“With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that Sedaris is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today.”
I couldn’t agree more.
I just finished up Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim…what a book. I’d just read Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs (a memoir by another great gay author,) and my boss recommended David Sedaris. Similar in memoir writing but even more funny to read. I’m used to reading more fiction where there’s a beginning and end to most stories, while this was a personal essay in which there is no real ending as much as there is just a hard stop…when the author’s done writing personally, or has said all there is to say on the topic.
None-the-less, if you’re in the mood for a roller-coaster ride through the mind of someone that’s… ehhhh, not all there? This book is a must.
Dear David,
Thank you for being yourself, and for sharing that self with the world.
Love, Sua
A couple of my most memorable quotes from the book:
What more could he want? It was an incredibly stupid question and when he failed to answer, I was reminded of just how lucky I truly am. Movie Characters might chase each other through the fog or race down the stairs of burning buildings, but that’s for beginners. Real love amounts to withholding the truth, even when you’re offered the perfect opportunity to hurt someone’s feelings. I wanted to say something to this effect, bu my hand puppets were back home in their drawer. Instead, I pulled my chair a few inches closer, and we sat silently at our little table on the square, looking for all the world like two people in love.
………………………………………………………..
“Your last bite should be the point, and you’re supposed to make a wish on it,” she said. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you that?”… she looked at me the way you might at someone who regularly tossees money into the fire. The Senselessness! The waste!
That’s the problem with wishes, they ensnare you. In fairy tales they’re nothing but trouble, magnifying the greed and vanity of the person for whom they are granted. One’s best bet –and the moral to all those stories– is to be unselfish and make your wish for the benefit of others, trusting that their happiness will make you happy as well. It’s a nice idea but would definitely take some getting used to.”
Love it? Listen to the first few pages of the book via Audiobook.
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