Sedaris, David - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

[oyceter]

I read this by popular request. I've never read any David Sedaris before, though I've heard many good things of him and seen his books be wildly popular back when I worked at the used bookstore.

The book is mostly a collection of essays on Sedaris' childhood and his family; he manages to be poignant and funny about growing up gay with a father who was horrified by that. I liked how he slipped from his childhood to the present, especially since these essays were written after he'd already become a fairly popular author (I think). There's a particular piece in there in which his sister asks him if he's going to put certain incidents in his book, and he realizes that he's been hanging around for writing fodder instead of listening.

I am being lazy in summarizing, which isn't quite fair. It's a good book. It's also very funny. I just didn't find it that funny when I was reading it, but I think that may have been because I was reading it while horrifically jet-lagged and homesick, with the added bonus of having stayed up till 1 in the airport for a red-eye.

I also find that while I find these books intellectually funny on the first read, they never quite hit me as funny until I reread them. I liked the book, but sort of distantly and vaguely. I think I'll like this one much better the second time around.

Comments

[riemannia.livejournal.com]

Is this his latest? I don't know if I was just in the wrong mood for Sedaris but I didn't even finish those essays. But I adored adored adored Me Talk Funny One Day. Hmmm, I think I should reread it.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I prefer the CDs to reading the text - it's funnier to me when Sedaris is speaking it. I've laughed out loud when listening to him, but never more than an amused smile when reading.

[octopedingenue]

I have MP3s of "Jesus Shaves" and "You Can't Kill the Rooster" that make me very, very happy. I need to get his audiobooks from the library sometime.

[oyceter]

I actually have no idea. I'm pretty sure I was in the wrong mood, because even in the airport at 1 in the morning, I found some of them really funny... I should pick up his others too.

[oyceter]

Oh cool, CDs!

[telophase.livejournal.com]

He's got a great manner and delivery. You can see what it's like for free by going to http://www.thislife.org and searching for 'Sedaris', then listening to any of the shows he's on.

I highly recommend this episode (http://207.70.82.73/pages/descriptions/96/47.html) that has Sedaris reading "The Santaland Diaries" and David Rakoff reading his own story about playing Freud in a window at Barney's one Christmas. Funny as hell.

[oyceter]

Thank you! I keep thinking I should get into audiobooks, but I am too cheap to spend money and haven't checked out my library yet.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

He's a regular on This American Life, and about half of his Dress Your Family... essays were broadcast on it.

TAL is a great show, and you can stream most of the episodes for free; if you want to download them somewhere you have to buy them through Audible.com. I recommend Act 1 of the show "Fiasco (http://207.70.82.73/pages/descriptions/97/61.html)," which has the funniest story EVAR of a doomed production of Peter Pan.