Like history? NPR nerd? (HEY! How did Blacklight get control of the blog? heeheehee). March right to your local bookstore or library and scoop up some Sarah Vowell. Even if you’re like me and can’t keep the darn presidents straight, history degree be damned. I’d rather have Sarah Vowell riding shotgun giving me random facts as we look for a little remembered historical site than take a Disney cruise any day.

Maybe it’s growing up in New England were you couldn’t drive through the local towns and not come across a “on this spot sign”. Heck, my middle school school was named after the Comte de Rochambeau. And I personally think Houlton, Maine needs a sign stating “this is where John Steinbeck started his epic journey in Travels With Charley“.

So any surprise Assassination Vacation is right up my alley? Part of me really envies Sarah’s twin sister Amy and her nephew Owen for getting to go on some of the adventures with her. And being the child loving but childless nerd I am, how cool is it to hear about a toddler who wants to see “Aunt Sarah’s castle” and “stones” versus being whacked with a Barbie? Because I HAVE been whacked with a Barbie Fairytopia doll (note: six years olds do NOT like it when you refer to that as Drag Queen Barbie) and man that HURTS! So smart three year olds rule. Go Owen Go!

With a rotating group of family and friends, Vowell visits different assassination related sites. Sometimes it means a trip to something grand, like the island fort where Dr Samuel Mudd was held. Other times it’s literally just a sign bolted to a rock or a plaque in a foyer. Along the way, you learn more about Vowell’s family, friends and the impact of the assassinations. And sometimes the briefest fact brings you to the edge of tears. When Blacklight found me on the couch reading with tears in my eyes he muttered something about “hormones” “that time of the month” and “miss moody pants”. But really?

Try learning that the people of Long Branch pushed the wounded President’s Garfield’s train car by hand just to get their beloved president to his cottage. You can’t even get your neighbor to jump your car these days or hold the door for you when you’re more package laden than a Sherpa going to Mount Everest. That’s the kind of tidbit and writing that makes Sarah Vowell a must read.

So even if you’re not an NPR nerd or a historical buff, give Assassination Vacation a read. You’ll never look at a statute in the park or one of those “On this spot” signs the same way again.