A review by hp_reading
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell

3.0

This book tells the history of the United States, and sometimes the world, through the life of Lafayette. I find this structure interesting and easier to process than some of the broader world histories. By telling this very well known American event through the life of one very wealthy, French teenager allows us to see the American Revolution through a different perspective. We see the power and idealism and hope of the American Dream through someone who could have had anything he wanted. Clearly there is something intoxicating about the ideals that our founders presented - a very basic human need to be free. A very basic need we are still striving to define. This book has truly beautiful moments that capture this essence, but at many times the author's point of view seems to ramble. Her own personality shines through, but I think sometimes it shines so bring that it distracts from her narrative. And while the ending may seem detached and unfinished, America is also still unfinished.