2.18.2011

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris


I may be one of the last people to discover how funny Davis Sedaris is. HILARIOUS. Choke-on-my-soup-laughing-during-lunch hilarious. And I'm not even one of those people who laugh out loud when she reads. Enter David Sedaris.

Me Talk Pretty One Day is a collection of personal essays that detail irreverent instances of Sedaris' life; from coping with a speech impediment, to taking guitar lessons from a midget, to living in France while struggling to speak French:
It got to the point where I'd see a baby in the bakery or grocery store and instinctively ball up my fists, jealous over how easy he had it. I wanted to lie in a French crib and start from scratch, learning the language from the ground floor up. I wanted to be a baby, but instead I just talked like one, a spooky man-child demanding more than his fair share of attention.
Sedaris is so funny because he's clever and he's witty. It's not hit you across the face funny, but goes just far enough without being presumptuous or overwrought. He's got the act of self-deprecation down to an art.

I enjoyed the book from the beginning, however I found part Duex especially funny. It is in this section that he details instances in his adult life, while living in New York City or France, with his partner whom he met when he borrowed his ladder. The stories in part Duex seem to flow a little nicer, creating a more cohesive storyline than the first half.

My very favorite essay in the book is entitled "Today's Specials" details the presumptuous food culture that exists in Manhattan; quarky ingredients in small proportions arranged on a plate to look like art but taste like cardboard:
What I really want is a cigarette, and I'm always searching the menu in the hope that some courageous young chef has finally recognized tobacco as a vegetable.
This is a refreshing little read, and I will continue to go back to Sedaris when I am craving something smart and funny.

Publisher: Little, Brown, 2000

16 comments:

  1. I've never read any Sedaris though I always see him pop up along with other books I like. Must check him out!

    Also, I do think there's a restaurant in NYC that will serve you a cigarette. I believe it was on an episode of No Reservations at some point

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  2. I look forward to reading this. It is on my TBR pile. I read "When You Are Engulfed In Flames" a years or so ago and also found myself laughing helplessly. One of the essays, a very long one, recalls Sedaris's Herculian effort to give up smoking.

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  3. I loved this one as well - I've read some of his others, like Holidays on Ice, which were good, but no where near as good as this one (at least not to me).

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  4. I have also not read Sedaris before. I think its time I started.

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  5. Zing, you instantly got me interested when you said the word "essay". Not I want to read the book and to know more about Sedaris. Essays are my new literary flavor of the month

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  6. Red, A cigarette to eat or to smoke? Also, I think you'd like Sedaris.

    Mel, I'm going to read When You Are Engulfed in Flames for sure! It sounds great.

    Adam, I've heard that from other readers. It's seems a hard book to top.

    Mystica, Yes!

    Ben, Nice!

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  7. I actually think it was some tobacco infused meal and it came with a cigarette. Weird and nothing for me but I suppose some smokers would go for it.

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  8. Red, Yikes! I'm going to be honest I smoke when I drink, and still - that just sounds gross.

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  9. Yay! You liked it. I felt the same way. His comments are out of left field at times and completely unanticipated making it that much better. I purchased Naked recently and am looking forward to working it into the schedule eventually! Looking forward to your JSF review; I've only read EL&IC.

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  10. I LOVE this book! there were a few parts where I was crying I was laughing so hard.

    I saw him speak last year with the same resolute, his delivery is impeccable.

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  11. Wonderful review, Brenna! I read 'Me Talk Pretty One Day' sometime back and liked it very much. My favourite parts of the book where the chapters in the beginning and the chapters later in the book when Sedaris talks about his brother and his father. I couldn't stop laughing at all the funny things that they did :)

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  12. Beth, I did like it very much! I think the next Sedaris I'll read will be When You Are Engulfed In Flames and I'll look forward to your review of Naked.

    Whitney, I'd love to see him speak. I've heard his audio books are great too.

    Vishy, His father is an interesting character, that's for sure!

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  13. FYI: Sedaris is particularly apt at reading his own stuff. In fact, once you've heard him read, his voice gets into your head so that any time you sit down to read his written words you hear his inflections, delivery. For a classic Sedaris bit, try googling "Stadium Pal David Sedaris" to see him reading it on Letterman. Hilarious!

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  14. Laurie, I just googled that - great stuff! He mentioned in Me Talk Pretty One Day that he has a high voice and is often mistaken for a child on the phone. After listing to his reading I can see why! I also like him even more. Thanks!

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  15. Love Sedaris! I'm so glad you discovered him. I hear that listening to his books on audio (with him reading) is supposed to be amazing...I've had The Ultimate David Sedaris Collection on hold at my local library since the beginning of December...and I still have received it, it's so popular.

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  16. I'm so glad you loved him. This was the first book of his I read and it remains my favorite. He never fails to make me laugh.

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