43 pages • 1 hour read
Sarah VowellThe Wordy Shipmates
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2008A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
In The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell humorously and critically examines the Puritans who traveled on the Arbella to Massachusetts in 1630, exploring their efforts to establish a "city upon a hill" and the lasting legacies of their actions and ideologies. The book delves into their cultural production, colonialism, politics, religious tolerance, and gender issues, urging a reevaluation of American exceptionalism and the Puritans' impact on modern American identity. The book includes references to violence against Indigenous peoples.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Sarah Vowell’s The Wordy Shipmates offers a witty and insightful look into the lives of the Puritans who settled in New England. Critics praise her engaging narrative style and depth of historical analysis, though some feel the humor occasionally overshadows the historical content. Overall, the book is celebrated for making early American history accessible and entertaining.
Who Should Read The Wordy Shipmates?
Readers who delight in witty historical narratives with a modern twist will enjoy The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell. Fans of David McCullough's 1776 or Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City will appreciate Vowell's engaging prose and deep dive into Puritan New England's cultural legacy.
RecommendedReading Age
18+yearsBook Details
History: U.S.
Religion / Spirituality
Politics / Government
Life/Time: The Past
Society: Colonialism
American Literature
Humor