Lafayette in the Somewhat United States - June CC Book Club Selection

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As a nod to the 250th anniversary of this “Great Unfinished Symphony,” aka the U.S.A., our June selection will be Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell. This is a non-fiction biography with a light-hearted approach to U.S. history. Vowell, author of Assassination Vacation and The Partly Cloudy Patriot, uses her signature humor to paint a portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette that is both entertaining and historically sound. The book offers a refreshing new perspective on the Frenchman who had a profound impact on our country and close relationships with many of its famous founders.

“Vowell wanders through the history of the American Revolution and its immediate aftermath, using Lafayette’s involvement in the war as a map, and bringing us all along in her perambulations…Her prose sparkles.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Nobody recounts American history the way Sarah Vowell does, with irreverence and humor and quirky details — history and facts, but also entertainment. [Lafayette in the Somewhat United States] is about the friendship between George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette, but in Vowell’s inimitable style it is also firmly grounded in the present.”— Minneapolis Star Tribune

Discussion begins June 1st. Please join us! (And if you think you might be interested, the Kindle version is on sale today [4/12/26] for $1.99.)

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All the Colors of the Dark - April CC Book Club Selection
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Got it on Libby. Yay!

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I went onto Amazon to buy the Kindle edition for $1.99. Wouldn’t process on my iPad. So I just tried it on my desktop and seem to have bought it - without any charge. I likely had some digital credits but details are not available. I will take the win.

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I got mine on E-bay!!

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Yay—picking up my book at public library today—reserved it online and it’s now waiting for me!

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I finished the book a couple weeks ago. Posted as a reminder that discussion starts on June 1.

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It’s June 1st! Welcome to our discussion of Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell.

Everything I know about the Revolutionary War I learned from the musicals “1776” and “Hamilton.” So this book helped fill in some gaps. :slight_smile: I was grateful for Sarah Vowell’s ridiculous asides; otherwise, it would have felt a little bit like homework. Overall, I enjoyed the history, even though war heroes, battle strategy, and its related politics would not be the category I would generally choose if selecting a non-fiction book.

AI handed me some discussion questions compiled from a variety of sources, which I’ll post below. The first thing that struck me when reading was how young Lafayette was. When my son was 19, I was probably instructing him on how to use the washing machine in the dorm laundry room; Lafayette was a major general.

As I read, I turned to art for many of the historical characters and events. Here is Lafayette at age 15, a year before he married Adrienne (poor woman, she had her trials):

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Discussion Questions if interested:

History, Myth, and Memory

  • The French Connection: Vowell points out that the American Revolution relied heavily on the French Navy and military leaders like Lafayette. Why do you think modern American folklore tends to downplay this reliance in favor of a narrative of pure, solitary American grit?
  • Historical Landmarks: Vowell weaves her narrative by physically visiting historical landmarks. How effective is this framing device in connecting the past with modern-day American values?

Lafayette the Figure

  • The Ultimate Outsider: Why is the Marquis de Lafayette one of the few historical figures that Americans from across the political spectrum can agree upon? [1]
  • Family vs. Duty: Lafayette abandoned his pregnant teenage wife and defied the King of France to join the American cause. How does Vowell frame his motivations? Do you view him as a romantic idealist or a thrill-seeking adolescent? [1]

Freedom vs. Independence

  • Slavery and Independence: Vowell notes that had the American colonies remained part of the British Empire, slavery likely would have been abolished a generation earlier. How does this historical fact complicate the rhetoric of freedom used by the Patriots? [1, 2, 3]
  • Freedom Defined: How does Vowell differentiate between the concepts of governmental independence (the right of colonists to make their own rules) and true human freedom? [1]

Partisanship and Politics

  • Founding Fallibility: In the text, Vowell feels a sense of comfort upon reading about petty arguments between Founding Fathers like John Adams and John Dickinson. Why does learning about the flawed, disagreeable nature of historical icons matter when evaluating modern political polarization?
  • Patriotism Today: Did Lafayette’s experience provide a useful lens for examining modern American values? What does it mean that an idealistic, aristocratic foreigner is often the one historical figure Americans can agree on?

Symbolism and Place

  • Lafayette Square: The book heavily focuses on Lafayette Square, located across from the White House, culminating in stories about suffragists protesting in front of his statue. Why is Lafayette an appropriate “steward” for American protests concerning gender equality, racial justice, and anti-imperialism?
  • The Sun Chair: Discuss George Washington’s chair at the Constitutional Convention—specifically Benjamin Franklin’s debate over whether the carved sun was rising or setting. How does this motif reflect the book’s overarching message about the fragility of American unity?
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Both. :grin:

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I’m with ignatius “Both.”

It’s pretty ironic that a member of the nobility should join up with a group trying to get free of their king. Though to be fair he kept his ideals up in the French Revolution writing the first draft (along with Thomas Jefferson) of The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen 1789 (Déclaration des droits de l’Homme et du citoyen de 1789) though Abbé Sieyès wrote most of the final version. But I digress (like Sarah Vowell).

I started off reading the book and was finding it a bit of a slog as the asides and over the top irreverent language kept pulling me out of the narrative. I was way behind schedule and there were things to be done (like weeding and getting exercise) so I switched to the audio version which I never do. What an improvement. The audio version features different actors doing impressions of French, German and British accents and everyone and their petty squabbles really came to life.

I still can’t believe he was 19 with nothing but pretty much fake credentials and they let him be a general!

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I started and stopped this book several times before I was finally able to get to the end. My first attempt was on audio while I was in the car on a trip. I didn’t like it at all and turned it off pretty quickly. The author read the book and I found her voice really irritating. She sounded like a middle-schooler reading a book report out loud. I turned it off and figured I’d try to read it. Reading it was a very good sleep aid. I switched to listening and reading at the same time. Missed some passages due to sleep. I didn’t reread/relisten to the missed passages because I didn’t think it was necessary. I plowed through and finished yesterday. There were some redeeming qualities to the book for me. The audible version improved once they added different voices for character quotes. I found Lafayette very interesting, and I learned a lot about the French involvement in the Revolutionary War. I also felt the book flowed more smoothly in the second half and was easier to read. Overall though, it was not a book for me. I’m looking forward to seeing what other people think about the book. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for a history lesson.

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I remember the first time I heard Sarah Vowell being interviewed and both DH and I thought she sounded like she was 10 years old. I think she reads too slowly so I bumped the book up to 1.33 speed.

I read almost no non-fiction - it’s so easy to put down!

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About 60 years ago, I saw the musical Ben Franklin in Paris starring Robert Preston as Franklin. It was directed and choreographed by Michael Kidd, with one song by Jerry Herman. So good credentials but it never caught on.

It was (somewhat fictionalized) about the wily womanizing diplomat’s efforts to gain French support in the early years of the war. I remember very little of the plot but one song has stuck in my head all these decades: Hic Haec Hoc, which takes place in a monastery’s vineyards and is entirely in Latin.

Anyway, until reading this book, this play was my impression of France’s role in the American revolution.

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So not a popular book? I really enjoyed it; gave me an entirely new perspective on the American revolution. I think the humor humanized everyone and I was occasionally laughing. The way the author interpreted and analyzed the letters and other writings to pull out the personalities and alleged motives of the writers was interesting. (There was a while in the middle of the book where there was a bit too much quoting for me.)

So Lafayette was this idealistic wild teenager with sizeable wealth who decided to forge forward with his own plans. I appreciated the note that teens of that age were still developing the consequences portion of the brain. I kept seeing Washington as shaking his head and thinking, what now, kid? Although he was somewhat portrayed as a misbehaving puppy looking for affirmation, it turned out that Lafayette had a very good military brain. And eventually diplomatic. His reception in later years was incredible considering the drop off in recognition later on.

Other patriots were drawn as some idealistic, some self serving, some jealous, some resentful, some petty, some forgiving - it’s surprising they were able to ever get together. This book also made clear (1) that 1776 was just the start of a very long war, not instant independence and (2) it was touch and go for quite a while as to the end result.

I also appreciated the insight into what was going on in France and hidden vs public actions. And the tie in to their revolution. The importance of naval battles was also illuminating.

I felt there was a bit too many obvious lines being drawn to current events, but I guess that was one of the objectives of the book. The input of locals in and around the battlefields and other places of import gave some different angles.

I’m not particularly a history buff but this was one of the few non-fiction books I had no problem happily reading.

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Why is the Marquis de Lafayette one of the few historical figures that Americans from across the political spectrum can agree upon?

Probably because Lafayette was that romantic idealist - plus thrill-seeking adolescent - who played a gratifyingly successful role in the American Revolution. He had no ulterior motive. He essentially came out of nowhere to help save the day for the Patriots. Who can argue with that? Obviously all worked in Lafayette’s favor: he survived and the colonists won the war.

The fact that he was foreign added to his allure, much as Franklin captivated France at the same time.

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I may be the only one here, who read the book, in 2015 when it was published, and now for this discussion.

I need my history with a bit of quirky asides, and, Sarah Vowell, delivers.
This book, is more relevant now, 2026 in these “ not “somewhat” United States, but very divided United States “,
But, I’m not going to open that Pandoras Box.

I admit the last third of the book, was a slog, and I thought, let’s get this endless revolutionary war over, as she wrote about Newport, vs, Virginia battles.
The quotes may offer authenticity as a “ somewhat” historical, fact based account of things, but there were many times when I didn’t need the quotes.
@caraid I Understand how this was sleep inducing, and you didn’t feel need to backtrack what was missed.

Maybe it’s because as a new Jerseyan, who lives within an hour of off these historic battles, who has been to the brandywine valley ( for Andrew Wyeth not for battle field visit ) who has been to Trenton, Princeton, freehold, even the Monmouth county battlefield, where more soldiers died from the grueling 100 degree heat than from battle wounds, this book resonates more deeply with me.

As a kid in 4th grade we we learned about valley forge, it didn’t mean much about no boots, or clothes, or food,

Now as a 70 plus year old, I’m shocked at the thought of bare feet on the frozen ground of Pennsylvania, bleeding as they walked miles and miles.
The fact we won that war, with all those thousands of young recruits and volunteers, of the casualties, is astounding and makes me appreciate MORE THAN EVER, this upcoming 250th celebration.

And, we do have Lafayette, a kid who made the miracle happen.
Lin Manuel Maranda, we need your next musical to be about the Marquis ! Please, Americans need to know this.

So my question to you @ignatius and others, Vowell said perhaps the Marquis’s motivation was to Avenge his father’s death ?
But, he clearly saw the glory of war, and I only see the horror of war.

I don’t understand Steuben, Lafayette and others who seek out war.

I just don’t get it.
S

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Last fall we were near Lafayette College, in Pennsylvania and I made my husband take a photo of me standing by the austere statue of Lafayette on the campus - because I remembered from reading the book in 2015-
I may not remember the plot of book I read last week

But I remembered Sarah Vowells account of Lafayette’s role in these United States

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Seems appropriate on this “ college “ confidential website to display Lafayette Statue which is on the Lafayette college campus in Easton Pa ( also where the crayola factory museum if fyi )

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And here’s Lafayette in Lafayette Park

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Same. When things get a little slow, I have to stop myself from setting a non-fiction book aside with the thought, “Well, I know how this ends.” But that’s no credit to me. I should read more!

My sister reads almost exclusively non-fiction. She was a history major back in the day and still loves to read big tomes with every little historical detail of the past. She’s especially a fan of the Revolutionary War era and just finished a biography of Samuel Adams. It’s like these historical figures are her dear old friends, if that makes sense. I’m sure it does make sense to history buffs.

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