Want a Laugh? Read Sedaris

There is nothing in my world that beats a good book. I love all kinds of writing but my favorite is funny with a poignant patch here and there. Right now I’m re-reading Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris. This guy is an amazingly funny and clever writer.

Several years ago I read his books, Naked and Me Talk Pretty One Day. I howled at his satirical reflections on life. He is quite simply a consummate smartass. All of his books are compilations of essays and short stories about himself, family members, other people, and situations he’s encountered along the way.

He happens to be gay so if homosexuality offends your sensibilities Sedaris may not be the guy for you. He writes openly about it because it’s who he is but he isn’t distasteful in any of his writing, in my opinion. He’s just honest and real.

Numerous stories about his family members will have you on the floor. He has four sisters and a brother who are all characters. The brother is a foul-mouthed redneck, nicknamed Rooster, whose antics are described with wry but true affection by Sedaris. When they aren’t trading facetious jabs and observations about everyone under the sun, his sisters amuse themselves with everything from carting around an actual rickshaw to raising flesh-eating turtles who, after a tragic raccoon ravaging, ended up missing a leg or four collectively. Sedaris observes the turtles ”propelling themselves forward like a couple of half-stripped volkswagens.”

You can see the funny all over the face of his sister Amy on the cover of her new book, I Like You–a spoofy hospitality manual dripping with derision. Lisa is the one who seems closest to Sedaris growing up and he describes her as the oldest, smartest, and bossiest. On a visit to her home, as an adult, he was warned among other things not to reveal his gayness to her neighbor because, “She’s a Baptist.”

They are all so quirky and witty, you end up loving every paragraph of their banter. The mother, Sharon, and father, Lou, are classic. Sedaris’ deep affection for his mother and warm appreciation of her dry, sarcastic wit–laced with practical love–are obvious and deftly woven into every tale about her. She deserves a whole book devoted to her. What a funny, funny woman.

With the holidays coming, you might want to make David Sedaris’ acquaintance by reading Holidays on Ice. The Santaland Diaries and The Dunbar Family Christmas are two great stories in this comical fireside companion. It could become a tradition.

His first book, Barrel Fever, is a collection of short stories that appear to be complete fiction but, after reading the other books, I wonder…

The guy is a master of bitingly humorous prose that can turn tender and touching in the course of a sentence. Write on, David…please.