Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of The Wordy Shipmates

The Wordy Shipmates
Helpful Score: 1


In The Wordy Shipmates we are shown that the Puritans life was not Thanksgiving every day. They fought with the Indians,they fought the British and they fought with each other.

I found I liked The Wordy Shipmates near the end where she describes a trip with her niece and nephew to Boston. During a reenactment of the Puritans war against the Indians, author Sarah Vowells nephew, who is wincing through violent scenes, asks when do they have Thanksgiving. Vowells answer is 16 years earlier. I like that because I related with the boy as he learned about the history but that was only one sentence or more.

I found this a very hard read. I picked it up because I had seen Vowell on The Daily Show and I liked her sense of humor. I found myself trying to read and not understanding what I read. From other reviews it seems I picked the wrong Sarah Vowell book to start with. The fact that it had no chapters was not a good thing. It needed something to breakup what was being learned.

I wish I could have connected with the book and understood better to especially catch the humor.
As for now I will be on the lookout for Vowells early books. This one is going to the exchange pile.