I didn't know if I'd like this or not. I no longer live in the area, and that snarkiness is no longer part of my life...but Vowell manages restraint. Occasionally, I wished she'd let the joke stand rather than stomp on it in the next sentence, but whatever. Bennett's t-shirts delighted me, and I hope they were real. The history was fascinating. I loved the connections she made between then and now. I think some of the historical info here won't be new for many people, but I grew up in Maryland around much of this, and still found plenty to learn. I also had NO idea about the Oneida company origins, and the book would have been worth reading just for that weird aside.