This one is a little dated now since it's written right after the debacle of the 2000 election.

I kept wanting to say, "Oh, Sarah, you have no idea how much worse it's going to get." Of course, she knows now.

That and its tendency to jump around aside, I love everything Sarah Vowell writes.

I love listening to her books on audio and spend the whole time wishing I could be friends with her because I agree with everything she says.

Her writing style is unique and engaging. She has a way of presenting complex ideas in a simple and understandable manner.

Even though this particular piece was written some time ago, it still holds value and relevance.

It makes me reflect on how much has changed since then and how some things have unfortunately remained the same.

Short and great, it's a testament to Vowell's talent as a writer.

I look forward to reading more of her work and continuing to be inspired by her words.

I really liked the fact that I had listened to one of her other books on tape. This had a wonderful effect as it made it possible for me, when reading some particular passages, to actually hear her voice in my mind.

At times, she has these truly great tones. She can be witty, which always brings a smile to my face. Her sarcastic remarks are delivered with just the right amount of bite. The humorous parts make me laugh out loud. And her self-depreciating tone is endearing, not overdone at all. She also comes across as sensible, which adds to the overall charm of her writing.

I must admit that I loved the first half of the book more than the second. In the first half, I found myself constantly nodding in agreement with her观点. The quotes were so great that I couldn't help but love them. I was also laughing frequently. However, the second half was still pretty good. The only thing was that I'm not a big Buffy fan, and I felt that some of her topics were just a bit 'off' for me. But overall, it was a great read.

A much earlier work from her,

this piece stands out for several reasons. Firstly, it lacks currency, but this should not be misconstrued as a lack of relevance. In fact, Vowell is always extremely relevant. Secondly, its short-essay style is more reminiscent of her roots in This American Life rather than her later, more subject-specific, history-driven books.

Despite these differences, it remains a highly enjoyable read. The somewhat fragmented subject matter actually suited my recent state of mind quite well. It allowed me to dip in and out, reading a little here and there, and still gain something from each section.

Overall, this earlier work provides a unique perspective on Vowell's writing and is well worth exploring for fans and newcomers alike.

An amusing collection of essays that artfully blend the political with the personal, and the past with the (then-)present.

Reading this work twenty years later is rather strange. Indeed, American politics were polarized around the time of 9/11. However, hearing her express worry about those divisions during yet another Trump-Biden contest seems almost charming. Her musings on post-Columbine education are also of a similar nature.

Talking about G.W. Bush as a menace and a nincompoop? My dear, you have no idea...

Vowell is always entertaining, but reading this now is like looking into an alternate universe. It's akin to watching thirty-something, which makes our actual past feel like science-fiction.

It's as if we are seeing a different version of history, one that is both familiar and yet somehow foreign. The essays offer a unique perspective on the political and social landscape of the time, and they make us reflect on how much has changed and how much has remained the same.

Overall, this collection of essays is a fascinating read that provides both entertainment and food for thought.

I haven't delved into anything penned by Sarah Vowell previously. However, a significant number of my friends have relished her work. So, when I spotted this particular piece available at the library, I promptly seized the opportunity.

I had initially anticipated that it would predominantly consist of tales from history. But to my surprise, it turned out to be merely an essay collection. Many of the essays indeed pertain to aspects of American history. Nevertheless, there were also several that had absolutely no connection to history at all. Instead, they were more personal stories, akin to small snippets of memoir.

I took a liking to her dry tone, and some of the insights regarding politics were rather interesting. For instance, I found the comment that if Al Gore had been more of a self-deprecating nerd, similar to Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, he most definitely would have been elected president quite amusing. Additionally, there were some truly excellent, quotable lines. The comment about a Starbucks mocha was simply awesome.

But all in all, I can only state that it was a fairly good read. It wasn't anything that blew my mind, but it was still worth the time and effort to listen to.

I just read this and promptly threw it in the garbage.

Listening to her being interviewed on 'The Daily Show', Vowell seemed knowledgeable, smart, and funny. This initial impression was confirmed as I delved into this collection of her turn of the millennium reflections on a variety of subjects.

However, my frustration began to surface as I discovered, over the course of 180 pages, that she isn't much more than what was initially presented. When she isn't being explicitly condescending or obtuse, her charm seems to revel in an anxious petit-bourgeois festival of contradictions.

It is highly likely that she will die still grudgingly admiring a racist warmonger like TR and habitually apologizing for Democrats who routinely put my kind in the ground to feed their bosses. She is fully aware of the truth, yet she chooses to maintain this stance.

Exploring the nuances of her classless fantasy land is a waste of time. I deeply regret having given her the benefit of the doubt in the first place.

Funny little essays that mainly revolve around US history and politics. I truly had a great impression of Vowell during her Daily Show interview. However, these essays just didn't quite hit the mark for me.

She is undoubtedly funny, thoughtful, and well-versed in knowledge. But somehow, it just didn't feel like there was enough substance. I never found myself laughing out loud uncontrollably, nor did I have that "aha" moment of realizing something new, or learning an interesting little factoid about history.

I did manage to learn a bit about Sarah Vowell herself, and she does seem quite cool. But unfortunately, that alone is not sufficient to carry an entire collection of essays. It leaves me a bit disappointed, as I was hoping for more engaging and enlightening content.

Essays by a liberal, nerdy NPR editor are presented here.

These essays are not only interesting and entertaining but also frequently funny. However, they are somewhat dated as the issues discussed are current affairs (as well as history) and the book was published in 2002.

One particular aspect that I found especially funny was a long quotation that indicated nerdiness and included the phrase “primary numbers”. In my library copy, “primary” was underlined by a previous reader, and the correction “prime” was written in the margin.

This shows just how nerdy it can get. It's a small detail but it really adds to the humor.

Overall, these essays offer a unique perspective and are sure to provide some laughs, even if they are a bit outdated.

The Party Cloudy Patriot is a rather disjointed collection of essays that attempt to form a narrative of sorts. This narrative centers around patriotism in the current political era, while also being framed through the lens of the past. In 2001, Sarah Vowell was living in a particularly challenging time. The country was still recovering from a disastrous election cycle that wrongly awarded W the win. Clinton's impeachment was still fresh in people's minds, and Al Gore's know-it-all reputation couldn't save the Left. Then, a fateful day in September changed everything in terrifying, unpredictable, and long-lasting ways. The very definition of what it meant to be a patriot had changed. Vowell sums it up best when she says, "For the better part of the 1990s, it seemed like the only Americans who publicly described themselves as patriots were scary militia types hiding out in the backwoods of Michigan and Montana, cleaning their guns."

I live in New Hampshire. We just endured our Primary on Tuesday, and now the hordes of politicians have fled to South Carolina. Before the election, they had plenty of time to knock on my door multiple times a day, text my phone non-stop, mail an enormous amount of paper fliers to every mailbox in the state, and cover every street corner with countless signs for their chosen candidates. Believe it or not, they didn't clean up any of those fliers or signs before leaving in the dead of night. Now, hundreds of signs are turning to mush in the snow banks and fluttering across the highway like low-flying birds. This state was briefly important, but now it's gone back to being a grim outpost of tourism tricks and outspoken racism, as it has been for the past few decades. Why this rant about the NH Primary? Because time is a flat circle, my friend!

What does this have to do with New Hampshire? The most impactful piece in this collection, at least for me, is a story about Al Gore, Concord High School, the NH Primary, and media representation. Vowell argues that the seed of anti-intellectualism in America began to grow during this primary cycle, and I'm inclined to agree. She interviews students and teachers who invited (and received!) candidates to speak directly to the students about the importance of their voices, what they can do with them, and why it's crucial to take a personal interest in politics, both big and small. Gore spoke openly with the students and had inspiring stories of young people and their community impact ready to share. The stories were well-received, but they were misrepresented by the press, leaving the students feeling disenfranchised and Gore as the target of more jabs and scrutiny from the already-frequent press attention. Gore was, is, and always will be a nerd. He was constantly made fun of for knowing things and wanting to know more. His team even hired an image consultant to make him more "manly," hence the stomping around in cowboy boots. The feeling had been building for a while, but now it was reaching a boiling point - it was bad to know things, bad to learn things, and bad to be interested in knowing more. We're in the same quagmire again right now - who is "electable," who is "likable," who one wants to "have a beer with," but forgetting about the hard work, dedication, and knowledge required in learning, stewardship, policy, and procedure.

Here we are in the present. The NH Primary is just days behind us, the decaying signs are forgotten on street corners, and there's more and more talk of "likability." I want my leaders to be intelligent. I want them to be prepared. Heck, I want them to be nerds.

"I wish it were different. I wish that we valued knowledge in politicians, that those who know things didn't have to hide it behind brown pants, and that those who know too little were laughed all the way to the Maine border on their first New Hampshire meet and greet. I wish that in order to secure his party's nomination, a presidential candidate would be required to point at the sky and name all the stars, have the periodic table of the elements memorized, rattle off the kings and queens of Spain, define the significance of the Gatling gun, joke around in Latin, interpret the symbolism in seventeenth-century Dutch painting, explain photosynthesis to a six-year-old, recite Emily Dickinson, bake a perfect popover, build a shortwave radio out of a coconut, and know all the words to Hoagy Carmichael's 'Two Sleepy People,' Johnny Cash's 'Five Feet High and Rising,' and 'You Got the Silver' by the Rolling Stones. After all, the United States is the greatest country on earth dealing with the most complex problems in the history of the world - poverty, pollution, justice, Jerusalem. What we need is a president who is at least twelve kinds of nerd, a nerd messiah to come along every four years, acquire the Secret Service code name Poindexter, install a Revenge of the Nerds screen saver on the Oval Office computer, and one by one decrypt our woes."

As always, some things in this book haven't aged well. Just look at the mention of Revenge of the Nerds (which is discussed quite a bit throughout the book), a film series full of problematic issues, including but not limited to rape. There's also some Mel Gibson hero worship thrown in.

The audiobook, like most of Vowell's productions, is a delight. While she does the majority of the work, there's also voice work provided by David Cross, Conan O'Brien, Seth Green, and Stephen Colbert, to name just a few. Most delightfully, there's original music throughout, composed and performed by the ultimate nerd kings themselves, They Might be Giants.

This book doesn't zero in on any specific historical figure or event. Instead, it's essentially a young woman, a self-proclaimed nerd, who is elucidating why the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are her "bible."

She delves into her discomfort regarding the use of the flag and serves as a reminder that being a patriot entails being skeptical of the government. She shares the historical events in her life that have shaped her perspectives.

What makes this book truly engaging is that all of this is presented with great humor and self-deprecation of her nerdiness. It's a refreshing take on a topic that could otherwise be quite dry. I absolutely loved it.

The author's ability to blend serious discussion with lightheartedness makes it accessible and enjoyable for a wide range of readers. It encourages us to think critically about our country's history and our role as citizens.

Whether you're a history buff or just someone looking for an interesting read, this book is definitely worth checking out. It might just change the way you view the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

I tried, oh how I tried. I don't mind reading things by authors with a world view different than my own. In fact, I even enjoy new viewpoints.

However, Vowell and I just seem to vibrate on different planes. Sometimes her stories are fun. Others, like her crying when Bush was inaugurated and demanding the veteran take the flag from her yard, were enough for me to put her on permanent ignore.

Not that I necessarily liked Bush, but the whole protest and tears thing was just too much for me. It felt a bit over the top and perhaps not the most rational way to express her views.

Overall, a solid meh minus. Her writing style and the way she presents her ideas just don't resonate with me. I can understand that everyone has their own way of expressing themselves, but for me, this was just not it.

I'll continue to explore other authors and see if I can find ones that speak to me on a deeper level. Maybe there's someone out there whose world view and writing style will truly capture my attention and make me think.

Until then, I'll just have to keep looking.

This was truly a highly enjoyable book to peruse.

I initially became acquainted with Sarah Vowell when she made an appearance on the Daily Show.

Subsequently, I delved into her book "Take the Cannoli" which I adored.

However, I must confess that I relished this particular one even more.

I have a genuine appreciation for the manner in which she incorporates numerous snippets of history.

Ordinarily, these historical details might prove rather tiresome in the hands of another author.

Yet, Vowell's witty and engaging voice sustains the reader's interest and provides profound insights throughout the entire reading experience.

It is truly a remarkable feat of writing that keeps the pages turning and the mind engaged.