Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

David Sedaris' move to Paris from New York inspired these hilarious pieces, including the title essay, about his attempts to learn French from a sadistic teacher who declares that "every day spent with you is like having a caesarean section".

His family is another inspiration. "You Can't Kill the Rooster" is a portrait of his brother, who talks incessant hip-hop slang to his bewildered father. And no one hones a finer fury in response to such modern annoyances as restaurant meals presented in ludicrous towers of food and cashiers with six-inch fingernails.

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This is my second David Sedaris' book, and I have to say that I am becoming quite the fan. I find David's writing to be quite humorous, and his use of irony fantastic. I also have a very sarcastic sense of humor and I often felt that David said exactly what I would have been thinking had I found myself in the same situation. He paints very lively caricatures (or maybe portraits is a better word??) of himself, his friends, and his family. Many of the stories in this book are laugh-out-loud funny, and I think it is easy to dismiss them as just another funny story, but often there was a deeper meaning. 

Through humor, David explores the issues of acceptance, identify, love, relationships, etc. I think humor is often used to make less savory things more palpable or easy to digest. Stripped of their humor, some of these stories are truly heartbreaking, and I think it's the humor that allows us as the reader (and maybe David as the writer) to explore and share these experiences. An overall good read.


2015 Reading Challenge: A book of short stories