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12th out of 1,387 books
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Naked
One of the most talked-about, most enjoyed bestsellers of the year, "Naked" offers a collection of hilarious, touching, genre-bending vignettes "guaranteed to make you blow milk out your nose" ("Details").
Paperback, 291 pages
Published
June 1st 1998
by Back Bay Books
(first published January 1st 1997)
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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
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 ...more
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 ...more
Elizabeth
rated it
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 a...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...more
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...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...more
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...more
Sometimes I finish a book that feels good despite some of the uncomfortable things I found among the pages. Naked is the opposite, for despite the humor and insight I wanted to rub many of the passages out of my memory. I can't, and I cannot recommend the book. It was an exercise of wading through too much waste for too little worth.
David Sedaris has a voice that is real, blemished and unapologetic. Whether 100% or 10% of the book is factual is not important; it's how he tells the ...more
David Sedaris has a voice that is real, blemished and unapologetic. Whether 100% or 10% of the book is factual is not important; it's how he tells the ...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, lo...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...more
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...more
I started reading this book at a particularly pathetic stage in my life. I'd just left grad school and was sharing a room in my parents' house with one of my sisters. I had a 1.5 hour commute each way to work and even though I had to go to bed at like 9 p.m. to have the energy to face the next day, Monica (said sister) always thought I was up too late. One night, she started yelling at me because for several consecutive nights I'd stayed up late reading, giggling out loud in my bed. Luckily, whe...more
On the inside of this book, David Sedaris signed it and wrote, "Joe, I am so happy you're alive."
He then proceeded to write in my girlfriend at the time's book, "You can do better."
He then proceeded to write in my girlfriend at the time's book, "You can do better."
I enjoyed this book more in the beginning than I did toward the end. At first it was entertaining to read about all of Sedaris's mishaps and "woe is me" type of moments, but that theme got too repetitive (for me) and eventually I just wasn't impressed anymore. It seemed like he was looking for sympathy while trying to put a humorous spin on pretty humbling and shitty moments in his life. There were parts that were truly funny, but I think it would have worked out better if every story ...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 ab...more
"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 ab...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 i...more
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 i...more
This is the first David Sedaris book that I've read cover to cover. I've read bits and pieces of a few of his books and saw him in Raleigh almost 10 years ago now, and I don't think I've laughed so hard since. And of course, I've heard him on NPR many times. With that background, I was a little disappointed in Naked. The writing was excellent, in my opinion, but the first several essays didn't leave me laughing as much as they left me feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Had they been outright fictio...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 ...more
The book is a ...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 ...more
I love David Sedaris. I wish that he lived next door. In this collection of essays, he touches on his life experiences--both offbeat and disturbing. In "A Plague of Tics" he explains how his youth was plagued by a variety of behaviors that made him less than popular with both his teachers and other students (licking the lightswitch repeatedly in the classroom, etc.). In "Next of Kin" he tells about finding a cheesy porn novel in the woods (which was full of typos) and eve...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 laug...more
Naked is my first exposure to the humor of David Sedaris, and not only did I enjoy it, I will definitely read more by him. The comedic memoir is a collection of short stories from his childhood through his adulthood, including his experiences with OCD, the death of his mother, and coming out. I can't say that I can relate to his tales, but I experienced many laugh out loud moments. One of the more hilarious chapters chronicles the time he spent in a nudist colony. Underneath all of the silli...more
i put this book down in sheer disgust. then after a day i picked it up again, but today was the third and last time. i had to stop. the early stories are filled with systematic abuse throughout childhood, and the later stories are the result of an abused personality - confusing sadism with love. inappropriate boundaries. abuse of trust. self-destructive coping habbits. etc.
his book is supposed to be humorous and it is in parts - sedaris is certainly a gifted writer, but its depressin...more
his book is supposed to be humorous and it is in parts - sedaris is certainly a gifted writer, but its depressin...more
I was sad when I started Naked because at the time, it was the last Sedaris book that I hadn't read, but it kept me sane throughout a senior road trip. I enjoy Sedaris because his writing is sharp and witty, but he also manages to be sensitive and insightful without being maudlin or preachy. I think "Ashes," in which he describes his mother's cancer and her relationship with himself and his siblings, is some of his best work.
Also, it's always nice, when someone calls and a...more
Also, it's always nice, when someone calls and a...more
Sedaris is fucking funny, and that is probably what primarily comes to mind when thinking of him. He is more than just funny, since his memoirs are very clever. I find that I can also easily relate to him, since I think I live in my head almost as much as he does.
That's one of the problems I have with him though. As I read I can't help but wonder how many of the details are actually true, and how many are instead the variations that occurred in his head. I know I shouldn't let su...more
That's one of the problems I have with him though. As I read I can't help but wonder how many of the details are actually true, and how many are instead the variations that occurred in his head. I know I shouldn't let su...more
To be honest, I don’t always remember which David Sedaris story belongs in which book (up until “Me Talk Pretty One Day”). All I know is that I was home sick with a horrible flu one day. As I was lying there in a miserable state with the radio on NPR, and specifically “This American Life”. On this particular broadcast, David Sedaris had read a then newly written piece entitled “Youth in Asia” – a history of all the pets that he owned up until that point in his life, starting with the birth of ...more
This was my first time reading anything by Sedaris and I have mixed feelings. I liked his writing style quite a bit, and I found several of the stories enjoyable, and the characters intriguing, and at times, outright hysterical.
But I agree with some other reviewers that it fell rather flat in the middle and I had a hard time finding some of the stories plausible - especially the hitchhiking episodes and the string of going-nowhere jobs. Those stories were outright bleak and depr...more
But I agree with some other reviewers that it fell rather flat in the middle and I had a hard time finding some of the stories plausible - especially the hitchhiking episodes and the string of going-nowhere jobs. Those stories were outright bleak and depr...more
I started with high expectations. Everybody seemed to be talking about this book. In the bookstore, I had read a page of 'The Drama Bug' and had had to put it away, because I started to laugh out loud and people turned to look at me. So I bought it and started again at home, from the first page, only to discover that this book reads like a string of jokes and in the end becomes almost as tedious (I didn't even finish the book, which is pretty rare). I still think The Drama Bug is brilliant, thou...more
This was quite enjoyable. It's actually sort of 3 1/2 stars. Every time I read a David Sedaris book, I realize how much more I enjoy listening to him. He is very, very good at verbally interpreting his own stories, and the stories actually stand better when heard as one-offs than when consumed as a collection. That said, the book is pretty dang entertaining, and I can't quite get why the friend who lent this book to me (read: "flung disgustedly at me") dislikes Sedaris so much. "H...more
In David Sedaris’s novel Naked, the author continues in his tradition of dark, reflective, autobiographical essays. In the same style as Me Talk Pretty One Day, Sedaris tells the unrelated stories in chronological order.
The novel begins with Sedaris’s romanticized view of his ideal family life, which is eventually contrasted with the crude reality he lived. A lot of the essays deal with the contrast between the author’s fantasies and the absurd reality, but the mention of his love for h...more
The novel begins with Sedaris’s romanticized view of his ideal family life, which is eventually contrasted with the crude reality he lived. A lot of the essays deal with the contrast between the author’s fantasies and the absurd reality, but the mention of his love for h...more
Naked
By: David Sedaris
I didn't really enjoy this book. Although I didn't enjoy this book, there are some parts that are funny. It's a book full of his memories that started when he was young. The books I enjoy are not based off memories.
So the protagonist is himself, David. It's like short stories in a big book, but the book is about him and his family members. The "short stories" are based off memories of his childhood. There was one chapter that wa...more
By: David Sedaris
I didn't really enjoy this book. Although I didn't enjoy this book, there are some parts that are funny. It's a book full of his memories that started when he was young. The books I enjoy are not based off memories.
So the protagonist is himself, David. It's like short stories in a big book, but the book is about him and his family members. The "short stories" are based off memories of his childhood. There was one chapter that wa...more
I presume you know what the book is about. I'm letting you know what I liked or disliked about it.
I read this book the first time shortly after it was released - almost 10 years ago. I've read it a couple times since.
I learned during the first time I read this book that I couldn't read it in public. Within half a page I'd start smiling and then all too quickly things would escalate to the point where I was laughing uncontrollably with tears streaming down my face. H...more
I read this book the first time shortly after it was released - almost 10 years ago. I've read it a couple times since.
I learned during the first time I read this book that I couldn't read it in public. Within half a page I'd start smiling and then all too quickly things would escalate to the point where I was laughing uncontrollably with tears streaming down my face. H...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| espressature: naked: the incomplete quad | 4 | 2 | Nov 27, 2011 09:53am | |
| espressature: dinah, the christmas whore | 4 | 2 | Oct 24, 2011 11:14pm | |
| espressature: The drama bug | 3 | 2 | Oct 23, 2011 07:05pm | |
| espressature: naked: dix hill and i like guys | 3 | 2 | Oct 16, 2011 12:52pm | |
| espressature: naked: true detective | 3 | 2 | Oct 04, 2011 12:10am | |
| espressature: naked: the woman's open | 3 | 2 | Oct 01, 2011 12:01pm | |
| espressature: naked: get your yaya's out, next of kin and cyclops | 3 | 2 | Sep 25, 2011 11:01pm |
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David Sedaris is a Grammy Award-nominated American humorist and radio contributor.
Sedaris came to prominence in 1992 when National Public Radio broadcast his essay "SantaLand Diaries." He published his first collection of essays and short stories, Barrel Fever, in 1994. Each of his four subsequent essay collections, Naked (1997), Holidays on Ice (1997), Me Talk Pretty One Day...more
More about David Sedaris...
Sedaris came to prominence in 1992 when National Public Radio broadcast his essay "SantaLand Diaries." He published his first collection of essays and short stories, Barrel Fever, in 1994. Each of his four subsequent essay collections, Naked (1997), Holidays on Ice (1997), Me Talk Pretty One Day...more
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Dec 04, 2011 11:15am
updated Dec 06, 2011 10:38am