Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

If you’re like most people, you can’t say much about Presidents McKinley and Garfield except that they were two of the four presidents, along with Lincoln and Kennedy, who were assassinated while in office. This book can fix that. It’s the story of writer and NPR contributor Sarah Vowell visiting all the sites related to our four assassinated presidents and their untimely deaths in her “assassination vacation.” Mixing dark humor with honest feeling, she visits graves, death sites, presidential libraries, homes, theaters, and more, in hopes of better understanding these four fallen leaders. In the process, she pulls not only from primary and contemporaneous sources, but also from modern ones. She quotes historic letters and newspaper articles alongside conversations with tour guides and impersonators she meets along the way. It makes for an eclectic but absorbing read, jumping from a harrowing first-person account of McKinley’s shooting to the nondescript plaque that marks the spot today.

Vowell’s witty writing style will appeal to fans of David Sedaris, and her storytelling makes the experience feel very personal. If the idea of a morbidly funny road trip through our nation’s history sounds like fun to you, you’ll want to pick this one up. Audiobook Lovers: The author narrates this book, giving an impeccable reading of her own lines with a dry, deadpan delivery that complements the writing perfectly. However, her high, lispy voice may turn off some listeners.