Naked
by David Sedaris
|
|
| published
|
August 5th 2004
by Time Warner AudioBooks
|
| first published
| 2008 |
| binding
| Audio CD |
| isbn
|
140550028X
(isbn13: 9781405500289)
|
| ebook |
|
| date added
|
12-14-06
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
other reviews
(showing 1-20 of 32649)
Read in June, 2008
I'm being told that this is funny... but so far all I want to do is gather David Sedaris into my arms and rock him back and forth and tell him everything is okay.
Okay, finished. Is it really supposed to be funny? I found myself pretty saddened by most of the stories. He's got a great writing style and I definitely felt pulled into each of the stories, but I think I felt more empathetic than anything.
Especially in "C.O.G":
I didn't want to quit my job. Quitting involved a certain degree of responsibility I didn't want to assume. Rather, I hoped that Jon might remove that burden and dismiss me as soon as possible. I had felt contempt for him, even occasional hatred, and now I was fighting the urge to feel sorry for him. He must have known it, and clearing his throat he proceeded to cut me off at the pass.
"Let me tell you a little something," he said finally. "I don't appreciate being used. I'm not talking here about all the free coffee and rides I've given you. I mean used in here." He meant to point at his heart but, swerving to pass another car, wound up gesturing toward his lap instead. "You're a user, kid. You used my tools and my patience and now you want me to pat you on the head and tell you what a good little boy you are. But you know what? You're not a good boy. You're not even a good girl."
More, I thought. More, more
...more
I'm being told that this is funny... but so far all I want to do is gather David Sedaris into my arms and rock him back and forth and tell him everything is okay.
Okay, finished. Is it really supposed to be funny? I found myself pretty saddened by most of the stories. He's got a great writing style and I definitely felt pulled into each of the stories, but I think I felt more empathetic than anything.
Especially in "C.O.G":
I didn't want to quit my job. Quitting involved a certain degree of responsibility I didn't want to assume. Rather, I hoped that Jon might remove that burden and dismiss me as soon as possible. I had felt contempt for him, even occasional hatred, and now I was fighting the urge to feel sorry for him. He must have known it, and clearing his throat he proceeded to cut me off at the pass.
"Let me tell you a little something," he said finally. "I don't appreciate being used. I'm not talking here about all the free coffee and rides I've given you. I mean used in here." He meant to point at his heart but, swerving to pass another car, wound up gesturing toward his lap instead. "You're a user, kid. You used my tools and my patience and now you want me to pat you on the head and tell you what a good little boy you are. But you know what? You're not a good boy. You're not even a good girl."
More, I thought. More, more
There's definitely similar themes in each story. He has low self esteem, he sees himself as weak and effeminate and hardly useful. He has strong ties to his family, although he isn't exactly sure why. Sure, they are told with a whimsical air, but I couldn't help but pick up on the self hatred and run with it. Maybe it's where I feel in my own life, but at the end of each story I reflected on his assessments and had to stop myself from breaking down.
In 'Naked' someone asks him the question 'What if everybody in the world were allowed one wish, but in order to get it, it meant they'd bave to crawl around on their hands and knees for the rest of their life?'
His observation:
If I could have the face and body of my dreams, what good would it do me if I had to walk around like an animal? Mabe if I were to wish for happiness, I wouldn't mind crawling -- but what kind of a person would I be if I were naturally happy? I've seen people like that on inspirational television shows and they scare me. Why did I have to think about this in the first place?
I enjoyed his stories and I will most likely read more but I'll have to up my anti-depressant dosage first.
...less
bookshelves:
creative-non-fiction
Read in August, 2006
If I read The Da Vinci Code for all those people who prefaced their enjoyment of the book with "I don't read much," I finally read my first Sedaris book for all my smartass indie literary-type friends who stared aghast at me every time for the last five years I said I'd never read him.
"You mean you've read Eggers, but not Sedaris? I'll bet you like the Stones better than the Beatles too, dont you?"
"You think your family's bad, wait'll you read about his!"
...more
If I read The Da Vinci Code for all those people who prefaced their enjoyment of the book with "I don't read much," I finally read my first Sedaris book for all my smartass indie literary-type friends who stared aghast at me every time for the last five years I said I'd never read him.
"You mean you've read Eggers, but not Sedaris? I'll bet you like the Stones better than the Beatles too, dont you?"
"You think your family's bad, wait'll you read about his!"
"No, I don't like him because he's cool, I like him because he's funny. But he's cool, too."
Understandably, I went in a little leery. The first essay, Chipped Beef, did precious little to alleviate my skepticism - I guess it was a clever introduction to his family and his relationship to it, but it came off to me as a bit too snide and abstract, a deadly combination that Eggers is prone to as well. A Plague of Tics hooked me though, and the next 9 essays were all gut-busters, alternating between hilarious bombast and genuine empathy for his decrepit grandma, cocktail-swilling mother, multitudinous sisters, not-with-it father, and inept teachers. True Detective might have been my favorite of that set, leading the reader on a clue-sniffing hunting for the brazen perpetrator who repeated wiped his or her ass with the hand towels in the family bathroom.
The longer essays that make up the second part of the book are where Sedaris really flexes his chops, though. Planet of the Apes and C.O.G. are Tangled Up in Blue-like accounts of his adventures in hitchhiking and public transportation across our fair land, while The Incomplete Quad throws a series of cripples into his road of self-discovery. I read Something for Everyone in a public place, and a handful of people stopped me to ask what I was reading that could make me embarrass myself laughing so much.
Ashes is the closest Sedaris comes to outright sincerity, but he manages to inject even an account of his mother's cancerous exit with quite a few chortles and guffaws. And he closes the volume with Naked, a pleasant denouement chronicling his one trip to a nudist colony with one of the funniest moments of the book, when he arrives to a bunch of naked old men watching the weather and blaming him for bringing a cold front.
There is surely more of Sedaris to come in this boy's life. I would venture to say, without trying to explain, that he writes like I want to.
...less
Read in January, 2000
recommends it for:
silly, smart life-observers
This is a funny book told by a delightful yet sort of sad person. It's been a while since I read this, but I remember liking it. I was a little disappointed in the ending, as it seemed to just peter out uneventfully. I wanted more oomph. But aside from that it was a very enjoyable, very personal book. The chapter called "A Plague of Tics," about his childhood battles with Tourette-grade obsessive-compulsive disorder is one of the funniest passages I have ever read. It's tragic, yet so ...more
This is a funny book told by a delightful yet sort of sad person. It's been a while since I read this, but I remember liking it. I was a little disappointed in the ending, as it seemed to just peter out uneventfully. I wanted more oomph. But aside from that it was a very enjoyable, very personal book. The chapter called "A Plague of Tics," about his childhood battles with Tourette-grade obsessive-compulsive disorder is one of the funniest passages I have ever read. It's tragic, yet so absurd that you can't help but laugh. This one caused me to laugh out loud by myself but in public and was so funny that I didn't mind the worried stares at all. You can actually download an mp3 of him reading an excerpt from that chapter at http://www.salon.com/audio/200... .
Now that I think about it, having read several Sedaris books, he's kind of a tragic figure. He tells these stories about his family members and his life, funny, sad, or both, and they are sometimes so personal or mocking that they feel like real betrayals. I could never do this to my family.
In a passage in another of his books, "Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim," I think, there is a particular passage that crystallizes this thought so well. His family has come to realize by that point that they are the fodder for his books and so now they're on guard when around him for fear of giving him more humiliating material. He describes a scene where he's having some exchange with his sister which portrays her in a sort of nutball light and she earnestly asks him "Don't put this in your book," and he knows even then that he will anyway. And he does. He lays them out there bare for the world to see, exposes their flaws and absurdities, and makes a living off of it. From his tone, it's like he recognizes that it's wrong, wishes he could be strong and not do it, and yet knows his shameful weaknesses well enough to know that he'll do it anyway. He's a bit sad about himself for that reason. That unresolved angst and sorrow just hangs there and says "tragic."
But hey, funny book!...less
bookshelves:
big-black-garbage-can-bookshelf
Read in August, 2007
About a third of the way through David Sedaris's book, I wondered how I had not heard of this guy before. This guy was funny. No, not just funny, he was really funny. He didn't just make me laugh while reading his book, he made me cry I was laughing so hard. So why, why had I not heard of someone so side-splittingly funny? A couple chapters later, I understood why. A few more chapters after that and Naked went into a dive bomb. While there were some redeeming moments near the end, he never fully...more
About a third of the way through David Sedaris's book, I wondered how I had not heard of this guy before. This guy was funny. No, not just funny, he was really funny. He didn't just make me laugh while reading his book, he made me cry I was laughing so hard. So why, why had I not heard of someone so side-splittingly funny? A couple chapters later, I understood why. A few more chapters after that and Naked went into a dive bomb. While there were some redeeming moments near the end, he never fully recovered and I returned the book from whence it came with a sigh, thinking of what could have been. So what went wrong? Let me tell you first what went right. The moments where David was a kid and shared stories about his experiences growing up, those were the priceless moments, those were the hilarious, tear-inducing scenes that were impossible not to enjoy. His description of his sarcastic mom, his crazy grandma, his golf-obsessed dad with mutilated friends were priceless. They were characters you could like and laugh at, at the same time. Then comes stories from Sedaris's college days and afterwards, and you begin to think, "You know, I don't really like this guy." And it is hard to laugh with a guy that you end up not liking. This is a guy who is an unapologetic drug abuser, uses obscenities with graphic language and descriptions, takes advantage of people, looks down on others. Some of these he tempers with a measly sentence at the end of a chapter showing that he has since learned better, but you don't believe it. It doesn't feel sincere, especially in the way he has written it. There are aspects of his childhood self that linger and allow you a view of the Sedaris that you miss, but alas, they are only glimpses. It was with great effort that I finished Naked, and it was with a bitter taste in my mouth. If I could chance to read more from Sedaris's childhood, I might venture back into those waters, but until then I will avoid him and think of what might have been....less
Read in July, 2008
Maybe part of my problem with the book is that I first read the back cover, which told me two things that I didn't find to be true:
1. This book is side-splittingly hilarious
2. It turns the "mania for memoir on its proverbial ear."
Sure, maybe it's not fair to judge the book based on my preconceptions, but there's some merit to this I think.
First, my sides are completely unsplit. I laughed a few times, found some things whimsical, and did find a few lines to be very funny....more
Maybe part of my problem with the book is that I first read the back cover, which told me two things that I didn't find to be true:
1. This book is side-splittingly hilarious
2. It turns the "mania for memoir on its proverbial ear."
Sure, maybe it's not fair to judge the book based on my preconceptions, but there's some merit to this I think.
First, my sides are completely unsplit. I laughed a few times, found some things whimsical, and did find a few lines to be very funny. But a lot of the jokes fell flat to me and sounded like watered-down Rick Reilly goofiness, and I don't get into Rick Reilly so much. It's pretty obvious even without the hype that one of the book's main goals is to make the reader laugh, but I guess I found the humor limited. There's a lot of one-note humor (maybe a little too smirky sometimes?), and, more importantly, there's a lot of retreating behind witty wordplay or Tonight Show one-liners during moments of great tension. Sometimes the humor undermined the interesting action of the essays/stories, rather than allowing the author to explore some issues more deeply and/or to offer some more insight.
Second, I don't see how this turns anything on its ear. I mean, the actual details of the plot are different from some memoir, but it covers some pretty well-traveled ground (homosexual awakening at summer camp, dealing with mom's cancer, etc.). And that's fine too. But I felt like a) there's an unfulfilled promise (which probably isn't Sedaris' fault, but still) and b) he could have wrung more out of the material than he did.
All that said, I liked the book. 3 stars isn't a bad rating, I think. It's just that there's not a lot of stuff here I think I'm going to remember for very long. I read it, I enjoyed it, and now it's done.
...less
Read in July, 2000
I had the opportunity to personally thank David Sedaris for this book but I don't think I was able to fully articulate what it meant to me at the time. This was in no small part due to the fact that I was standing before a personal hero of mine. Also I was drunk. I will attempt to write what I wish I could have expressed that night.
Naked played a significant role in one the fonder memories of my adult life. It was during Fiesta in Santa Barbara (Old Spanish Days), which if you live in SB and...more
I had the opportunity to personally thank David Sedaris for this book but I don't think I was able to fully articulate what it meant to me at the time. This was in no small part due to the fact that I was standing before a personal hero of mine. Also I was drunk. I will attempt to write what I wish I could have expressed that night.
Naked played a significant role in one the fonder memories of my adult life. It was during Fiesta in Santa Barbara (Old Spanish Days), which if you live in SB and are not a total dick you generally have a terrible time. But my best pal Sar and I decided to brave the a-holes littering the streets with confetti eggs and shot glass necklaces to enjoy a mid-day margarita at El Paseo. On our way to the drinks we decided to stop by our neighborhood Barnes and Noble to peruse the books and take a break from all the revelry going on outside (revelers are not big readers). I saw Naked on the best-seller list, liked the cover, picked it up off the shelf, read the first few pages and began laughing out loud. With our purchases in hand (Naked being one of them) we made our way to El Paseo. The margaritas were flowing like wine and I wanted to share the hilarity of the book with Sara -- so I began reading aloud. But I was quickly overcome with laughter, so Sara took over until she too needed a break and we continued to take turns until we had make it through the first two or three stories. It was a good day. When we were trying to come up with the perfect first-date for our initial screenplay, we both thought of that day and wrote it into the script (including an excerpt from Naked). Of course we switched the platonic to romantic (and as such we didn't make out afterwards like our characters did). But thank you David (and Sara) for the wonderful day.
...less
Sedaris writes scathingly about a wide range of outrageous characters and incidents, e.g., the nudist colony experience which is the subject of the eponymous final chapter. Coupled with being gay, that is, with the stereotypical connotations of La Cage Aux Folles-style flamboyance, the lurid title "Naked" might come across at first blush as only embodying the rawness of the book's ribald contents. To me, however, the title "Naked" seems to be referring also to the state of Se...more
Sedaris writes scathingly about a wide range of outrageous characters and incidents, e.g., the nudist colony experience which is the subject of the eponymous final chapter. Coupled with being gay, that is, with the stereotypical connotations of La Cage Aux Folles-style flamboyance, the lurid title "Naked" might come across at first blush as only embodying the rawness of the book's ribald contents. To me, however, the title "Naked" seems to be referring also to the state of Sedaris's soul while writing these pieces. While I did find myself laughing giddily in many places at Sedaris's observations and turns of phrase, the overall impression I had was of a brooding heart, sensitive to life's absurdity and to its own failings. Along with appreciating the comedy, I found myself inadvertently struggling to peer through the haze of absurd scenarios to make out the outlines of the real man, struggling for definition.
Read as a book of funny tales, the book gets 4 stars, because the biting humor and silliness wore a bit thin toward the middle. Read as a straightforward memoir, the book gets 4 stars, because I got the sense that even in baring himself, Sedaris is still a performer and can't help but hide some essential self-stuff. He admits himself that he can't help being tongue-in-cheek about everything; the coating of goofy absurdity pasted on most things in the book is even a little too polished and slick. While admiring its sheen I felt I kept sliding upon it, away from something more genuine that was just out of reach.
But maybe that's part of his point too. Read as an impressionist sketch of the author's philosophy and state of mind, it is probably all the more real for its masks and self-consciousness and diversions....less
bookshelves:
biography
Read in January, 2006
This is a highly unusual autobiography of David Sedaris, who, according to the New York Magazine, is a "Playwright, author, radio star, and retired elf". I wasn't sure what he is actually. I came across his name when his book (also in my already-bought-please-read-it-quickly list) Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim made it into the various reading lists of newspapers and magazines. I thought he was quite interesting and I started to take note of his name.
The book is a collecti...more
This is a highly unusual autobiography of David Sedaris, who, according to the New York Magazine, is a "Playwright, author, radio star, and retired elf". I wasn't sure what he is actually. I came across his name when his book (also in my already-bought-please-read-it-quickly list) Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim made it into the various reading lists of newspapers and magazines. I thought he was quite interesting and I started to take note of his name.
The book is a collection of essays outlining his experiences growing up in a dysfunctional Greek and Jewish family, his problems (he suffers from severe tics and he is a homosexual), his drug-induced days in colleges, and generally, his observation of human nature. It's nothing like the typical biography with details and pictures of parents, grandparents, and relatives of three generations and boastful accomplishments lined up neatly in a timeline. It is a simple story of an ordinary but talented man.
He is described as a humor writer and this book is supposed to fall under the genre of comedy. However, let it be warned that the language is not all that simple. His style can be quite mouthful (in a good way) and takes time to get used to. Sentences can be quite complex but still honest and to the point. Having said all that, the book is undoubtedly funny. I caught myself chuckling aloud a few times after getting used to his style. His specality is cleverly turning sad, or even cruel, events into great satires.
Read it. It's really different. ...less
bookshelves:
read--novel
So a friend of mine let me borrow this book since I was in some serious need of reading material. Let me just say that it definitely fit whatever reading mood I was in. I could get into this book. I could relate to it in so many different ways.
The book is a collection of stories of happenings through out David's life. And they are all way too utterly amusing to be actual reality - granted, who knows they may be a little tweaked to add amusement to the book but if that's the case, it works.. be...more
So a friend of mine let me borrow this book since I was in some serious need of reading material. Let me just say that it definitely fit whatever reading mood I was in. I could get into this book. I could relate to it in so many different ways.
The book is a collection of stories of happenings through out David's life. And they are all way too utterly amusing to be actual reality - granted, who knows they may be a little tweaked to add amusement to the book but if that's the case, it works.. because it's funny as hell.
What's best about this book is the constant cynicism that not every child grew up with - I'm sad that not everyone did, but some of us get the cynical mothers and that's how we turn out as well. And being a cynic myself I found this relating close to home on many different occasions through out the book.
Usually I'm more into more fantasy based novels but what I enjoyed about this book is just how odd this guys life just happened to be. It's like he kind of lived in his own fantasy world along the way. He did many things I myself have always thought about doing.. for instance, hitchhiking across the country.. though it would either lead to a) being raped b) being killed or c) both), which is definitely not on my agenda anytime soon (or hopefully, ever).
So if you're looking for some light reading with a light hearted, amusing story then you should definitely check this book out. It was great read....less
bookshelves:
3-stars
Read in May, 2008
This book was laugh-out-loud funny in parts. It was kind of a random read - switching from past tense style of writing to a day-by-day journal entry style.
From what I understand, the chapters are autobiographical tales. Sedaris does a brilliant job bringing the reader into the family dynamics - especially his tales and descriptions of his mother and father.
His description of one demented lady in a rest home where his father's mother lived before dying is HILARIOUS. He and his sisters are...more
This book was laugh-out-loud funny in parts. It was kind of a random read - switching from past tense style of writing to a day-by-day journal entry style.
From what I understand, the chapters are autobiographical tales. Sedaris does a brilliant job bringing the reader into the family dynamics - especially his tales and descriptions of his mother and father.
His description of one demented lady in a rest home where his father's mother lived before dying is HILARIOUS. He and his sisters are children at the time and the crazy, expletive-filled rants she goes on are creatively unique in their zeal to really cross the line. Very funny.
His struggle with accepting his homosexuality is sad, but he portrays it in a very funny light with great side stories about incidences and occasions and how he dealt with them.
Any memoir where someone grows up hitch-hiking in the 70s would seem to have to have interesting tales, and this certainly does. I almost keep waiting for some psycho to kill him, but at heart know he survived to write the book.
I expected the last chapter titled "Naked" to have something a bit more enlightening than it did. The last paragraph left me feeling like "so that's it?". A bit strange, but maybe I'm missing something........less
bookshelves:
modern
Read in August, 2007
I can't get enough of this guy; his books are what I would imagine crack would be like, had I ever tried crack. Which I haven't.
Seriously -- I just sit and read and laugh, read and laugh. He's just so damned candid about things. For example, the story of how he was sent to Greece for Greek-American summer camp as a teenager:
"If my sister was anxious about our trip, she certainly didn't show it. Prying my fingers off her wrist, she crossed the room and introduced herself to a gi...more
I can't get enough of this guy; his books are what I would imagine crack would be like, had I ever tried crack. Which I haven't.
Seriously -- I just sit and read and laugh, read and laugh. He's just so damned candid about things. For example, the story of how he was sent to Greece for Greek-American summer camp as a teenager:
"If my sister was anxious about our trip, she certainly didn't show it. Prying my fingers off her wrist, she crossed the room and introduced herself to a girl who stood picking salvageable butts out of the standing ashtray. This was a tough-looking Queens native named Stefani Heartattackus or Testicockules. I recall only that her last name had granted her a lifelong supply of resentment.
...
"Camp lasted a month, during which time I never once had a bowel movement. I was used to having a semiprivate bathroom and could not bring myself to occupy one of the men's room stalls, fearful that someone might recognize my shoes or, even worse, not see my shoes at all and walk in on me. Sitting down three times a day for a heavy Greek meal became an exercise akin to packing a musket." (87-88)...less
Read in August, 2008
David Sedaris loves to embellish the stories of his life. It's amusing to read and sometimes laugh out loud funny, but you still have to read with a fair amount of skepticism. I'm not suggesting these tales didn't happen, I am sure they did. It's just that I always think of Sedaris as a guy telling fishing stories... you know, 'the big one that got away.' Year after year it becomes bigger and bigger until it exists as pure myth.
That said, this is a good read. Some of the stories in the begi...more
David Sedaris loves to embellish the stories of his life. It's amusing to read and sometimes laugh out loud funny, but you still have to read with a fair amount of skepticism. I'm not suggesting these tales didn't happen, I am sure they did. It's just that I always think of Sedaris as a guy telling fishing stories... you know, 'the big one that got away.' Year after year it becomes bigger and bigger until it exists as pure myth.
That said, this is a good read. Some of the stories in the beginning failed to capture my attention as thoroughly as I'd hoped. The closer you get to the end of Naked, the more it hits it's stride, and ended with me wanting more.
I have a real problem staying into books of short stories. Often when I am reading a book I will just keep reading and reading because I am dying to know what happens. This book just doesn't deliver that kind of drama. But one persons problem is another ones preference, and others might be into being able to start and stop reading with long lulls and not having to worry about forgetting what's going on.
Definitely worth reading, although if someone were to ask me what Sedaris book to start with I'd steer them towards Me Talk Pretty One Day....less
Read in December, 2004
Naked was my first encounter with...well, whatever it is David Sedaris writes (not quite memoir, not really fiction)...and I think it was a good starting point.
The book offers the bare essentials for one first entering the weird, wild world of David Sedaris: stories about his kooky and altogether bizarre family, his homosexuality, his unabashed neurosis, his penchant for the flamboyant ("The Drama Bug" should read by all students starting to read Shakespeare), and of course,...more
Naked was my first encounter with...well, whatever it is David Sedaris writes (not quite memoir, not really fiction)...and I think it was a good starting point.
The book offers the bare essentials for one first entering the weird, wild world of David Sedaris: stories about his kooky and altogether bizarre family, his homosexuality, his unabashed neurosis, his penchant for the flamboyant ("The Drama Bug" should read by all students starting to read Shakespeare), and of course, Dinah the Christmas Whore.
Sedaris does manage to offer some biting realism admist the otherwise surreal depictions of his life in an essay entitled, "Ashes," which is about his mother's death of lung cancer. Very sad, but still peppered in places with Sedaris' trademark wit and humor.
Naked is a well-chosen title for this book since the essays within essentially lay bare Sedaris and his family. When you finish reading it, you will know quite a bit about his life and relations, but moreover will feel as though you have a new--if altogether strange--branch of your family....less
bookshelves:
nonfiction
Read in July, 2005
This wonderfully amusing book took me by surprise. Each chapter is a short memoir of David Sedaris' childhood, filled with some unusual adventures, from hitch hiking with a paraplegic to having servants wax your change. Sedaris writes in a very humorous tone, basically turning some of his misfortunes into the readers entertainment. Come to think of it, it really wasn't the stories that made the book enjoyable. It was how Sedaris wrote them. A very unique, consistent style throughout the book, lo...more
This wonderfully amusing book took me by surprise. Each chapter is a short memoir of David Sedaris' childhood, filled with some unusual adventures, from hitch hiking with a paraplegic to having servants wax your change. Sedaris writes in a very humorous tone, basically turning some of his misfortunes into the readers entertainment. Come to think of it, it really wasn't the stories that made the book enjoyable. It was how Sedaris wrote them. A very unique, consistent style throughout the book, loaded with wit and humor. Although Sedaris has a way with sarcasm and making fun of his family, there are also messages to be had underneath each of the short essays. He doesn't make them glaringly obvious or the major focus for the book, but one can tell that they are there on purpose. He reveals much to the reader in the literal interpretations of the essays in the book, but also in the subtext. Which is why I understand the title of the book and what it stands for....less
David Sedaris's biting, hilarious memoir about his family and his teenage years made me laugh out loud. Not your typical, chuckle to yourself on the bus laugh, no, Sedaris made me guffaw as he recounted his firat job working at a mall cafeteria, and when his sister first got her period. Sedaris's family is quirky, sure, but it is like every family: hilarious, embarassing and tragic. Sedaris's wit is sharp and dark, and I think reading about his experiences helped me recognize that I have to laug...more
David Sedaris's biting, hilarious memoir about his family and his teenage years made me laugh out loud. Not your typical, chuckle to yourself on the bus laugh, no, Sedaris made me guffaw as he recounted his firat job working at a mall cafeteria, and when his sister first got her period. Sedaris's family is quirky, sure, but it is like every family: hilarious, embarassing and tragic. Sedaris's wit is sharp and dark, and I think reading about his experiences helped me recognize that I have to laugh at my own family a bit more. Sedaris projects his frustrations, the injustices of his life, into his witty writing and it drives his writing instead of festering inside of him. Though the book is mildly inapporpriate for the young reader at times, the memoir is truly a bildungsroman. Sedaris's honesty and his selfawareness help the reader learn to laugh at themselves....less
bookshelves:
humor
Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
Creative non-fiction fans who appreciate dark humor
The essays in this book span much of Sedaris' college-aged years (though he wasn't actually in college for many of them), discussing the dangers of various odd-jobs, hitchhiking, and of course, a visit to a nudist colony on the beach. Most of the writing is funny, as would be expected, and yet in this book I found myself cringing in concern and disgust almost as often as laughing. There's some serious shit in here--fleeing from a would be rapist, hiding in the buses from deranged hitchhiking com...more
The essays in this book span much of Sedaris' college-aged years (though he wasn't actually in college for many of them), discussing the dangers of various odd-jobs, hitchhiking, and of course, a visit to a nudist colony on the beach. Most of the writing is funny, as would be expected, and yet in this book I found myself cringing in concern and disgust almost as often as laughing. There's some serious shit in here--fleeing from a would be rapist, hiding in the buses from deranged hitchhiking companions, falling prey to the good-heartedness of fundamentalist Christians despite his best efforts at maintaining a superiority complex....
If you want a light-hearted romp through David's colorful and almost impossibly esoteric experiences, "Me Talk Pretty One Day" is a better bet. But I recommend "Naked" precisely because it is a bit of a challenge, and proves that really, there are some things that are hard to laugh about no matter how they're presented. ...less
It's hard to tell autobiographical stories in such an entertaining way. If it weren't, you wouldn't see David Sedaris showing up on every favorite book list from Myspace to, uh, Facebook. A laugh out loud book is a very rare thing. I like books by stand up comedians, but their art is so involved in the presence of an audience, real or imagined, that the jokes themselves aren't enough to crack me up. Sedaris relies on person to person confidentiality, or better said the breach of it, to get h...more
It's hard to tell autobiographical stories in such an entertaining way. If it weren't, you wouldn't see David Sedaris showing up on every favorite book list from Myspace to, uh, Facebook. A laugh out loud book is a very rare thing. I like books by stand up comedians, but their art is so involved in the presence of an audience, real or imagined, that the jokes themselves aren't enough to crack me up. Sedaris relies on person to person confidentiality, or better said the breach of it, to get his humor across. It's like someone saying "I shouldn't really tell you this about my family, but..." or being egged on by a friend to tell an incredibly embarrassing story and finally yields to the demand, which makes the story a little bit more exciting to begin with, and if it happens to be good you end up laughing hard. I guess Sedaris is just lucky enough to have stories that happen to be good, and a knack for telling them. ...less
recommended to Austin by:
Michael Boutette.
recommends it for:
"Office Wacky" NPR Fans
The first time I read this book, I asked myself, "Who is this asshole?" That question never really changed much with subsequent readings, but based on vague memories I have of the stories within, I have since been able to bluff my way through parties and bar encounters as I have raved about his other work I have not yet managed to enjoy.
I like to name-check him from time to time, just to see if people are paying attention to what I'm saying. They generally aren't, but at least ...more
The first time I read this book, I asked myself, "Who is this asshole?" That question never really changed much with subsequent readings, but based on vague memories I have of the stories within, I have since been able to bluff my way through parties and bar encounters as I have raved about his other work I have not yet managed to enjoy.
I like to name-check him from time to time, just to see if people are paying attention to what I'm saying. They generally aren't, but at least when I hear Ira Glass announce that he'll be on his show, I can get adequately indignant about his reusing of some story I've already encountered somewhere else (not that I was going to listen, anyway).
I would recommend buying a copy of this book used. People will look at it on your shelf and imagine you are sick & twisted, even though they haven't read the book either. Then you can nod knowingly as you offer them more Boonesfarm. ...less
bookshelves:
favoritestorecommend
Read in January, 2004
Like all of Sedaris' books, this one has some MAJOR, masterful escapades, made all the better because they are true...
Two favorite scenes:
Sedaris' mom and sister watch crime shows all summer and then... a mystery arises in their own household- who is wiping their butt on the towels? The BROWN towels, so the offense isn't recognized until one gets a face full. Who is it? "I don't know, but I know he had corn yesterday," is one quote that sticks in my mind.
I think Naked is al...more
Like all of Sedaris' books, this one has some MAJOR, masterful escapades, made all the better because they are true...
Two favorite scenes:
Sedaris' mom and sister watch crime shows all summer and then... a mystery arises in their own household- who is wiping their butt on the towels? The BROWN towels, so the offense isn't recognized until one gets a face full. Who is it? "I don't know, but I know he had corn yesterday," is one quote that sticks in my mind.
I think Naked is also the book that opens with Sedaris' description of his childhood OCD- his walk home from school took several hours because he had to ritualistically touch various objects on the way home from school- mailboxes, garden gnomes, his own doorbell, etc.
Sedaris is such an incredible story teller. ...less
bookshelves:
2008,
bio-memoir-diaries-letters,
essays,
non-fiction,
twentieth-century-late
Read in September, 2008
I don't like David Sedaris. The risk you take when writing memoirs or personal essays is that the reader (me) isn't going to like the author (you) and the result is that no matter how funny you are, I don't like you, your essays, or your tales of woe. I do feel sorry for you though. I feel like I was watching an upscale episode of Roseanne. All the characters are cruel to each other in a way that is supposed to make you laugh b...more
I don't like David Sedaris. The risk you take when writing memoirs or personal essays is that the reader (me) isn't going to like the author (you) and the result is that no matter how funny you are, I don't like you, your essays, or your tales of woe. I do feel sorry for you though. I feel like I was watching an upscale episode of Roseanne. All the characters are cruel to each other in a way that is supposed to make you laugh because it reminds you of your own family or your own experiences as an outsider or the time you and your siblings did something supremely stupid (again) to spite your parents and each other. It doesn't. I didn't like Roseanne either.
Sedaris is a sharp man with a wicked style and a sense of irony, and let's face it, those are rare talents among modern writers. There's great writing in this collection but it's not for me....less
book data (includes all editions)
avg rating
(all editions):
4.05 (32649 ratings)
avg rating
(this edition): 4.19
(111 ratings)
number of reviews: 1655
other editions
[close]
Naked (Paperback)
isbn: 0316777730
