Thursday, November 29, 2018

Books from the Backlog - Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!  Today's book is Lafayatte in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell.  

Blurb On August 16, 1824, an elderly French gentlemen sailed into New York Harbor and giddy Americans were there to welcome him. Or, rather, to welcome him back. It had been thirty years since the Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette had last set foot in the United States, and he was so beloved that 80,000 people showed up to cheer for him. The entire population of New York at the time was 120,000.

Lafayette's arrival in 1824 coincided with one of the most contentious presidential elections in American history, Congress had just fought its first epic battle over slavery, and the threat of a Civil War loomed. But Lafayette, belonging to neither North nor South, to no political party or faction, was a walking, talking reminder of the sacrifices and bravery of the revolutionary generation and what they wanted this country to be. His return was not just a reunion with his beloved Americans, it was a reunion for Americans with their own astonishing singular past.

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States is a humorous and insightful portrait of the famed Frenchman, the impact he had on our young country, and his ongoing relationship with some of the instrumental Americans of the time, including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and many more. 

Why This Needs to Come Off the Shelf: I've had this one on a shelf for a couple of years ever since I saw Vowell live.  I've been very hit or miss with her books but I'm curious about this one.


6 comments:

  1. I have so many that I want to talk about and so many that I need to get on and read! I have high hopes for 2019 in getting some of these neglected books read!

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  2. This sounds like an interesting read. You already know that my books on the shelves that need to be read probably goes back to at least 2009(lol), and the list is still growing. Happy Thursday and hugs...RO

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  3. I don't think I've read Vowell. Sounds like an interesting book!

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  4. This sounds really interesting, Katherine! I love that there is some humor worked into the book.

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  5. Well the curiosity might get you there one day soon, and the fact that you single it out also helps most likely!

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