Sarah Vowell

March 7, 2012 Novelist T.C. Boyle takes on a California environmental battle while Mary Doria Russell takes a fresh look at the Wild West of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. In nonfiction, Sarah Vowell tours Hawaii, Charles Fishman looks at the future of water, Allen Shawn reflects on being a twin, and Ben Ryder Howe on running a Brooklyn deli.

Summary

March 22, 2011 Sarah Vowell takes on the American occupation of Hawaii, author Katharine Greider dives into New York history through the lens of her crumbling Manhattan row house, and Lisa Abend follows the apprentices toiling away in the molecular gastronomy labs of Ferran Adria's elBulli.

Summary

March 22, 2011 Sarah Vowell turns her acerbic wit on the epic story of Hawaii, up to the U.S. annexation in 1898. Vowell's quirky tone has its charming moments, but as critic Dan Kois writes, "deadpan casualness may not be a useful stance from which to approach the story of the death of a nation."

Summary

October 7, 2008 Think the Pilgrims were all straight-laced seriousness and tight buckles? Think again, says author Sarah Vowell. In her new book, The Wordy Shipmates, Vowell explores the lively history of America's ancestors. Just who were those folks living in the "shining city on a hill"?

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On Talk of the NationPlaylist

October 6, 2008 Are you experiencing political addiction? Signs include an obsession with the electoral map, overuse of the phrase "game-changer" and a trance-like fixation on Nov. 4. If this could be you, then we have three books to feed your habit.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

May 10, 2005 Vowell plays the role of historical tourist in her new book 'Assassination Vacation.' She recounts travels to various historical sites, piecing together stories of fallen presidents and the men who gunned them down.

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On Talk of the NationPlaylist