A review by vonnemiste
The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell

3.0

When Sarah Vowell is good, she is great. Her essays on family, home, and sense of place are lovely, and her closing piece on Teddy Roosevelt and North Dakota is one of the most giving, heartfelt bits of writing I've ever had the pleasure to read. However, I find her commitment to exclaiming vague platitudes about patriotism and democracy to be grating, as is her preference for a wonkish sort of Democratic centrism. In 2017, her politics seem out-of-touch and hopelessly naive. That being said, Vowell writes beautifully and with a wry, witty, and thoughtful voice. Her reflections on America are smart, hopeful, and singular.