Rating:  Summary: painfully funny Review: Growing up with nothing to protect himself but his wit,David reminds me of all those quiet "unpopular" kids you barely notice or dismiss as geeks, but when they finally speak your view is utterly changed. The only reason I didn't give this book a full five star is he hasn't translated that quirky speaking voice to the page.
Rating:  Summary: Wickedly wry Review: I had to stop from time to time and contemplate the world in which Sedaris lives/has lived as a talented, gay, Greek man living in Raleigh with his dysfunctional family and twisted worldview. I had to take said breaks, becase this book is too funny and meaty to read in big doses without some measure of physical or mental harm. BUY THIS NAUGHTILY FUNNY BOOK!
Rating:  Summary: Another Good Laugh! Review: I have to say David Sedaris is one of my favorite authors. No one can write more funny stories about everyday life than he can. I read his latest book "Me Talk Pretty One Day" first and had missed his first book "Naked" so decided to go back and read that, after enjoying "Talk Pretty" so much. Naked is another collection of his funny stories about everyday living and truly a funny book. I really enjoyed it, maybe not as much as "Talk Pretty" but it was almost equal. If you want a good laugh, and need cheering up, make sure you read these 13 stories.
Rating:  Summary: Did somebody say funny? Review: Few books can make me laugh outloud; and the first chapter of this book surely didn't. It took a while, but by the end I was loving every minute---or word---of it. David Sedaris is the older brother of Amy Sedaris, the star of Comedy Central's hilarious "Strangers With Candy." After reading "Naked" you can understand the full spectrum of their humor: these are people, not unlike you or me, who have lived difficult lives, but instead of moping they just say really sarcastic things about everything. Really funny sarcastic things. And if you're a theater person, or you know theater people, just tell me that this doesn't describe you/them--and that it doesn't make you laugh outloud:"The drama bug seemed to strike hardst with Jews, homosexuals, and portly girls, whose faces were caked with acne medication. These were individuals who, for one reason or another, desperately craved attention. I would later discover it was a bad idea to gather more than two of these people in an enclosed area for any length of time. The stage was not only a physical place but also a state of mind, and the word audience was defined as anyone forced to suffer your company. We young actors were a string of lightbulbs left burning twenty-four hours a day, exhausting ourselves and others with our self-proclaimed brilliance."
Rating:  Summary: Heard him on NPR? Read him too Review: A long time ago someone lent me Barrel Fever, the one with The Santaland Diaries in it. I really liked that. This one's better. In the intervening years, I've heard him on NPR a couple times, and now I read his stories and hear his voice reading them, and that makes them funnier. And get this, from the blurbs, a quote from James Thurber: "Let me be the first to say that the naked truth about me is to the naked truth about Salvador Dali as an old ukelele in the attic is to a piano in a tree, and I mean a piano with breasts."
Rating:  Summary: Starts strong but fizzles a bit Review: Within the first 50 pages I fell in love with the short stories which give us a glimpse into Sedaris' crazy life. He turns the tragic into the hysterical. Case in point, the stories that dealt with his obessive compulsive disorder. Although most describe this book as "funny," not all the stories are as entertaining as the ones based in his child hood. As a whole, the book is an account of Sedaris' life experiences, which is not a total laugh riot. Ultimately, you'll meet some unforgettable people and have a couple of laughs. I would recommend but don't expect to be rolling on the floor laughing the entire time.
Rating:  Summary: Cutting-edge autobiography, hysterically funny and wise. Review: This guy knows how to make you laugh, even in the most painful situations. Sort of like Gene Sheppard mixed with Gore Vidal (the Gore Vidal of Myra, not Lincoln). Nothing in here reaches the hilarity of The Santaland Diaries, but it's all worth reading.
Rating:  Summary: I never read a book twice, but this one... Review: I don't often read books twice - even my favorite authors. I found this book lying in some boxes and picked it up to read, thinking I hadn't read it before. About 1/4 of the way through, I realized I had read it before (obviously a long time ago), but was so thoroughly enjoying it again, I read on, even though I knew how it all ended. A wonderful book. I can't wait to read more David Sedaris!
Rating:  Summary: You'll giggle, then roar, usually in public places... Review: The days when David Sedaris was on Morning Edition on NPR (National Public Radio), I was always late for work. His commentaries on being a single gay man working odd-jobs or cleaning apartments in New York City were some of the fall-down funniest things I've ever heard. In print, he is no less skillful at making me weep with laughter. Sedaris, in a raw, honest manner, describes the events of his childhood and young adulthood - as perceived by his incredibly humorous and rich imagination. This collection of essays cover everything from his mother's sharp, accurate portrayal of his tics, his job as a mental health institution assistant, his sister's wedding/his mother's death, to dealing with (while in high school) being gay, and many of the funny little stories that make up being a member of a family, any family. His wit is dry, sharp, poignant, and philosophical all the same time. And after listening to his voice on those cold mornings on the radio, I can "hear" him tell these tales. What a riot! I have read some of the other reviewers who gave this book a one and all I can say is that I pity the person who does not have a sense of humor because they miss out on the absolute joy of reading anything by Sedaris - or even better, listening to him. wow.
Rating:  Summary: Nonstop belly laughs! Review: What a riot this book is! Sedaris is so vivid and irrepresibly funny in his descriptions in this autobiographical tale of family craziness, youthful bizareness, and personal excentricity that one cannot help but laugh out loud. Thre hurrays for well written dark self-mockery at its best!
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