Take the Cannoli. -Vianca

I chose the book Take the Cannoli because of its collection of personal stories. It seemed like the book would be funny and interesting. I enjoyed reading the book. The authors kept me entertained with her opinions on politics and religion. The book tells stories of Sarah Vowell’s childhood with her outlook on it now as an adult. “Nowadays, I giggle when Dad calls me on Election Day to cheerfully inform me that he has once again canceled out my vote, but I was not always so mature.” Her father is a strict Republican who keeps guns all around the house. She explains how her beliefs clash with her father’s and how their relationship sometimes struggled. “All he ever cared about were guns. All I ever cared about was art. There were years and years when he hid out by himself in the garage making rifle barrels and I holed up in my room reading Allen Ginsberg poems, and we were incapable of having a conversation that didn’t end in an argument.” I like that she has her own way of thinking even though that wasn’t the way she was taught or raised. I believe it made her into a stronger person because she understands both sides of the debate very well. Some people forget they can form their own opinion and just go off of what they’ve been taught in the past. That type of thinking leaves no room for possibility or new ideas to develop. I’ve learned you should question everything and decide for yourself. Sarah Vowell also describes her high school experiences in the marching band. “Even though my job was to march around as some kind of sick metaphor for teenage military precision, I moved through time and space with grace and.. “, I liked this part in the passage because it really shows her train of thought. How her father obsessed with guns and she connected the marching band to the military. It just shows how your surroundings can affect the way you think.