Ex Libris: The Wordy Shipmates

I wrote previously that I had been contacted by Sarah Vowell's publisher about her latest book, The Wordy Shipmates. In addition to the marketing materials they sent me, they also sent me a review copy of the book. I was very much looking forward to reading Sarah's book when it is released in October, so I jumped at the chance to read it now. I was not disappointed.

I am not a fast reader. In fact, I read more slowly than everyone I know. When I was younger I took this as a sign that I wasn't very smart. No one told this, I just came to believe it. As, I got older, I began to understand that the reason that I have always read so slowly is because I'm dyslexic. Once I could put a name to it, the problem seemed less daunting and overwhelming. I still read quite slowly but at least now I know why and don't take it as sign of lack of intelligence. It also is comforting to know that I'm not intentionally mis-reading "dog" for "god," but just that the letters get scrambled between my eyes and my brain. The reason that I mention this is that it is often the case while I am reading fiction the pace of my reading increases somewhat as I progress through the book. This increase in reading speed almost never happens when I read non-fiction books. However, I am delighted to say that it did happen when I was reading The Wordy Shipmates. If my reading speed increased it can only mean that I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

As usually, Sarah's writing is engaging, witty, relevant, and humorous. It is obvious that she has painstakingly researched her subject and is extremely familiar with the primary source material. Rather than getting lost in the stale repetition of facts, dates, and events, Sarah brings the people and events of 17th-century New England to life; making them real and relevant to the reader. I have a very rudimentary knowledge of the history of the New England colonies in the 17th century. The Wordy Shipmates has made me hungry for more.

I will definitely purchase a copy of this book when it is released by the publisher next month and strongly encourage others to do likewise.

I will definitely be attending Sarah's reading and signing at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago on October 23. You can go to the This American Life web site to get a list of dates for Sarah's book tour.

Finally, I need to acknowledge my good friend, Chris C., "girl linguist," for not only introducing me to Sarah Vowell's work but also for assuring me that Sarah is in fact a real person. Thanks, Chris, you're a peach!

But wait there's more!
I actually finished reading The Wordy Shipmates on Monday. On my morning commute, which was about 20 minutes longer than usual due to flooding from last weekend's 8-12 inches of rain, I realized that I fast approaching the end of the book. Sadly, for me, I hadn't brought with me another book to read after finishing this one. So I decided to stop reading and save the rest for the train ride home. Of course, the ride home was about 30 minutes longer than usual, so I have plenty of time to read the rest of the book. With nothing but time on my hands I made short work of the Chicago Tribune crossword puzzle.

Then I recalled that I had put on my iPod a bunch of audio files that a friend from Ohio (Hi, Paul!) had sent me. These files were from the old CBS program, You Are There, one of my all time favorites. I decided to scroll through the files to see what was there. To my amazement, I found a file for the "Ann Hutchinson's Trial." If you read The Wordy Shipmates, you will become quite familiar with Mrs. Hutchinson and her trial. Since I had plenty of time to pass, I listened to the program and heard many of the words I had just read over the previous few days. It was a fitting ending for the book.