Me Talk Pretty One Day

published	January 3rd 2002 by Abacus
first published	2000
binding	Paperback
isbn	0349113912 (isbn13: 9780349113913)
pages	272
description	David Sedaris became a star autobiographer on public radio, onstage in New York, and on bestseller lists, mostly on the strength of "SantaLand Di...more [close] David Sedaris became a star autobiographer on public radio, onstage in New York, and on bestseller lists, mostly on the strength of "SantaLand Diaries," a scathing, hilarious account of his stint as a Christmas elf at Macy's. (It's in two separate collections, both worth owning, Barrel Fever and the Christmas-themed Holidays on Ice.) Sedaris's caustic gift has not deserted him in his fourth book, which mines poignant comedy from his peculiar childhood in North Carolina, his bizarre career path, and his move with his lover to France. Though his anarchic inclination to digress is his glory, Sedaris does have a theme in these reminiscences: the inability of humans to communicate. The title is his rendition in transliterated English of how he and his fellow students of French in Paris mangle the Gallic language. In the essay "Jesus Shaves," he and his classmates from many nations try to convey the concept of Easter to a Moroccan Muslim. "It is a party for the little boy of God," says one. "Then he be die one day on two... morsels of... lumber," says another. Sedaris muses on the disputes between his Protestant mother and his father, a Greek Orthodox guy whose Easter fell on a different day. Other essays explicate his deep kinship with his eccentric mom and absurd alienation from his IBM-exec dad: "To me, the greatest mystery of science continues to be that a man could father six children who shared absolutely none of his interests." Every glimpse we get of Sedaris's family and acquaintances delivers laughs and insights. He thwarts his North Carolina speech therapist ("for whom the word pen had two syllables") by cleverly avoiding all words with s sounds, which reveal the lisp she sought to correct. His midget guitar teacher, Mister Mancini, is unaware that Sedaris doesn't share his obsession with breasts, and sings "Light My Fire" all wrong--"as if he were a Webelo scout demanding a match." As a remarkably unqualified teacher at the Art Institute of Chicago, Sedaris had his class watch soap operas and assign "guessays" on what would happen in the next day's episode. It all adds up to the most distinctively skewed autobiography since Spalding Gray's Swimming to Cambodia. The only possible reason not to read this book is if you'd rather hear the author's intrinsically funny speaking voice narrating his story. In that case, get Me Talk Pretty One Day on audio. --Tim Appelo [close]
date added	12-05-06 edit book

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Brian rated it:

10/02/07

I just don't care for David Sedaris.

There, I've said it. I've made peace with the fact. I have stared deep into the cockles of my heart, and forced myself to come to the only obvious-but-unpopular conclusion.

I just don't care for David Sedaris.

It was somewhat of an existential struggle for me to reach this conclusion because I'm exactly the kind of person who should like David Sedaris.

I am a sarcastic Generation Xer with an overdeveloped sense of irony. I enjoy reading pe...more I just don't care for David Sedaris.

There, I've said it. I've made peace with the fact. I have stared deep into the cockles of my heart, and forced myself to come to the only obvious-but-unpopular conclusion.

I just don't care for David Sedaris.

It was somewhat of an existential struggle for me to reach this conclusion because I'm exactly the kind of person who should like David Sedaris.

I am a sarcastic Generation Xer with an overdeveloped sense of irony. I enjoy reading personal essays about poignant and humiliating events in people's personal lives. Understated comedy is favorite genre. I look at myself in the mirror and practice being droll. Hell, I even like listening to This American Life on NPR. I am exactly the target demographic for the witty, petty misanthropy with which Mr. Sedaris plies his trade.

But, I just don't care for David Sedaris.

I find him to be thoroughly unlikable. He comes across as the type of person who might be fun to have a beer with, but, afterwards, he'd probably make fun of you behind your back. When I was reading this book, I thought that his stories and characters were a little too colorful and a little too perfect to be true. And, as he tells the stories of his childhood, he comes across as a 40 year-old gay man trapped in an eight year-old's body (wow, that sentence doesn't sound right!). After I finished the book, I found that Mr. Sedaris does, indeed, subscribe to a rather fluid definition of "truth"--some of the instances were exaggerated. And, by "exaggerated', I mean "completely made up".

But these revelations have done little to stem the tide of bare-knuckled enthusiasm of his legion of fans. I am confronted by people who are adamant that, despite my protests to the contrary, I really do like David Sedaris. It seems that Mr. Sedaris' work has become a litmus test for a certain level of sophistication. If you tell people that you just don't care for David Sedaris, they look at you like you've got a mullet tucked into the collar of your shirt, a six pack of Old Milwaukee in the fridge, and a Tivo filled up with NASCAR races.

Well, I for one refuse to be pigeon-holed. And, today, I am calling on all like-minded people to join me! And, together, we can...uh not like Sedaris.

Say it with me! We're loud, we're proud...

...and we just don't care for David Sedaris!
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Hilary rated it:

04/09/08

Read in January, 2008

so i wrote a book review on this book for a class assignment (haha-i'm not that nerdy that i write lengthy book reviews in my spare time)
David Sedaris is bringing back the funny with his new novel, Me Talk Pretty One Day. His sidesplitting humor stems from his North Carolina upbringing and his colorful parents, siblings, and friends. This work is a collection of autobiographical essays that seem too obscure to come from a true account of his life, but I guess Sedaris is just that weird. His ...more so i wrote a book review on this book for a class assignment (haha-i'm not that nerdy that i write lengthy book reviews in my spare time)
David Sedaris is bringing back the funny with his new novel, Me Talk Pretty One Day. His sidesplitting humor stems from his North Carolina upbringing and his colorful parents, siblings, and friends. This work is a collection of autobiographical essays that seem too obscure to come from a true account of his life, but I guess Sedaris is just that weird. His cynicism and communication problems are the constant threads that help keep the collection afloat.
The book is broken into two sections, one and deux. Both sections made me embarrassed to read the book in public, because I frequently laughed out loud. Part one starts in a somewhat chronological order reliving his elementary school days and speech impediments. His father, Lou Sedaris is the star character. If this were a film, he would win the Oscar for “Best Supporting Actor.” His desire for all of his children to be musical prodigies led him to sign Sedaris up for guitar lessons from the local ‘midget’ guitarist. Sedaris said, “Although I had regularly petitioned for a brand-name vacuum cleaner, I’d never said anything about wanting a guitar”. His one-liners made me keel over.
He also mentions his mother’s antics, such as reviving a dying puppy by placing it in a casserole dish and popping it in the oven (on low heat, of course). Paul, his brother liked to call himself the “rooster” when he felt threatened. Sometimes the only decipherable words in his common slue of profanity were, “You can’t kill the rooster”. His sister, Amy, fooled their father for Christmas one year by wearing a fat suit for days. He whispered about her weight gain to Sedaris and asked her to go on a ten-mile run with him. He was practically in tears when she confessed.
One of my favorite chapters, Twelve Moments in the Life of the Artist details his attempt at visual art from tracing comic book characters to live performances at the local art museum, where he is upstaged by his father’s comments from the audience. David is open about his drug use and homosexuality, which made for interesting anecdotes about the riffraff he hung around.
Take Robin Williams in Dead Poet’s Society and multiply his eccentric style of teaching by one hundred, and you get Sedaris as a college professor. Having no training as a teacher, Sedaris takes on a teaching position. On the first day of class, he showed up with nametags shaped like maple leaves and the daily schedule from then on consisted of Celebrity Corner, Feedbag Forum, and Pillow Talk.
His self-deprecating humor and delivery continue in part deux when he moves to France with his lover. One memorable incident occurs when they are on the subway, and two American tourists assume Sedaris is French so they speak in English about him. They comment on his smell and cling to their belongings in fear that he is a pick-pocketer. Sedaris plots to steal his boyfriend’s wallet out of his back pocket, while they are getting off the train and have the American couple call the police. Sedaris planned to say, “What’s the problem? Is it against the law to borrow money from my boyfriend?” Unfortunately, before he can carry out his plot, the couple gets off the train.
While living in Paris, he tries to combat his inability to speak the language by taking a French class. In Jesus Shaves, he tells of the eclectic mix of translation difficulties. For instance, his classmates try to explain the concept of Easter to a Moroccan student with explanations that translated as, “He weared of himself the long hair and after he die, the first day he come back here for to say hello to the peoples.”
This is a book you will not put down, unless it falls, because you are laughing so hard. Sedaris leaves us wanting more. I have a feeling this is not the last of Sedaris, because he will never run out of material to write about as long as his family is still alive. His caustic cynicism and wit will continue to help him sell books, and I will be the first to buy them.
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Lissa rated it:

09/28/07

Read in August, 2006

I read Me Talk Pretty One Day on the recommendation of my roommate, the fabulous WER. She gave me her copy of the book, so with a strong recommendation and a free read, I couldn’t possibly refuse.

Me Talk Pretty One Day is a rough autobiography of writer and humorist David Sedaris. I say a “rough” autobiography because it is not told in chronological order, nor is it a straightforward chronological account of the events of his life. Instead, he presents life as a series of vignettes,...more
I read Me Talk Pretty One Day on the recommendation of my roommate, the fabulous WER. She gave me her copy of the book, so with a strong recommendation and a free read, I couldn’t possibly refuse.

Me Talk Pretty One Day is a rough autobiography of writer and humorist David Sedaris. I say a “rough” autobiography because it is not told in chronological order, nor is it a straightforward chronological account of the events of his life. Instead, he presents life as a series of vignettes, some of which are from when he was a small child (such as his struggles with his speech therapist), from his college years (and his dabbling in drugs and performance art), with the last 1/3 chronicling his experiences as an American in France.

Me Talk Pretty One Day is extremely funny in parts. As a New Yorker, I especially liked his observations working for a moving company in New York City. (As anyone who has lived in New York long enough can tell you, conversations inevitably always turn to real estate if you get m ore than two of us in a room together). For example:

It was generally agreed that a coffin-size studio on Avenue D was preferable to living in one of the boroughs. Moving from one Brooklyn or Staten Island neighborhood to another was fine, but unless you had children to think about, even the homeless saw it as a step down to leave Manhattan. Customers quitting the island for Astoria or Cobble Hill would claim to welcome the change of pace, saying it would be nice to finally have a garden or live a little closer to the airport. They’d put a good face one it, but one could always detect an underlying sense of defeat. The apartments might bigger and cheaper in other places, but one could never count on their old circle of friend making the long trip to attend a birthday party. Even Washington Heights was considered a stretch. People referred to it as Upstate New York, though it was right there in Manhattan.

However, I found that autobiographies (no matter how good they are) often become relentlessly self-indulgent in parts, and this book is no exception to the rule. For instance, in one vignette Sedaris describes a series of dreams that he often has. This particular section doesn’t fit as well with his other stories about living in France and seemed to drag on and on.

All in all, not great literature, but a fun read nevertheless. I read it on the plane ride from New York to Amsterdam, and it was perfect for that kind of trip. Mindless and entertaining, to pass the time.

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Ayla rated it:

11/12/07

So, maybe not exactly literary fiction as it would technically fall under creative non-fiction. However, I personally think creative non-fiction should be considered a form of literary fiction considering not everything, or even most things, in a creative non-fiction story have to be strictly “real”. Besides, this is one of my all-time favorite books!

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris takes place in two parts: Part One and Part Deux. In part one Sedaris tells stories of his ...more So, maybe not exactly literary fiction as it would technically fall under creative non-fiction. However, I personally think creative non-fiction should be considered a form of literary fiction considering not everything, or even most things, in a creative non-fiction story have to be strictly “real”. Besides, this is one of my all-time favorite books!

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris takes place in two parts: Part One and Part Deux. In part one Sedaris tells stories of his childhood and family. Part Deux captures his experiences in France first as a visitor to his partner’s property in Normandy and later as an inadvertent transplant from New York to Paris.
The wry sarcasm and sardonic sense of humor that permeate Sedaris’ stories make the occasional moments of sweetness and vulnerability unexpected and all the more poignant. From his early years as a child stammering through grade school to his middle years back in school and struggling with a new language, Sedaris manages to capture characters and settings excellently and eloquently. With only a little description and a line or two of dialogue he is able to create a vivid character that jumps off the page. His language is clear and concise, not overly flowery, and that is reflected in the clarity and vibrancy of his characters.
For anyone who has struggled with learning a second language the stories of Sedaris’ attempts to learn French will leave you rolling on the floor. I have never before encountered a writing that so aptly portrays how it feels to be stuck in that sort of limbo where you know enough words to speak, but not nearly enough to make sense. For instance, he describes how his French class tries to tell a Muslim student about Easter (en français of course) “He call his self Jesus and then he die one day on two…morsels of …lumber.” “He die one day and then he go above of my head to live with your father.” “He weared of himself the long hair and after he die, the first day he come back here for to say hello to the peoples.” “He nice, the Jesus.”
Sedaris’ knack for finding the essence of a character, setting, culture or conversations and disposing with extraneous bits that would hamper the sharpness of his stories makes for makes for entertaining, moving, thought provoking, and, most of all, entertaining reading.

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Jude rated it:

05/30/08

David Sedaris... I can't really say enough. With an ascerbic wit and sometimes uncomfortably unflinching eye he relates the stories of his growing up in this hilarious but dark memoir. The brushstrokes with which he paints the characters of his family are sometimes broad and loving, sometimes knife-sharp, always insightful (I suppose, since it's only through this book that I know his family). There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, such as a time when,as a young boy, his mother was tailor...more David Sedaris... I can't really say enough. With an ascerbic wit and sometimes uncomfortably unflinching eye he relates the stories of his growing up in this hilarious but dark memoir. The brushstrokes with which he paints the characters of his family are sometimes broad and loving, sometimes knife-sharp, always insightful (I suppose, since it's only through this book that I know his family). There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, such as a time when,as a young boy, his mother was tailoring a pair of pants for him. He and his sisters had recently found some hilariously pornographic book full of bestiality and incest, which they passed around to each other dutifully. Being too young to understand how outrageous it was, they took it as a sort of manifesto on family life, and when this mother accidentally brushed his crotch while tailoring his pants, he blurts out "I just want to be friends, nothing more!!" To which his mother responds "And you've been leading me on all this time." And his scathing review of "home cooking" in New York in "The Daily Special" was so funny I had to read it out loud to other foodie friends of mine.

But other remembrances are dark to the point of painful. The raw exposure of his worst (and best) days as a drug addict is so unflattering, and manages to translate the utter eggshell of his existence during this time. It is only the courage of his telling the story that allowed me to keep reading, but it was like the slowly-unfolding car wreck that you can't quite look away from, much as you might want to. He doesn't tell us how he manages to climb out of his hole, only the existence of his books tells us that he does. Instead, he allows this period to stand without any self-pity, effacement or redemption, it just was what it was.

It sometimes seems as if he's totally dispassionate about his family, how else could he portray them in such unflattering lights? But also, anyone who's ever had a sibling or a childhood not-quite-friend can relate to the petty cruelties and crimes perpetrated on us in childhood by our siblings, that, later in life, turn into fond if rueful memories. If anything, it is his awareness and appreciation for the little absurdities that living presents to us every day, the petty crimes we (sometimes) unknowingly perpetrate on our loved ones, and the honesty of his wry sense of humor that makes this, in my mind, his most brilliant book....less

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Núria rated it:

12/26/07

bookshelves: 2007, literatura-inglesa, owned

Read in December, 2007

Siempre había tenido curiosidad por leer algo de David Sedaris. Lo que me acabó de animar fue una comparación de su mirada sarcástica y crítica con la de Dorothy Parker. Ahora no me acuerdo de dónde leí esta comparación, pero ya os digo que quien la dijo se lució de lo lindo. No digo que esté mal, porque se lee muy bien y muy rápido, y tiene momentos graciosos, aunque nunca desternillantes, y encima cuando ya llevas unos diez cuentitos suyos se hacen algo cansinos, porque es como ir a...more Siempre había tenido curiosidad por leer algo de David Sedaris. Lo que me acabó de animar fue una comparación de su mirada sarcástica y crítica con la de Dorothy Parker. Ahora no me acuerdo de dónde leí esta comparación, pero ya os digo que quien la dijo se lució de lo lindo. No digo que esté mal, porque se lee muy bien y muy rápido, y tiene momentos graciosos, aunque nunca desternillantes, y encima cuando ya llevas unos diez cuentitos suyos se hacen algo cansinos, porque es como ir a cenar con alguien muy pagado de sí mismo y muy quejica y tener que escuchar sus batallitas. Aunque tampoco son aburridas, mientras vas leyendo no dejas de pensar que en lugar de aguantar a este hombre ahora podrías estar sola en casa leyendo un buen libro y estarías mucho mejor.

El libro tiene dos partes: en la primera nos cuenta episodios de su infancia/juventud con mucho protagonismo de los miembros de su familia y en la segunda parte nos cuenta sus aventuras en Francia, donde se fue a vivir con su novio. No sé, es que tener que leer todo un cuento en el que lo único que hace es quejarse porque el francés tiene género para todos los objetos inanimados no es precisamente mi idea de diversión. A mí no me va el humor cascarrabias. Claro que luego hay la otra opción del humor excéntrico basado en describir las excentricidades (¡cómo no!) de los miembros de su familia, que tampoco me va, por más que me haga gracia cada vez que menciona a su hermana Amy. Es mejor cuando se pone a contar historietas de su infancia con cierta nostalgia o ironía entrañable, como cuando le mandaron al logopeda o cuando su padre se emperró en que tenía que aprender a tocar la guitarra. Tampoco está mal el cuento en que se muestra envidioso por la infancia novelesca de su pareja, ni el que describe los crueles métodos de enseñanza de su profe de francés, pero en general ha sido todo bastante decepcionante. Y por supuesto totalmente prescindible. Lo he terminado y me he quedado igual que estaba antes de empezarlo.
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Erica rated it:

03/31/08

Read in June, 2006

"You could turn up your nose at the president or Coke or even God, but there were names for boys who didn't like sports."

"Lisa had been born with a lazy leg that had refused to grow at the same rate as it's twin. I liked the idea that a part of one's body might be thought of as lazy--not thoughtless or hostile, just unwilling to extend itself for the betterment of the team."

"She was what we called Tanorexic."

"My father is the type who once recited a...more

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Gemma rated it:

(review of isbn 0316776963)

02/13/08

bookshelves: 2008-yippee

Read in February, 2008

This book has been my tube companion for the past fortnight. It is the perfect accompaniment to the London commute for two reasons:

1) The essays are perfectly formed, so you can be assured that you'll be able to finish 3 little chunks over 40 minutes or so. Once the train trundled into Westminster station I would know to quicken my pace so as to finish another section before alighting at Blackfriars and elbowing some bankers.

2) My tube line is the epitome of the British stiff upper lip. Peop...more

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Ian rated it:

(review of isbn 0316777722)

05/14/08

Read in May, 2008

This is one of those books that people have been telling me to read ever since it was first published and which I've been avoiding for that very reason. Any book that gets great reviews around the board, is loved and reccomended by countless credible sources and seems generally to fit my niche almost has to be disappointing. Had I read this when it came out, there is simply no way that I could have loved it enough to appease it's fans/my friends. "What?! You only liked it? (or) You ONLY lov...more This is one of those books that people have been telling me to read ever since it was first published and which I've been avoiding for that very reason. Any book that gets great reviews around the board, is loved and reccomended by countless credible sources and seems generally to fit my niche almost has to be disappointing. Had I read this when it came out, there is simply no way that I could have loved it enough to appease it's fans/my friends. "What?! You only liked it? (or) You ONLY loved it?! How do you not collapse to your knees and worship the paper on which these words are printed?! It's brilliant!"

Two weeks ago I found a copy of this sitting on a shelf in a thrift store. It was 75 cents, so I decided to finally see what all the talk was about. I brought it home, opened it to the first essay and began reading. The book was done about two days after that. And yes, it was hilarious. And yes, it was incredibly witty and did in fact have something to say. Was it "Brilliant?" I don't think so, but that's not to say it wasn't very good. For those unacquainted (though I can't believe that any real reader knows nothing about Sedaris at this point) the book is basically a collection of humorous non-fiction essays which revolve the authors family and friends. The book is broken into two parts. The first revolves around his time in America and deals with such topical subjects as post-modern art, obsession with beauty in america, the loss of nostalgic old-technologies (i.e. the typewriter) and my favorite, a very big shit. The second half deals with the time Sedaris spent in Paris, wherein he reflects on what it means to be an American. He is pleasantly uncynical about this and it was refereshing to read something critical of American culutre while never regressing into a mere political rant.

All in all, a very funny read and after the long wait (and perhaps because of it) I can happily say that I was not in the least bit disappointed. If I stumble upon another one of Sedaris' books in a thrift store I'll probably buy it, maybe even paying as much as a dollar this time....less

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Nina rated it:

09/27/07

Read in July, 2007

So I know this is totally cheating, but I never actually read this book, I listened to it on CD. And I am against the whole book-on-tape idea to begin with, but I needed something easy to listen to on my commute home a few months ago when I was still living all the way in NJ with my parents, and a lot of people whose sense of humor I appreciate told me David Sedaris was hysterical. Actually, I didn't even listen to the whole book, it was so bad I think I only made it past 4 stories. So here i...more

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Ali rated it:

11/12/07

bookshelves: world-modern-literature

Read in January, 2008

David Sedaris gives you a short break in between two boisterous! This is not a novel, may be called a series texts for a stand-up comdedian. Sedaris has a very strong sense of self irony, typically American, which is possibly not hundred procent understandable for readers of non English speaking cultures. I think he has writen the book for Americans, and it’s understandable if all Americans love it.
Missing "Me Talk ...." will be a regret, anyway.
با خواندن کتاب های...more David Sedaris gives you a short break in between two boisterous! This is not a novel, may be called a series texts for a stand-up comdedian. Sedaris has a very strong sense of self irony, typically American, which is possibly not hundred procent understandable for readers of non English speaking cultures. I think he has writen the book for Americans, and it’s understandable if all Americans love it.
Missing "Me Talk ...." will be a regret, anyway.
با خواندن کتاب هایی از این دست، همیشه این افسوس هست که چرا چنین متن هایی هرگز، یا بسیار کم به فارسی ترجمه شده است. شاید مترجمین تصور می کنند که در فرهنگ ما تمسخر و هجو خود سابقه ندارد و اصولن "خود کم نمایی" صرفن بخاطر خنداندن دیگران، در فرهنگ ما معمول نیست. که البته فکر درستی ست. اما از آنجا که فرهنگ ما از این شکل ادبیات و هنر، به ویژه در زمینه ی حدیث نفس، کمبود بسیار دارد، شاید ترجمه ی چنین متن هایی بتواند کمکی به یادگیری این مبحث باشد، همان گونه که پیش از رمان های اسماعیل فصیح، خواندن متن ها و کتاب هایی از گروه "بست سللرز" وجهه ی خوبی نداشت و تخطئه می شد. در دوران جوانی ما خواندن حجازی، دشتی، حسینقلی مستعان و امثالهم به حساب سلیقه ی غیر روشنفکری و پایین گذاشته می شد! اما آنچه امثال اسماعیل فصیح آغاز کردند، باعث شد که امروز بسیاری از نویسندگان این شکل ادبیات، مانند خانم رحیمی خواننده ی بسیاری داشته باشد. شاید همین امر کمکی باشد به بالا رفتن علاقه به مطالعه در جامعه ی ما. شاید!
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Alison rated it:

(review of isbn 0316776963)

06/29/08

bookshelves: funnystuff, memoirs, rgbookclub

Read in June, 2008

recommended to Alison by: TRGBC
recommends it for: someone who needs to smile on the inside

I'm copying/pasting previous comments because...I'm just that lazy. And, it frees up some time for me to make a little jacket for my clock radio (I've been thinking of doing that). :)

I don't think (MTPOD) is necessarily as "funny" as it is "jealousy-inducingly clever". I mean...the man has a way with words. And he sees things in a way that most people just don't. I think he's very unique & talented, although not particularly laugh-out loud hilarious.

In &q...more

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Mariam rated it:

02/23/08

Read in February, 2008

Hilarious, and unmemorable. This was a book that had me laughing out loud (to the annoyance of my fellow New Yorkers sharing my subway car (as expressed and publicized by much teeth-sucking), and which I retained nothing of after I turned the last page. I doubt I’ll pick up his other books.

My favorite passage, occurring at a language school where students are called upon to explain Christ (dead and subsequently risen) in a language they do not quite speak:

The Italian nanny was attemp...more

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whichwaydidshego? rated it:

06/19/08

bookshelves: biomemoirs, humor, nonfiction, rorysbooklist

Read in June, 2008

It's always a fascinating experience to read a book that is somehow funnier when read in public than privately. A book that makes you laugh loudly, suddenly in the middle of a doctor's waiting room, or in the center seat on a plane, or alone in a pub while waiting for friends is something worth checking out. I just found it odd that I could be reading the conclusion of the same story at home, and didn't even crack a smile... just, "oh, that was somewhat witty."

On the negative s...more

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Jonathan rated it:

05/22/07

Read in June, 2006

What did I learn from this book? That embellishing your life can be okay when you're a great storyteller, no harm's done to anyone, and everyone who reads it knows it's ridiculous and loves you for the constant chuckles.

David Sedaris knows all about timing and spacing. Many of his essays and quips are built around the perfectly turned phrase, the expertly used grammar, and the flat-out zaniness of the subjects. (He's probably not hurting for ammo with a sibling like Amy Sedaris of Strangers ...more

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Katie rated it:

02/11/08

Read in June, 2005

Hilarious - I couldn't read it in public because David Sedaris had me laughing so hard the entire time. Each short story tells a crazy little antic of the author's quirky family, which is the sort of family whose living room you want to take a seat in so you can just watch as the spectacle unfolds in front of you.

It's clear, though, in each story that the family loves each other dearly - this isn't a some crap self-pitying memoir about the chaos one had to struggle against while growing up ...more

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Emily rated it:

01/09/08

bookshelves: biographies

Read in April, 2001

I have read this book at least ten times since it came out almost ten years ago, and it still makes me laugh outloud till it hurts. For me it, it is hands down Sedaris's masterpiece.

His self-mocking sarcasm, overstated passion, and understated selfishness are so finely crafted, it's no wonder many people find it offensive or confusing. My best friend in high school was a very big fan of his, had a very similar scathing sense of humor, and was also coincidentally gay. While being gay has n...more