Me Talk Pretty One Day - Deux

[whichwaydidshego, the sage of sass]

So if you've already gotten to the second section, then you best start saying something!

[Emily]

I read this book a long time ago so I don't remember what section this is in but my favorite part is when he's in Paris and talking about buying 2 of everything because he couldn't remember the masculine and feminine version of the words to only buy one.

[Dini, the master of meaning]

I'm halfway through part two and expect to finish this today. I agree with Emily, the language part is funny. I took a French class in high school so I understand his frustration. Why in the world would anyone want to assign genders to inanimate objects anyway? LOL.

[Dini, the master of meaning]

SPOILERS (just in case)


I enjoyed the chapters about language: "See You Again Yesterday", "Me Talk Pretty One Day", "Make That a Double". It's absurdly funny to me how he chose to memorize nouns that have nothing to do with daily conversation (exorcism, facial swelling, sea monster). But the funniest chapter for me (not just in the second part, but in the whole book) is "Jesus Shaves". I'm not Christian, but I do know a few things about Easter, and the way they tried to describe it is just hilarious. I also like how Sedaris equates religious faith with the faith of the students that someday they'll master the French language.

"21 Down" has a special meaning for me cause it reminds me of my mom, who's a crossword puzzle enthusiast. Like Sedaris, she keeps an atlas and reference books that are usually read by junior high school children. Every time she stumbles upon a question, she asks me to find the answer on the library or the internet. Thanks to Google, I was able to give my mom lists of the entire Latin alphabet and chemical symbols.

[Joanie]

I wasn't expecting to like the part where he is in France as much as I liked the first half of the book but I was surprised by how funny it was. His French teacher is wretched and it was so funny how they were all limited by the words they knew.

I majored in Spanish in college and in one class my freshman year my teacher was having us talk about something we hoped would happen. I wanted to say I hoped I got a package in the mail but I didn't know the word so I was trying to say that I hoped I got a gift "regalo" in the mail but I wound up saying "reloj" which is clock. My teacher looked at me and trying to catch me in my mistake said you hope you get a clock? Realizing my mistake I said "yes, mine is broken, I need a new one." Spanish also has masculine and feminine nouns but the plurals are also masculine or feminine so David's trick wouldn't have worked unless you always just said you wanted two of whatever-still it was amusing to read about his struggles.

The part about his father eating part of his hat and leaving food to rot all around the house was hysterical. The friend's response was priceless.

All in all I really liked this one, glad we read it.

[Courtney]

I loved the second half. Especially as a group. I like that he is branching into new group by describing his current life and wishing I had read it when I was FORCED to take a summer 6 week intensive French class in order to graduate. For me it was more fun and less touching than some of his stories can be, but I found it a pure delight. Will post some actual observations later when I have my book handy.

[Kailey]

second part is definitely the best in my opinion, he is absolutely hysterical. I couldn't read this book in public because of my random bursts of laughter

[Rebecca]

I really did enjoy Deux, but I wished I'd put it aside after One for a little while, because I went into it with a stinky attitude LOL

The French class was awesome, ordering plural everything totally captured my imagination, especially when combined with his first story about another effort to avoid what's difficult in speaking -- using words with no "s"s to avoid working on his lisp.

I am a little bit in love with Hugh, myself. I found myself wondering for much of the book, how did David hook this guy and what is keeping him around?

Jesus Shaves was just made of AWESOME. :)

[Deborah]

Well, I slogged along for awhile in the second section and did like some of the scenes in the classroom, but i finally just kind of got bored. Then I got really hooked on the Count and would up returning "Me Talk" unfinished to the library. Maybe this just isn't the time for me to read this author. He may or may not be a beet, I'll have to try again. (I've disliked the taste of beets since I was a baby. However, I think they're pretty and fascinating, so I keep trying them to see if I like them yet. So far the best I can do is using them to color horseradish.)

[whichwaydidshego, the sage of sass]

Hahahaha! Deb, that's hilarious!!

I've just realized I haven't added my comments here! Gah! What was I thinking?? I totally have things to say! Okay I will, but not tonight as it's nearly two and I had been planning on getting to bed early! (Okay, I admit... this IS early for me, but I meant something-akin-to-normal-sort-of-early.)

[Becca]

I've been loving the second part, although I'm quite late in getting to the book. I'm listening to it on CD in the car on the rare days when my husband gets bored with his precious NPR. The stories that take place in the French class had us both howling. I don't normally like mean people, but I love the hateful French teacher. (And yes, I know what she'd say about that statement. "Oh, Becca doesn't like mean people. How unusual! How special!") Her bullying actually seems to be an effective teaching method.

[Angie]

Well I just finished this book. the second half was much better than the first. I did enjoy the French section, my sister is finally graduating college this month after struggling with French class over and over. I enjoyed the chapter about IQ's. I have never had mine done.. I really don't want to know.. I think I'm smart and I don't want a test to tell me I am not.

I would not read another one of his books though. Not really my style. I am guessing all his books are like this. I guess maybe I wasn't in the mood for this book either. It just was about a lot of depressing stuff and maybe I just needed something lighter?

[whichwaydidshego, the sage of sass]

We read his Holidays on Ice last December as a group. For me that book was worth it for the first story alone. I nearly peed my pants... in the middle seat on an airplane... I was laughing so hard.