Lafayette in the somewhat united states by Sarah Vowell

5/5
On August 16, 1824, an elderly French gentlemen sailed into New York Harbor and giddy Americans were there to welcome him. Or, rather, to welcome him back. It had been thirty years since the Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette had last set foot in the United States, and he was so beloved that 80,000 people showed up to cheer for him. The entire population of New York at the time was 120,000. 

Lafayette's arrival in 1824 coincided with one of the most contentious presidential elections in American history, Congress had just fought its first epic battle over slavery, and the threat of a Civil War loomed. But Lafayette, belonging to neither North nor South, to no political party or faction, was a walking, talking reminder of the sacrifices and bravery of the revolutionary generation and what they wanted this country to be. His return was not just a reunion with his beloved Americans, it was a reunion for Americans with their own astonishing singular past.

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States is a humorous and insightful portrait of the famed Frenchman, the impact he had on our young country, and his ongoing relationship with some of the instrumental Americans of the time, including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and many more. x

My thoughts:
I have always wanted to learn more about Lafayette so I jumped on the opportunity to read this book. It starts off with with return to America thirty years after the revolutionary war. This is when America is heading towards the civil war. He gets a hero's welcome. the book then goes into detail about his early life in France and what lead him to come and fight in the American Revolution. We get to know more about his personal life and what he did after the war.
This book was very good and very easy to read. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read more about the revolutionary war.