Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

An Amazon Best Book of October 2015: The Marquis de Lafayette, a.k.a. one of George Washington s best buds, is the subject of Sarah Vowell s latest offering, Lafayette in the Somewhat United States. So, why would a young French aristocrat venture to our shores to join Washington s army and fight in the Revolutionary War? He came for the glory! He came because he believed in American ideals! He came to escape his in-laws! But, mainly it was for the Enlightenment ideas that were unevenly embraced by many of his fellow comrades ideas that impacted how the war played out. I have seen eyes glaze over when I talk about this sort of thing, but anyone familiar with Vowell s oeuvre knows what a knack she has for making the (seemingly) mundane fascinating. She also draws some oddly comforting parallels between that time and our own (turns out that politicians have been butting heads, acting like idiots, and sporting terrible comb-overs since the birth of our great nation). There is rarely a description of Vowell that doesn t include the term acerbic, and her signature snark, strategically employed, is one of the things that makes Lafayette a fun (and yes, educational) read. But the other quality that shines through is her optimism. You will be smarter and less cynical after reading it. Erin Kodicek