Rating: 
Summary: Can't I have another star????
Review: I'd give this book 10 stars if I could. Need to revive a dead fish? Read him a chapter of "Me Talk Pretty One Day." I picked it up at an airport bookstore this summer after previously bumping into David S. on NPR from time to time. I read it cover to cover virtually nonstop in about 3.5 hours. I laughed, and crying laughing, uncontrollably many times - part of the attraction. I started reading entries aloud to my friends in the weeks that followed. Any potential lulls in laughter are certainly the result of laughter overload and will, thankfully, give you a chance to refuel and read on! - Enjoy!!!
Rating:
Summary: Me Like Book Very Much
Review: Rarely is the utter hilarity and irony of life captured so perfectly in a novel, but David Sedaris meets, and triumphs the challenge in his newest book, "Me Talk Pretty One Day". From his experiences growing up in a family of six children in North Carolina, to his adulthood in New York City and later to a small town in France, Mr. Sedaris writes like most of us think, with a wonderful comedic touch and a zany take on the most routine of activities. His strange, but close-knit family is a story in itself; a sister with an un-humanely knack for suntanning, a father who eats things wayyyy past their expiration date, and a mother who can smoke without ever removing the cigarette from her mouth, just to name a few. Guitar lessons taught by a midget and speech therapy, he has the childhood we all have but none discuss openly. Even more hilarious are the tales from France, where he studies France medical terms ("It is now time to deliver the afterbirth") and discusses the items brought back from customs (guides to skin rashes or suede fetus w/umbilical cord, anyone?). This book had me in stitches, and instantly became my favorite of all time. I'd recommend anyone who doesn't mind crying of laughter in public, and who needs another person to assure them that their view on life isn't crazy...A must-read!
Rating:
Summary: alone in the universe
Review: This book satisfied me one two levels. First it is the funniest, most side splitting thing I have ever read. If you get a chance to listen to the audio version also you actually hear "Billie Holiday" in his own voice. Second, I thought I was the only person in the world this warped. I don't feel so alone in the universe anymore. Only buy it if you are comfortable dubbling over in laughter in public.
Rating:
Summary: I laughed out loud!
Review: Man, this book is funny! This guy is a genius at highlighting the humorous aspects of everyday life. I could totally relate to his experiences in France. Not so much the language issues as the general experience of living in a foreign country (in my case, the U.S.). I also had a good time reading about the author's experiences in the art world. It was nice to find out that my own suspicions about conceptual art weren't totally off the mark. Highly readable!
Rating:
Summary: Fear and Self-Loathing...
Review: I think this is quite possibly the funniest book I've ever read! David Sedaris trawls through his life and up-bringing to deliver hilarious observations and stories, describing failures, foibles and more failures in minute detail. He has an eye for the little things, the tiny events and ironies that make up this cruel world, and a knack of abstracting ad absurdea. He paints a very self-deprecating, lovingly shambolic picture of himself through his writings, and it's the real identification with his character that causes you to laugh when he laughs and laugh when he cries.
My favourite story is called "Big Boy" and details his attempts to use the bathroom at a garden party. It's insane that three pages can be this funny! I read it on an airplane and I was crying with laughter, much the the discomfort of the stranger sitting beside me. You need to read it and see...
I'm not sure this book is for everyone though - if you're a conservative, homophobic, new-york-hater you'll find it hard to identify with the author, and therefore the humour might be lost, but you should probably read it anyway to cure yourself of your conservatism and homophobia...
My favourite line details his experience with speech therapy classes in school, "They should've put a sign above the door saying "Future Homosexuals of America"...". If you think that's outrageously funny then you'll love this book...
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful, hilarious read
Review: David Sedaris is, without a doubt, my favorite humorist alive. His writings are at once funny and poignant. To be able to touch and move readers in the way that Sedaris does is truly a gift, and one that should be treasured while he's still around treating society to more of his wonderful work. "Me Talk Pretty One Day" is at least as funny as "Naked", and some of Sedaris's stories about living as an ignorant American in France were truly unforgettable. A highly recommended read to take on vacation. It's quick, absorbing and very rewarding.
Rating: 
Summary: I must be missing something...
Review: My book club chose this book for our upcoming selection. A friend in the club and I have come to the same conclusion: we cannot finish this book. We have both read chapter after chapter, waiting for the book to be other than mildly amusing and somewhat boring, but we never got to any part that hooked us into the book. The author seems to think he is hilarious, in a rather self-consious manner, and his whole tone seems to proclaim, "aren't I just so clever"; apparently many people agree with him. I seemed to miss everyone's boat here, because I found the book so boring that I could not go on anymore.
Rating:
Summary: A good dose of laughter!
Review: Annotation: A humorous autobiographic novel by David Sedaris outlining random events in his life. His unusual life stories tell of his childhood lisp troubles and speech therapy classes, his guitar lessons taught by a midget, his struggle to become an artist and trying to learn and survive the French culture and language. Author bio: David Sedaris was born in New York and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina. He's openly and happily gay. He lives in Paris with his boyfriend Hugh Hamrick. He has worked as a housecleaner and, as a part-time elf for Macy's. Many of his plays have been produced, and his essays are featured regularly in The New Yorker, Harpers, and Esquire. Evaluation: This was a very very good book. My sister had read it and recommended it to me. This was the first book I had picked up in a long time and was pulled into it by Sedaris' humor. At times, especially during class, I would find myself trying to hold in my laughter as to not make a scene. I usually have a hard time getting into a book when I first start reading, but this book started out with an interesting and of course humorous tale of Sedaris' speech therapy classes. I finished this book in about a week because every time I picked it up, I didn't want to stop reading it. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who needs a good dose of laughter.
Rating: 
Summary: What's All the Fuss About?
Review: David Sedaris is a funny man. But he's not the "funniest man in America" as he has often been billed during his recent speaking tour.
"Me Talk Pretty One Day" is humorous, but not "laugh-out-loud funny."
The majority of problems are with the stories dealing with his family. His family members are indeed quirky, but the stories he tells are you-had-to-be-there stories. I think my siblings and parents are hilarious too, but I'm humble enough to realize that anyone who didn't grow up in our household does not find our childhood anecdotes nearly as amusing as those of us who were there.
This book improves during part "deux," wherein Sedaris sticks for the most part to describing his experiences as an American living in France. It is in these stories/essays that Sedaris's true gift shines through: he has quite a talent for pointing out the absurd in society. Yet, entertaining as they were, not even these stories are ones I would consider "laugh-out-loud funny." I suppose I would have liked this book better had the blurbs from reviews featured on the cover not oversold Sedaris's comedic talents.
All in all, this book is entertaining when Sedaris is shining a light on society's foibles. When he turns that light on himself and his own neuroses, things begin to wear thin; and when he begins to speak of his family, the book is unremarkable at best, and, more often than not, completely unentertaining.
Again, I probably would have liked it better had my expectations not been set so high. "River Teeth" by David James Duncan is in this same vein, but much, much better.
If you just want to laugh, anything by Dave Barry is sure to hit the spot.
Rating:
Summary: Me Laugh Hard One Day
Review: These hilarious essays reveal the unoticed surrealty of daily life. From the absurd eating habits of family members to the "Youth in Asia" every amusing passage can tell you a bit more about yourself and what our society considers to be "normal." David Sedaris is certainly one of the greatest literary comedians of our time.
These quirky stories are filled with Sedaris' real family and freinds, who make the situations he writes about all the more amusing and fun to read, especially the stories about his father, Lou, the natural mechanic who proves time and time again that genetics aren't everything. His laid-back mother and rough-neck little brother, Paul (the rooster), also bring humor to this collection. But, by far, the strongest character has to be his sister, Amy (who also co-wrote Barrel Fever, Holidays on Ice, and Naked). With her imaginary boyfriends, "fatty suits," and fake bruises and scratches, Amy "shines like a diamond" in the face of normailty. However ridiculously funny these adventures are, only the truly open-minded and those willing to expand their horizons and read about possibly opposing lifestyles will really enjoy Sedaris' experiences.
At times his actions may suggest him as the village idiot, but besides his occasional wacky stupidity, Sedaris won't fail to amuse.
Sedaris captures the faults and humors in American (and even parts of European) culture. The ridiculous antics of the people in his life are displayed in fantastic detail, which will bring a smile to your face for every page you turn.
All in all, Sedaris bases his creativity more on reality with imagined fantasy rathar than fantasy or reality alone, which makes him unique on the national bestseller list.
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