Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

 

So I'm doing this project where I'm rereading some of the books I enjoyed as an adolescent and seeing what holds up and what doesn't. David Sedaris was one of my high school faves because he was just snarky and inappropriate enough to make me feel edgy, but just snobby enough to make me feel grown-up. Having read ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY 10+ years later, I have to say that I basically feel the same way. His sense of humor is not for everyone. I feel like he has a very "British" sense of humor; it reminds me a lot of Black Adder, in that it's a blend of intellectual superiority, toilet humor, and very cuttingly observant insights about society and its foibles. I don't normally laugh at a lot of so-called humor books, but this made me giggle out loud several times. It was UPROARIOUS (to me).

In this collection of autobiographical essays, Sedaris talks about his addiction to drugs, his stint as a creative writing teacher, his foul-mouthed younger brother who refers to himself as "The Rooster" (one of the best chapters, imo), his French teacher who said that being in his presence was like undergoing a cesarean every day (ouch), and the speech therapist who sneaked into his life like a government agent. He has such an interesting life and the way he writes is just SO FUNNY. I don't know how much of it he made up or took liberties with and I don't even care. That's how good it is.

If you like funny memoirs, read this book. I feel like Augusten Burroughs tries to channel his energy but as with chocolate and vanilla, Coke and Pepsi, and The Illusionist and The Prestige, one is clearly superior to the other. ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY definitely holds up!

4.5 to 5 out of 5 stars