On Monday, Vowell was on The Daily Show with John Stewart. In this unedited, extended interview, Sarah Vowell looks back on the year that the United States became a world power for the first time. In the second part, she also tells a Saddam Hussein anecdote that involves a quilt. Take a look. Take a listen.
Many think of 1776 as the defining year in American history, when we became a nation devoted to the pursuit of happiness through self-government. In Unfamiliar Fishes, Vowell argues that 1898 might be a year just as defining, when, in an orgy of imperialism, the United States annexed Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Guam, invaded first Cuba, and then the Philippines, and became an international superpower practically overnight.
Among the many and various developments in these newly acquired outposts, Vowell considers the Americanization of Hawaii the most intriguing. With her trademark smart-alecky insights and reporting, Vowell lights out to discover the off, emblematic, and exceptional history of the fiftieth state, and in so doing finds America, warts and all.
Sarah Vowell, the bestselling author of The Wordy Shipmates, Assassination Vacation, The Partly Cloudy Patriot, Take the Cannoli, and Radio On, will be speaking about her new book at Book Passage in Corte Madera on Friday, April 1st - no foolin'. Preferred seating to this special afternoon event is by book purchase. If you can't attend this event and would like a signed copy of Vowell's new hardback book, simply follow this link to place an order - and please note "signed copy" in the comments field.
Aloha.
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