Everything you've heard about David Sedaris is true. His essays on life and family are witty and engaging exposing the inherent humor in the commonalities of life experiences.
Some of the funniest essays in Me Talk Pretty One Day revolve around Sedaris' time spent in France. The title essay had me laughing out loud on the subway as Sedaris describes the verbal abuse heaped upon himself and his fellow students by the teacher of the French language class ht takes while living in Paris:
"My only comfort was the knowledge that I was not alone. Huddled in the hallways and making the most of our pathetic French, my fellow students and I engaged in the sort of conversation commonly overheard in refugee camps.
'Sometime me cry alone at night.'
'That be common for I, also, but be more strong, you. Much work and someday you talk pretty. People start love you soon. Maybe tomorrow, okay.'"
Sedaris expounds on childhood traumas such as sibling rivalry and being forced to play a musical instrument, as well as the adult traumas of insufferable houseguests and being mistaken for a pickpocket.
Sedaris has made quite a name for himself in the publishing world, and deservedly so. He is able to write about himself without coming across as a self-aggrandizing egotist. He is simply a bright man who learned to laugh at himself and to see the humor in everyday life. That he wants everyone else to be able to do the same is a literal blessing.
