Book Reviews
Me Talk Pretty One Day
by David Sedaris
Back Bay Books, 2001
10 Anuses out of 10
Review By: Zorandra
It isn’t often that I take my literary humour as the ‘laugh-out-loud’ variety. Mind you, it’s not that I don’t like it; it’s just that there seems to be a shortage of quality in that genre. So instead I opt for the dry, sarcastic ‘smirking’ variety. At least that’s how I felt before reading Sedaris’ book. It’s been quite some time since a book made me laugh so often, and so honestly.
This book of auto-biographical short stories had me hooked from beginning to end. From the story of ‘the agent’ that came for him in grade school, to the one of his father saving food, they are all gems. Many of these stories caused tears to form in my eyes; sometimes out of laughter, sometimes out of sorrow. And at times I found myself running the gamut of emotions in one story.
Some writers take events, places, and people and write them so they are familiar. They write a story that you can see yourself in. Sedaris however, takes things that are all familiar to most of us, in someway or another, and shows us that we aren’t alone. Remarkably, he does this without being corny or sappy. Instead he writes in a way that is at times dark and misanthropic, yet humourous and familiar. From speech impediments to being an outsider, his take on the mundane is extraordinary. Not to mention his way of personally dealing with the mundane is hilarious.
And a non-literary plus about this book, the short-story format allows you to read as you wish. At times I would simply read a story or two during a break at work; if I found myself with a longer bit of reading time, I would go for a few more. I highly recommend this book. Where else can one expect to read the line: “…I cure AIDS and emphysema, meaning that people can once again enjoy a cigarette after a rigorous bout of anal sex.”
Find more David Sedaris on Chicago Public Radio; he’s a regular on This American Life. Or check him out when he’s in town on June 27th at the Borders on State Street.
©2010 The Elimination Dept.
