Read before the Election

Or before Thanksgiving (Canadian Thanksgiving's already passed), Or before the harsh winter. Actually I read it this summer and enjoyed it, so anytime in the spring would be good too...

The main thing is that you should read Sarah Vowell's new book, Wordy Shipmates. In it she examines the lives of the second-wave Puritans that have left their mark in so many ways through to today. She pays special attention to John Winthrop's "City on a Hill," beacon of Christian living idea. She shows how he came up with the idea, who liked it, when and why, at the time, and the ways in which he tried to carry it out. She also notes how it's carried through into current politics and mindsets.

Also addressed in the book: mean-spirited pamphlet wars; apologies out to the King of England; Puritans and their connections to the land, the natives, and the future site of Rhode Island; courtrooms and other forms of justice; and what we chose to remember -> the buckle hats, turkey and witch hunts.

Sarah Vowell shares her research and insights with dry humor and incredible wit, as always. Here's a link to several of her clips from This American Life, the pertinent one being "Turkey in Pilgrim's Clothing" examining modern pop culture's view of the puritans/pilgrims in situation comedies:"17th century New England is all situation. No Comedy."