A humorous book about the Puritans just sounds hopelessly dweebish, doesn't it? Probably the kind of thing you buy but never read, and leave lying around so people will know you're smart but still have a sense of humor. Heh, heh, don't you just love Sarah Vowell?, etc.
Now, I admit, I do suffer from a mild case of dweebishness myself. I listen to NPR, I subscribe to The Nation, I'd rather read Edith Wharton than Mary Gaitskill--my lack of hipness is undeniable. Nevertheless, trust me when I tell you that The Wordy Shipmates really is funny and smart, and hardly dweebish at all. You'll find my review of it here. If you don't already know Vowell from her work on This American Life, you can see her here in a recent appearance on The Daily Show.
2 comments:
You've got me! I am charmed by SV and her laconic wit...hopefully, I *will* read sooner than it took me to actually pick up David Sedaris (which was, btw, very amusing...am I dweebish?)
Funny exchange: I commented to my mother that I felt I had gone fully into adulthood when I started listening to NPR and enjoying documentaries. She laughed and said, "Ah, youth..."
It's possible that a love of David Sedaris is evidence of dweebishness, but that's nothing to be ashamed of. Dweebs of the world, unite!
Personally, I think there's something highly suspect about anybody who can resist David Sedaris doing his Billie Holliday impression.
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