Take the Cannoli is a moving and wickedly funny collection of personal stories stretching across the immense landscape of the American scene. Hailed by Newsweek as a "cranky stylist with talent to burn，" 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. While tackling subjects such as identity， politics， religion， art， and history， these autobiographical tales are written with a biting humor， placing Vowell solidly in the tradition of Mark Twain and Dorothy Parker. Vowell 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. Take the Cannoli is an eclectic tour of the New World， a collection of alternately hilarious and heartbreaking essays and autobiographical yarns.