettysburg address. My absolute favorite, though, was Cowboys vs. Mounties.

This is because it aligns perfectly with my own perspective. As a half-Canadian, I'm constantly bombarded with people telling me either that there's no difference between being Canadian and American or that Canadians are incomprehensible (some even espouse both views simultaneously). I explain to them that the difference between the two countries and their temperaments can be best understood by realizing that in the US, the explorers and settlers went west and only later decided they might need law and order and created it. In Canada, on the other hand, the powers that be looked at the chaotic situation in the western US and decided that before anyone settled Western Canada, they had better ensure there was law and order to keep them safe, so they established the RCMP as the vanguard group.

After getting a great taste of the author and her passion for history, I'm really looking forward to reading Assassination Vacation, which is sitting on my ToBeRead stack.

I had read several of Sarah Vowell’s single-topic books, and I was truly charmed by her quirky and unique voice.

This particular book is a captivating collection of essays on a wide range of topics. She first presented these essays on NPR, which was how she got her start in the literary world. This was a fact that I was previously unaware of.

She delves into an extensive variety of subjects. From the underground lunchroom at the Carlsbad Caverns to the excitement of the Pop a Shot basketball game. However, she has a particular inclination towards the subjects of history and politics. She openly proclaims that she is a “Capital D Democrat.” She visits Gettysburg to witness a reenactment of Lincoln’s famous address. She also compares and contrasts the presidential libraries of JFK, LBJ, Nixon, and Eisenhower, even offering advice on how Bill Clinton might present his legacy to the world. Additionally, she recalls a visit by Al Gore to a high school where she worked and how his words were unfortunately distorted.

I find that what Sarah Vowell has to say is not only interesting but is often delivered with entertaining sarcastic asides. In this multi-themed collection, I discovered that the most fascinating topic was actually Sarah Vowell herself. She grew up in Oklahoma and Montana. Her father is a gunsmith, and her parents are politically and religiously conservative, while she is not. Sarah has a twin sister who is married and domestic, in contrast to Sarah who is single and, as we might say, nerdy.

Sarah defines nerdiness as an intense enthusiasm for obscure topics that not everyone else is interested in. And in the end, I think that is the very thing that I love about her. Of course, she is smart, funny, and deeply cares about the abuses of history. She firmly believes that our participation in public life can contribute to making the world a better place. All of these qualities are truly admirable. But the real kicker is that she has a penchant for weird stuff, and she fully embraces it. As she states in her essay about working in a gallery selling antique maps, “I like to look stuff up.” She loves to look things up, visit places where events occurred, talk to people who were involved in those events, and imagine what might have happened in different scenarios. For example, she speculates that Canada has less gun violence than America because it would take Canadians too long to remove their gloves and unbutton their coats, and by the time they did, their skin might freeze to the metal.

In her imagination, she preaches this gospel of nerdiness to Al Gore, who is also a nerd himself but failed to convey this aspect to the general public. The trick, according to her, is to have a self-deprecating voice. We’ll never know if this would have been successful for Al Gore, but Sarah Vowell has undoubtedly carved out a wonderful niche for herself where she can be her brilliant and humorous self.

I first read The Partly Cloudy Patriot approximately 10 or 11 years ago, during the W era. At that time, it was just around 5 years old, and it hadn't aged poorly at all.

Now, reading it in the Era of Trump, it all appears so tame and naive. Who could have known that I would one day long for the willful befuddlement of George W. Bush?

I have a great love for Sarah's writing. However, this collection of essays doesn't possess the same strength as her books that focus on a singular subject.

Nonetheless, it is still a solid read. It offers valuable insights and perspectives that are relevant even in different political climates.

Despite its flaws, it manages to engage the reader and make them think about various aspects of American society and politics.

Overall, The Partly Cloudy Patriot is a worthwhile addition to any bookshelf.