Interview with "Wordy Shipmates" Author

Sarah Vowell, author of several bestselling books including Assassination Vacation and Take the Cannoli, has released a book about the Puritans in America titled The Wordy Shipmates. As usual, her commentary on American history is tinged with humor, a term that is rarely used in junction with the Puritans. In the Smithsonian Magazine, Sarah Vowell gives an interview about her new book, the characters who are in it, and her reasons for interest in this group of reserved, religious people. Not all of the Puritans abided by the Puritan Law, though, and she discusses the blasphemous rebellion of Anne Hutchinson, a women who gave sermons in her home and believed that the spirit of God was inside her. (In Puritanland, this resulted in banishment from society) The article titled "Sarah Vowell on the Puritans' Legacy" by Amanda Bensen is set up in question answer format with a brief introduction from Bensen. The questions are interesting, though, and the responses even more so. This article is definitley worth the read and I suspect the book is, too, if anyone is looking to add to their winter break list of leisurely reads.