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. "He makes stuff up!" said friend exclaims. "It's not the truth!" Well, okay. The exaggeration, at least in this particular collection, is so obvious that it doesn't bother me, and for some reason I don't think it would bother me even if it were written in a truthier way. It's clear he's writing parody...satire...dangit, I can never get those straight. I've looked them up several times. I think this book could be classified as satire. Yes, indeed. A satirical look at family--being raised by one, being part of one, growing up with one. Anyway, it's worth reading.