‘Lafayette in the Somewhat United States’: Author takes sharp look at American Revolution

Sarah Vowell is sometimes criticized for being overly glib in her various books about American history. I would argue, however, that she wields her glibness to great effect, skewering our traditional heroes and well-worn narratives to allow us to see our history both more clearly and more honestly.

Her new book, 'Lafayette in the Somewhat United States,” is no exception. Centered on the Marquis de Lafayette - the French hero of the American Revolution who was deeply revered in this country until he was all but forgotten - the book recounts the War of Independence in a way that isn't always flattering to the winning side.

Take, for example, her consideration of the harsh winter General Washington and his troops spent at Valley Forge. Noting that crops had been abundant during the previous growing season, she cites administrative failures (including an unwillingness to collect taxes because taxation was at the heart of the colonists' complaints against England) for the hardships faced by the troops.

Valley Forge, she suggests, isn't a story of heroism in the face of implacable conditions so much as a cautionary tale underpinned by 'the observable fact that the military, congressional, and state bureaucracies responsible for supplying the common soldiers with luxuries like food, water, and shoes were, to use an acronym coined by the grunts of Ike's war, FUBAR.”

Some readers may bristle at Vowell's willingness to highlight foibles, call out mistakes, and use provocative turns of phrase (as when she calls the American rebels 'self-respecting, financially strapped terrorists” seeking an alliance with France to become 'state-sponsored terrorists”). But Vowell is often as admiring of her subjects as she is critical. She doesn't let that admiration lead to mythmaking, however. Instead, she connects the past to the present with a keen eye and a sharp tongue.