Assassination Vacation
Assassination Vacation is Sarah Vowell's chronicle of her research into the assassinations of presidents Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley. As she road-trips around the country to visit every spot important to these assassinations — from Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. to the Key West island prison where John Wilkes Booth's co-conspirators were held — she sprinkles tidbits of fascinating and amusing history.
Quote:
"Before, I didn't mind [Garfield], and of course I sympathized with his bum luck of a death. But I find his book addiction endearing, even a little titillating considering that he would sneak away from the house and the House to carry on a love affair with Jane Austen. In his diary he raves about an afternoon spent rearranging his library in a way that reminds me of the druggy glow you can hear in Lou Reed's voice on 'Heroin.'"
Author:
Sarah Vowell is the author of various history books, including Unfamiliar Fishes and The Wordy Shipmates. She was a contributing editor to Public Radio International's This American Life from 1996-2008, and also starred in the movie The Incredibles.
Published: 2005
Length: 248 pages
Set in: United States (various)