Take the Cannoli: Stories from the New World

Though she's known to many as a voice on NPR's "This American Life" and to many more (even if they don't realize it) as the voice of Violet in the hit Pixar film "The Incredibles," I mainly came to know her through her written works. Having read her book "The Partly Cloudy Patriot" and loving the unique way she blends history, pop culture and humor with autobiography, I couldn't resist Sarah Vowell's essay collection "Take the Cannoli." To put it mildly, I was impressed. Even though many of these pieces were delivered on the radio, they translate to book form without a hint of strain. Whereas a book written by a comedian like George Carlin often comes off as a clumsily assembled blog, Ms. Vowell takes the time to put her thoughts down with clarity, and therefore her ideas and personality shine through. Of course, that's what one should expect of any writer, much less an essayist whose main beat is her own life. So what makes this book hold up next to the likes of David Sedaris and Dave Eggers (both of whom are thanked in the acknowledgments)? For one thing, Ms. Vowell has a firm grasp of American history, both the good and bad, that most contemporary memoirists tend to ignore. In particular is "What I see when I look at the face on the $20 bill," in which she examines the Cherokee side of her family by taking a car trip along the Trail of Tears with her twin sister and tries to reconcile that shameful episode in American history with the country she loves today--this book is also useful ammunition against conservative blowhards who claim that liberals "hate America". Her conclusiions are both inspiring and heartbreaking, not to mention worth the price of admission all by itself. Ms. Vowell looks at the worst America has to offer--violence, racism, religious extremism--and balances it against the freedom, independence and opportunity it provides, and still proudly waves the constitution (that's right, the constitution--any idiot can display a mere symbol like the flag, but the U.S. constitution is about ideas, perhaps the most revolutionary and resonant ideas in the modern world, even if they're not in color). The current vogue for memoirs can sometimes come off as a gimmick--did you have a screwed-up childhood and a weird family? Great! You too can be a bestselling author! Sarah Vowell proves that a relatively "normal" upbringing and an adult life spent with other people's stories--her takes on "The Godfather" (from where this book gets its title) and Frank Sinatra are mini-classics--can result in something beautiful and original. Call it "post-modern" if you like (or don't--that term went from cliche to plain silly a long time ago) but I'll just call it "brilliant."

Sarah Vowell is a wonderful commentary as well as essayist. I am a huge fan of NPR. I enjoy David Sedaris, Ira Glass and Sarah. I have read several of David's books but simply cannot compare these two broadcastors. Both are wonderful to listen to on the radio but I'm sorry, Sarah Vowell is by far, the better writer. Her book was so, so enjoyable. I laughed out loud so many times reading it. Her foray into the Goth culture had me in stitches. I related so well because I wanted my daughter to become a "goth" while she was in high school. She just rolled her eyes at me...anyway, I thought I was one of the few adults who appreciated the goth look. Sarah, you made me smile. Thanks so much. I just love your take on life...Keep it up.

Scanning the car radio while driving one night, I stumbled on a very young-sounding woman describing the tribulations of performing in a high school marching band during a football game: "having to maneuver into cute visual formations, like the trio of stick figures we fashioned when we played the theme from 'My Three Sons'" and then "pounded out a little Latin-flavored number called 'Tico Tico'". I remember laughing out loud, and wishing for more when she was done.This same voice - wry, ironic, cranky, always engaging, and often very, very funny - can be found sans audio (Vowell herself says her speaking voice is "straight out of the second grade") in this collection of short memoir pieces and essays. I should point out here that I'm not an unbiased reviewer: I admire many of the same elements of our culture that Vowell does: Elvis, 50's Sinatra, "The Godfather", Mark Twain, "The Great Gatsby", Beat writing, authentic music with an edge. So if Vowelll were in my high school I would have wanted very much to have compared notes when she was not performing "Tico Tico". But regardless of YOUR passions, there's plenty to enjoy in this book from a fresh new voice with a quirky but consistently insightful take on our culture.Humor is so hard to pull off well in writing - and Vowell has fabulous timing and delivery. I'll look forward to her next book - where perhaps she can more consciously try to tie together memorable snapshots like these into a more unified whole. Even here, however, the book adds up to more than the sume of its component parts. I liked Vowell's line that "'What is This Thing Called Love' is the driving question behind the entire Sinatra research project." Possibly her subsequent work could elaborate more overtly on her take of "What is This Thing Called Life?". In the meantime - this is a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable book, full of fresh and interesting takes on our culture from a rapidly maturing artist. I strongly recommend it.

Sarah Vowell brings her trademark wit and attention to detail to a range of topics in this remarkable collection. She ranges from the everyday (mix tapes and UPS deliveries) to more complex subjects (her Cherokee heritage and Trail of Tears), and provides insights into American culture that are profound. She stakes her claim to be able to criticize American wrongdoings but also to wholeheartedly love her country (in an essay entitled "Vindictively American").The love of music she evidenced in her previous book Radio On is still here, with her faves like Jonathan Richman sprinkled throughout the book. Her irreverent spirit is best displayed in the title chapter, where she appropriates the phrase "Take The Cannoli" from the film The Godfather and truly makes it her own.Vowell goes to Rock N Roll Fantasy Camp, goes deep into the heart of the Chelsea Hotel, and gets glammed up as a goth girl, all in the name of journalism. She truly shines in this collection as a young person who has not given up on America or on rock n' roll, but who right claims her place to critique and evaluate them on her own terms.