From Publishers Weekly
A good storyteller can engage, provoke and intrigue in a few pages or a matter of moments. A great storyteller can accomplish all that while reflecting on something as mundane as an Italian dessert or a Midwestern bridge. A regular on Public Radio International's This American Life, Vowell (Radio On: A Listener's Diary) proves to be the latter in this quirky collection of thoughts, ramblings and memories that charmingly cohere into a full picture of American life. While she occasionally attempts to tackle larger political and historical issues, her talent lies in making small details bright and engaging. Especially sharp are her explorations of topics that might at first seem tired and overplayed, such as the Godfather movies (from which she draws the book's title), road trips, Disney and Sinatra. She displays her knack for insight during both her journalistic quests, as when she writes histories of New York's Chelsea Hotel and Chicago's Michigan Avenue Bridge, and her personal journeys, as when she describes a courtship conducted by exchanging cassette tapes. The essays, which rarely reference each other, stand on their own as snippets from the mind of a pop culture maven Taken together, however, they form a vivid autobiographical portrait: Vowell's description of growing up a gunsmith's daughter in Oklahoma complements another essay about road tripping with her sister down the Trail of Tears, and makes an ensuing piece on a visit to Disney's planned town, Celebration, even funnier. Vowell's writingAa blend of serious observations and bouncy remarksAmakes for rich commentary on America, and for great stories. Agent, Wendy Weil. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
In this eclectic addition to the autobiographical literary genre, Vowell (Radio On: A Listener's Diary) explains her journey from natural-born liberal to understanding the differences between herself and her conservative family. Her father is a gunsmith and partial to the Second Amendment. The best anecdotes in this book have been pilfered from her family, and she graciously acknowledges the debt. Her liberal use of pop culture serves as a touchstone throughout the collection. The most memorable essay, "What I See When I Look at the Face on the $20 Bill," recounts a cross-country trip with her fraternal twin sister. They followed the Trail of Tears searching for their heritage and discovered their own constantly conflicting emotions. Many of these pieces were written for radio and lack depth, but Take the Cannoli is still a satisfying read. Recommended for larger public libraries.-Pam Kingsbury, Alabama Humanities Fdn., Florence Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Vowell takes her cranky but always entertaining take on life to the airwaves of public radio and the e-pages of Salon. This collection of essays, drawn mainly from those sources, is marked by wit and a certain degree of disingenuousness. From its opening salvo, where she describes her relationship with her father the gunmaker, to her hilarious set piece on touring Disneyworld with an extremely urban gay friend, we are in for a lot of good conversation. The title, a quote from The Godfather, comes from her essay on her obsession with that movie. Most intriguing--and emotionally complicated--is "What I See When I Look at the Face on the $20 Bill," which recounts the trip she and her twin sister took along the infamous Trail of Tears, seeking their one-eighth Cherokee heritage and finding that there are "only so many hours a human being can stomach unfocused dread." Sharp and engaging. GraceAnne A. DeCandido


From Kirkus Reviews
Broadcaster and columnist Vowell (Radio On: A Listener's Diary, 1998) presents a wonderfully eclectic mix of smart-witted, often hilarious personal essays. For every reference Vowell makes to The Great Gatsby, Huck Finn, or the Book of Revelations (three of her favorites), she quotes a combination of Sinatra, Elvis, Springsteen, and Johnny Cash a dozen times, resulting in refreshing writing with attitude. Throughout, Vowell's passion for music, sound, and rhythm are manifested in her words and her topics, whether firing a cannon with dad or making a mix tape for a friend's girlfriend. Many of the stylish essays are ``on assignment'' accounts, in which Vowell allows herself to be dressed up for a night of goth clubbing, attends Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp, checks into the grimy and ghostly Chelsea Hotel, and tries to learn to drive at 28. Her title track, ``Take the Cannoli,'' is not about music, but takes its namesake from a sound byte in The Godfathera film Vowell obsessed over when in college. The film's ``made-up, sexist East Coast thugs'' taught Vowell a valuable lesson about family, guns, and dessert. But not everything is sugar-coated in Vowell's world: she claims that ``even as a six-year-old I knew I'd never be good enough to get into heaven,'' and she recounts whining her way through Disney World in ``Species-on-Species Abuse.'' She gets cranky and sardonic, but at these moments her talent may shine brightest. In ``Dark Circles,'' Vowell, coffee in hand, comes to grips with her insomnia: lying awake in bed, she recalls her day, arriving at the less-than-soporific conclusion that ``everyday, no matter how cheerful, how innocuous, always contains within it some little speed bump of anger or hate, some wrong place, wrong time, hell-is-other-people moment of despair. Nighty night.'' Vowell's crafty writing, often free-spirited and sometimes neurotic, is like literary stand-up comedy with a lot of heart and perfect delivery.-- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Review
Susan Salter Reynolds Los Angeles Times Book Review Sarah Vowell is a madonna of Americana.

People Wise, witty and refreshingly warm-hearted, Vowell's essays on American history, pop culture and her own family reveal the bonds holding together a great, if occasionally weird, nation.

Melanie Rehak Harper's Bazaar Sarah Vowell's canny brand of humor, complaint, and cultural acuity will no doubt be heard for some time to come.


Review
Joanna Smith RakoffSan Francisco ChronicleVowell is and will continue to be one of the more important voices of her generation.


Review
Joanna Smith Rakoff San Francisco Chronicle Vowell is and will continue to be one of the more important voices of her generation.


Book Description
Take the Cannoli is a moving and wickedly funny collection of personal stories stretching across the immense landscape of the American scene. Vowell tackles subjects such as identity, politics, religion, art, and history with a biting humor. She searches the streets of Hoboken for traces of the town's favorite son, Frank Sinatra. She goes under cover of heavy makeup in an investigation of goth culture, blasts cannonballs into a hillside on a father-daughter outing, and maps her family's haunted history on a road trip down the Trail of Tears. Vowell has an irresistible voice -- caustic and sympathetic, insightful and double-edged -- that has attracted a loyal following for her magazine writing and radio monologues on This American Life.


About the Author
Sarah Vowell is a contributing editor for This American Life on Public Radio International and a regular writer for McSweeney's.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Take the Cannoli is a moving and wickedly funny collection of personal stories stretching across the immense landscape of the American scene. Vowell tackles subjects such as identity, politics, religion, art, and history with a biting humor. She searches the streets of Hoboken for traces of the town's favorite son, Frank Sinatra. She goes under cover of heavy makeup in an investigation of goth culture, blasts cannonballs into a hillside on a father-daughter outing, and maps her family's haunted history on a road trip down the Trail of Tears. Vowell has an irresistible voice -- caustic and sympathetic, insightful and double-edged -- that has attracted a loyal following for her magazine writing and radio monologues on This American Life.

FROM THE CRITICS

Rachel Kramer Bussel - BUST Magazine

Vowell takes herself seriously, but never too seriously—she reminds her readers that she is, for the most part, just like them. Yet, she takes universal experiences like waiting for a UPS delivery or learning to drive and turns them into interesting stories, twisting her daily life into witty, newsworthy tales. And when Vowell recalls feeling like a "living, breathing faux pas," teenagers and misfits everywhere know exactly how that feels.

Publishers Weekly

A good storyteller can engage, provoke and intrigue in a few pages or a matter of moments. A great storyteller can accomplish all that while reflecting on something as mundane as an Italian dessert or a Midwestern bridge. A regular on Public Radio International's This American Life, Vowell (Radio On: A Listener's Diary) proves to be the latter in this quirky collection of thoughts, ramblings and memories that charmingly cohere into a full picture of American life. While she occasionally attempts to tackle larger political and historical issues, her talent lies in making small details bright and engaging. Especially sharp are her explorations of topics that might at first seem tired and overplayed, such as the Godfather movies (from which she draws the book's title), road trips, Disney and Sinatra. She displays her knack for insight during both her journalistic quests, as when she writes histories of New York's Chelsea Hotel and Chicago's Michigan Avenue Bridge, and her personal journeys, as when she describes a courtship conducted by exchanging cassette tapes. The essays, which rarely reference each other, stand on their own as snippets from the mind of a pop culture maven Taken together, however, they form a vivid autobiographical portrait: Vowell's description of growing up a gunsmith's daughter in Oklahoma complements another essay about road tripping with her sister down the Trail of Tears, and makes an ensuing piece on a visit to Disney's planned town, Celebration, even funnier. Vowell's writing--a blend of serious observations and bouncy remarks--makes for rich commentary on America, and for great stories. Agent, Wendy Weil. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

Library Journal

In this eclectic addition to the autobiographical literary genre, Vowell (Radio On: A Listener's Diary) explains her journey from natural-born liberal to understanding the differences between herself and her conservative family. Her father is a gunsmith and partial to the Second Amendment. The best anecdotes in this book have been pilfered from her family, and she graciously acknowledges the debt. Her liberal use of pop culture serves as a touchstone throughout the collection. The most memorable essay, "What I See When I Look at the Face on the $20 Bill," recounts a cross-country trip with her fraternal twin sister. They followed the Trail of Tears searching for their heritage and discovered their own constantly conflicting emotions. Many of these pieces were written for radio and lack depth, but Take the Cannoli is still a satisfying read. Recommended for larger public libraries.--Pam Kingsbury, Alabama Humanities Fdn., Florence Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\

Hero

[Sarah's] voice finds its way into your head, and it often makes perfect sense.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

... Sharp, funny, disarming, and frighteningly intelligent essays, Sarah Vowell displays a wisdom far beyond her years. Take the Cannoli should formally qualify her for the position of National Treasure. — David Sedaris