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spectacular
go ahead read it
I LOVE this book!
You'll laugh out loud
The Best of Sedaris

Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Sedaris
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0316776963

Amazon.com

David Sedaris became a star autobiographer on public radio, onstage in New York, and on bestseller lists, mostly on the strength of "SantaLand Diaries," a scathing, hilarious account of his stint as a Christmas elf at Macy's. (It's in two separate collections, both worth owning, Barrel Fever and the Christmas-themed Holidays on Ice.) Sedaris's caustic gift has not deserted him in his fourth book, which mines poignant comedy from his peculiar childhood in North Carolina, his bizarre career path, and his move with his lover to France. Though his anarchic inclination to digress is his glory, Sedaris does have a theme in these reminiscences: the inability of humans to communicate. The title is his rendition in transliterated English of how he and his fellow students of French in Paris mangle the Gallic language. In the essay "Jesus Shaves," he and his classmates from many nations try to convey the concept of Easter to a Moroccan Muslim. "It is a party for the little boy of God," says one. "Then he be die one day on two... morsels of... lumber," says another. Sedaris muses on the disputes between his Protestant mother and his father, a Greek Orthodox guy whose Easter fell on a different day. Other essays explicate his deep kinship with his eccentric mom and absurd alienation from his IBM-exec dad: "To me, the greatest mystery of science continues to be that a man could father six children who shared absolutely none of his interests."

Every glimpse we get of Sedaris's family and acquaintances delivers laughs and insights. He thwarts his North Carolina speech therapist ("for whom the word pen had two syllables") by cleverly avoiding all words with s sounds, which reveal the lisp she sought to correct. His midget guitar teacher, Mister Mancini, is unaware that Sedaris doesn't share his obsession with breasts, and sings "Light My Fire" all wrong--"as if he were a Webelo scout demanding a match." As a remarkably unqualified teacher at the Art Institute of Chicago, Sedaris had his class watch soap operas and assign "guessays" on what would happen in the next day's episode.

It all adds up to the most distinctively skewed autobiography since Spalding Gray's Swimming to Cambodia. The only possible reason not to read this book is if you'd rather hear the author's intrinsically funny speaking voice narrating his story. In that case, get Me Talk Pretty One Day on audio. --Tim Appelo

Amazon.com Audiobook Review

"It's a pretty grim world when I can't even feel superior to a toddler." Welcome to the curious mind of David Sedaris, where dogs outrank children, guitars have breasts, and French toddlers unmask the inadequacies of the American male. Sedaris inhabits this world as a misanthrope chronicling all things petty and small. In Me Talk Pretty One Day Sedaris is as determined as ever to be nobody's hero--he never triumphs, he never conquers--and somehow, with each failure, he inadvertently becomes everybody's favorite underdog. The world's most eloquent malcontent, Sedaris has turned self-deprecation into a celebrated art form--one that is perhaps best experienced in audio. "Go Carolina," his account of "the first battle of my war against the letter s" is particularly poignant. Unable to disguise the lisp that has become his trademark, Sedaris highlights (to hilarious extent) the frustration of reading "childish s-laden texts recounting the adventures of seals or settlers named Sassy or Samuel." Including 23 of the book version's 28 stories, two live performances complete with involuntary laughter, and an uncannily accurate Billie Holiday impersonation, the audio is more than a companion to the text; it stands alone as a performance piece--only without the sock monkeys. (Running time: 5 hours, 4 cassettes) --Daphne Durham

Book Description

A new collection from David Sedaris is cause for jubilation. His recent move to Paris has inspired hilarious pieces, including Me Talk Pretty One Day, about his attempts to learn French. His family is another inspiration. You Cant 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 and cashiers with 6-inch fingernails. Compared by The New Yorker to Twain and Hawthorne, Sedaris has become one of our best-loved authors.

Customer Reviews:

spectacular.......2007-07-01

This was the first work that I read by Sedaris. I actually listened to the audio version first which is narrated by him. I immediately bought everything else he had written. I laughed I cried and I don't doubt that you will too. BUY THIS BOOK!

go ahead read it.......2007-06-29

Anything by David Sedaris is better when he reads it to you than reading it yourself. Nevertheless, it is still a great fun read. So read.

I LOVE this book!.......2007-06-12

Me Talk Pretty One Day is a riot! It's taking me forever to read it because I've been laughing so hard that I'm crying and can't focus my eyes on the page! If you don't like drawing attention to yourself, DON'T READ THIS IN A PUBLIC PLACE! LOL!

You'll laugh out loud.......2007-06-07

So be careful if you are reading it in public! This is the first book by Sedaris that I've read, and now I want to read them all. The series of short stories made me laugh so hard I had to put it down and take a moment. I most loved the ones about his family, sister Amy and brother aka "The Rooster." Sedaris sometimes paints himself in the book to be such an unintelligent outsider/slacker, it's almost hard to believe he crafted such a well-written book.

The Best of Sedaris.......2007-05-27

Sedaris's work is original, humorous and poignant. This is the best of his writing and a great place for a reader to begin his love affair with Sedaris. Sedaris is an extremely prominent figure in the world of the memoir. If this is a type of literature that generally interest you, this will be a treat.

Mi vida en rose / Me Talk Pretty One Day (Debolsillo 21)

Average customer rating:

Mi vida en rose / Me Talk Pretty One Day (Debolsillo 21)
David Sedaris
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Essays | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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Average customer rating:

Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Sedaris
Manufacturer: Little Brown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GYF3AC

Average customer rating:

Me Talk Pretty One Day 1ST Edition
David Sedaris
Manufacturer: LITTLE BROWN & CO @
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000Q0SMAO

Average customer rating:

So funny

Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Sedaris
Manufacturer: Time Warner Audio Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000L7Q4BQ

Product Description

5 CDs, approximately 6 hours of play. Read by the author!

Customer Reviews:

So funny.......2006-12-07

This book was histarical! I loved his stories. It was easy to follow, since each section was its own story, so you wouldn't have to have listened to one story for the other to make sense, yet it all flowed nicely. It was one of those books that I was actually really sad when it ended and almost wanted to read it again.

Average customer rating:

Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Sedaris
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OUI20Q

Average customer rating:

Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Sedaris
Manufacturer: Little, Brown & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OHA4H8

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