If you have never read Sarah Vowell and you would like to get the flavour of this book, give her a listen on National Public Radio. Her voice is consistent between the written and spoken word. She is very political and very Democratic, so that informs her writing. If open bias bothers you, or that particular bias bothers you, give this book a miss.

The Buffy bit was very amusing, as were some of the historical passages. Some of the rest I found less. However, humour is notoriously subjective, so your mileage may vary.

I found this book good reading on a gray, rainy day. It's not Pulitzer material, but it is a bit of sunshine for a dreary afternoon.

You may know Sarah Vowell from NPR's This American Life. Her quirky commentaries are the highlight of the show for me. This book is a wonderful distillation of those qualities into text. She writes in a conversational style that draws the reader into her world. Her essays cover various topics from Gettysburg to Tom Cruise to Tom Landry. Through all this, her particular brand of self-deprecating humor shines in all of them.

A self-proclaimed "civics nerd," this knowledge of politics feeds her world view. The centerpiece of this collection, "The Nerd Voice," is a twenty-plus-page look at the 2000 election, why Gore didn't win, and how she and her friends--all members of a web forum--felt about it. Upon noticing that Bob Dole is attending, seeing him comforts her in a way, and she feels he "symbolizes a simpler, more innocent time in America when you could lose the presidential election and, like, not actually become president."

She likens the presidential race to the proverbial Jock vs. Nerd battle from school. Gore was seen as too smart, so he must be taken down. She then notes that the reason Bush was not shot during the attack on the Oval Office was because he was not working, but was in the White House gym instead, exercising.

The title piece, "The Partly Cloudy Patriot," starts out as a review of the Mel Gibson film but metamorphoses into a commentary on the use of the word "patriot" following the events of September 11th and concludes with her views on the prevalence of flags, their symbolism, and why she doesn't want one stuck uninvited into her yard.

The collection is slightly uneven but that has to be expected from a collection whose only discernible theme is "America." What is here is a wonderful new view of the world around us; one that is insightful, pointedly funny, and should open your mind to see things in a different way--the Sarah Vowell way. After all, who else would list the numerous people who almost daily compare themselves to civil rights icon Rosa Parks and point out the insanity of it all?

Webster's Dictionary defines "droll" as "amusing in an odd or wry way." There are many adjectives for Sarah Vowell, but "droll" may be the best one-word description out there. In her second major collections of essays, the self-proclaimed nerd focuses on her strength ' a seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of American history and politics. Never has literary criticism (the genre this book is lumped into) been less stodgy as Vowell tries to come to terms with the end of the Clinton era, the 2000 presidential election fiasco, and the aftermath of 9/11. Also discussed are such wide-ranging topics as the Salem witch trials to arcade (pop-a-shot) basketball to a couple of famous Toms (movie star Cruise and former Dallas Cowboys' coach Landry). I happily admit to laughing out loud several times (and learning a thing or two) while reading this intelligent and entertaining volume.

For those unfamiliar with Vowell, I urge you to try and get a listen to her either in her regular gig on NPR or a book tour appearance/reading that is currently being aired on C-SPAN. Having Vowell's distinctive speaking voice in your head (she notes that she and Abraham Lincoln may share a similar oratory style -- "as squeaky as a six-year-old girl"), will only add to your reading enjoyment.

A slight warning ' Vowell is a bleeding heart Democrat and she wears that heart proudly on her sleeve, so those with who do not have a similar political bent may have a tougher time stomaching some of the essays. Despite having a perpetual "partly cloudy" outlook of the world, there is also a palpable optimism that runs through Vowell's work. As she hilariously notes in one essay, her motto in any situation is "it could be worse." And, at times, that is not a bad way at all to get through some tough times.

"Take the Cannoli" is a short collection of essays by Sarah Vowell, mostly printed elsewhere before being compiled here. Emphasis on "short". The title article obviously takes its cue from "The Godfather", and I came to the end wishing that the book had been as long as the movie. Vowell's organized the essays by general subject, starting with the autobiographical, lingering heavily on the travelogue, and ending with reflections on her own music collection (back to the autobiographical, then). Taken all together there's not much of a start-to-finish personal journey here (Vowell is not, after all, Michael Corleone), but the places and reflections she shows us along the way are all worth remembering. Best essay in the book follows the Trail of Tears, as the author ruminates on her own part-Cherokee Indian heritage. Overall, I spent a couple of weeks dipping into and out of Sarah Vowell's life and now I can say I'd like to have read more than the barely 220 pages we're given.

I just finished reading "Take The Cannoli" after ordering it off of amazon.com. I'd seen Sarah Vowell on a late night talk show and thought she was hilarious and knew I had to have her book. Well, I was right, she is hilarious. She is also very intelligent and well read. She deals with both humorous and serious subjects equally well. If you are looking for joke after joke, then this book probably isn't for you, she tackles subjects such as the Trail Of Tears and manages to make the essay funny, touching, and a bit of a history lesson. I'm of Native American descent also and sadly, I found that I did not know much about the Trail Of Tears and learned a lot (and will read more) about it. However, that is just one essay in the book. Her other essays deal with everything from insomnia to music to getting along with her family. There is always wit and she makes excellent jokes. I wasn't disappointed by any essay. They are all wonderful. I recommend this for anyone that wants an entertaining read that also makes you think.

I received this book as a Christmas present and, taken by the Godfather reference, immediately began to read it. I read the whole thing sitting in my living room on Christmas day and LOVED every minute of it. Sarah Vowell is an incredible author with the wittiest comments on life, and as you're sucked into the Vowell state of mind you don't want to come back to regular earth. She shares stories of how she learned to drive in her late 20s, her visit to the hometown of Frank Sinatra, and her stay at the famous Chelsea Hotel. You get to know her mother, father and sister intimately through her essays, how her father is the political antithesis to Vowell, her sister the physical antithesis. She shares insights she gained going through high school, writing orchestral pieces, playing every instrument she could get her hands on, and her addiction to The Godfather. I eagerly await another compilation from Ms. Vowell.

"Grouchy" seems to be what a lot of people thought about "Radio On", and there is certainly some of that, and some whining, too. And, I would have liked the book more, I suppose, if Nirvana had meant as much to me as, say, the Clash. But anyone who has ever thought that music is important to them, and who has had the radio as a lifeline to that important thing in their life, will enjoy and understand this book. Ms. Vowell never really defines her project, which was apparently to diary her reflections on American culture by responding to what she hears on the radio, but she does spend a fair amount of time complaining about it. Her complaining is entertaining, however, and witty, which will not surprise anyone who has heard her essays on "This American Life". Sometimes her criticisms did not seem quite fair-- Bob Edwards is not the anti-Rush, and it is a little unrealistic to expect him to be. (Maybe Andrei Codrescu is the anti-Rush). I guess I liked the politics of the thing, and the fact that she really loves and cares about radio. I've been trying to read as much as I can get my hands on about radio this year, and it seems to be a difficult medium to write about (in contrast to film, say). Most good writing about radio ends up being about something else, and it is the something else that I liked about "Radio On". I would recommend it to anyone who cares about radio, or who thinks about American culture.

this book is a diary of an entire year's worth of listening to the radio. most people only listen in their cars, but sarah didn't have a tv or something, so she kept a journal of what she heard on the radio. in some cities, this would be the most boring task and picking your belly button lint would be more fun. but she was lucky enough to live in a place where they take their radio seriously. this isn't anything like take the cannoli, but don't let that stop you. it's an incredible sociological experiment. plus it also helps that she's employed by npr. sort of.

...you don't listen to NPR, and radio isn't a central part of your life. I probably got more out of this book than some people, because I listened to some of the stations referenced in it (KITS in SF, for example). Sarah Vowell's critiques of modern American culture and of radio are DEAD ON. Like I said, some of the jokes in there are pretty specific to NPR listeners (like her comment about Talk of the Nation), but a lot of it is just growing up Generation X in America. If you're a Gen X NPR listener, this is worth every penny.