Lafayette In The Somewhat United States

"With the guy’s glorious French mug now frowning down at us from statues across the country, it may be tough to believe that the Marquis de Lafayette (“best friend” to a fledgling United States) was ever anything other than marble. Happily, Sarah Vowell’s funny, unpretentious meander through history is ready to remind us that Lafayette, the man who helped the patriots find their footing in the American Revolution, was once a teenager, too. Vowell may not take herself (or her subjects) too seriously, but her smirk never stands in the way of a good yarn. She manages a quick, quippy — and edifying — history of our “all-American inability to get our s - - - together.”"