leave your fears, take the passport.

             When I first found out we would be reading a book for Bridge, I admit that I wasn’t too excited. I picked Take the Cannoli because of its interesting title without really knowing anything about it. Sarah Vowell did an excellent job reeling in her readers by turning her most embarrassing childhood memories and wacky phases into something relatable to every teenager and young adult. I really enjoyed how each story was completely different which really helped with my short attention span (and probably everyone else’s). Towards the middle of the book, I found that it was more difficult to read because her stories started to become more serious. I looked at it as the farther I got into the book, the more Sarah had grown as a person.

            The more difficult stories were about the conflicts Sarah was facing with her own culture and truly finding herself.  One thing that caught my attention that we have been talking about in Bridge is knowing your audience. I don’t think Sarah really thought about the kind of people that would be reading her book. The book was written so that a person of any age could read it. I could tell that she didn’t target one audience because she used a unique writing strategy. The vocabulary in the first few short stories were rather elementary. It was clear and concise, and discussed topics that a 9 year old girl could easily relate to. Sarah’s memoir of her junior high choir days could have been equivalent to a bitty basketball tournament for a 9 year old boy or girl. She talks about being different than her sister, and her unruly relationship with her father. That all came with living in Montana and how different her home was then how she truly was inside. As we get farther into the books, the stories get longer. The vocabulary and topic in Sarah’s life take a serious turn. She opens up about her love life and her experience with a long distance relationship that most young girls probably cannot relate to. She experiences a huge culture clash when she talks about her longing for some sort of culture.

            Although Take the Cannoli is a tad bit bipolar, it is fine the way it is written. What I love most about this book and the author is that the book was written for none other than Sarah Vowell. She didn’t write it to impress anyone, she wrote it because she could. Her experiences and growth through traveling are one of the most relatable things about this book. Sarah lets her readers know that it’s okay to be spontaneous. Take risks, and don’t be afraid of where you’re off to next.