Me Talk Pretty One Day
by David Sedaris
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Book Reviews of Me Talk Pretty One Day
Book Review: I didn't catch you talk pretty one day...-.-;
Summary: 3 Stars
First of all, props to Sedaris for revealing so much about his life.... It wouldn't have been easy. Especially about his dark days when he abused drugs and what not. When I picked up this book, I saw all the quotes of reviews on and insides the book. The reviews were very favorable. They all said that this book is so funny that you won't stop laughing. I guess it wouldn't be a lie if I said that I decided to read this book solely on the reviews. Maybe that was my mistake. Maybe I just didn't get what Sedaris was talking about. The book did have some clever and funny parts. But I didn't think that the book lived up to my expectations. Me talk pretty one day actually pretty easy to read. I liked how Sedaris did not use big fancy words to impress who knows what? Oh, I appreciated how he talked about the drugs he had used. It was as if I was right next to him when he was high. Naturally, I promised again to myself that I really shouldn't touch any drugs.
Even though his stories can get very strange, Sedaris does a very good job in painting a picture in readers' minds of what is going on in his life.
The part of the book I enjoyed most was his childhood life. His odd interpretation of the world was very interesting and also hilarious. But I was disappointed as the story went on.
I recommend this book to anyone who is open minded about life. This book is amusing and makes you appreciate YOUR LIFE! When you read this book, you just compare your life with Sedaris's and you will thank God you're not David Sedaris.
Book Review: Hilarious!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've read this book twice, and it was even funnier the second time. Sedaris has had very interesting and amusing life experiences, and he's more than willing to share these with us. As a chain-smoking, lisping homosexual in a country that has banned smoking for the most part and often detests gay men with "effeminate" characteristics, Sedaris is unabashed and certainly not regretful. He shares his experiences of his quirky family that includes his sister Amy Sedaris, former star of "Strangers with Candy" and his rotten-fruit-eating father. He recounts his struggles with a speech therapist who attempts to correct his lisping (the apparently obvious mark of homosexuality) and his brilliant tactics to avoid its correction. Many of his stories are taken from his time in France where he lived with his boyfriend Hugh. These stories successfully convey both the difficulties and joys of living the expatriate life - appreciating a new culture, learning a new language, and viewing American tourists in a new and often all too revealing light.
The best of his stories, in my opinion, unleashes onto us his younger brother, a foul-mouthed, gangster rap fan who is a stark contrast to his father but is his most dependable support. This particular story really demonstrates what Sedaris is capable of. It's incredibly funny but so poignant at the same time.
This book will make you laugh at loud, and I hope you get a chance to read it. Make sure you check out "Naked" also for more of Sedaris' brilliance.
Book Review: Alchoholics and Speach Impetiments - Thats Funny
Summary: 5 Stars
"Me Talk Pretty One Day" is a compliation of short stories, and memories written by David Sedaris. Beginning at the age of 5, the book follow's his life up until the present. Written with sarcastically dry humor and wit, every chapter is more riduclous and hilarious than the last. I had been imatiantly awaiting a follow-up on "Naked," which consisits of the same ideas and memories as this book. I didn't think anything could top "Naked," but this one is way up there.The first chapter is about Sedaris' speach impetiments when he was a child, and his first cruel, cruel, speech therapist, who, in his own words " Would be much happier giving random root canals to the school girls in Africa than actually doing her job." Such topics are the basis of every chapter; they range from his crazy parents and siblings to the midget guitar teacher his father hired for him when he was 12.
Though there are several reasons why I enjoyed this book, the main one would have to be Sedaris' "real life" writing style. His childhood growing up sounded like hell; his mother was an alchoholic, he didn't have any friends and what not, but somhow, his writing style and techniques make it all hilarious. I think if anyone else wrote about this life, it would have sounded depressing and scary.
So, if you're feeling sorry for yourself, dealing with a mid-life crisis, or just bored, you should definatly read this book.
Book Review: No thanks
Summary: 1 Stars
Like most Amazon reviews this will say more about me than the book, so it goes.
As a certified bibliophile, regularly trading volumes in at the local used store, I was surprised to find myself dropping this one right into the trash. My usual reverence for books melted under the withering contempt expressed by David Sedaris for himself and many others who grace the pages of the book.
Presenting itself as a funny honest book about life, it manages to tell an impressive number of lies about the lives of artists and especially gays. Do not presume I am unaware of the first-hand experience of Mr. Sedaris in these matters, but this only makes his sloppy handling the more shameful.
The family stories are sometimes mildly amusing, but more often cruel and saddening without any special redeeming qualities. For this reader, he fails to establish any sort of sympathy for the narrator. As a result, his tales of errors upon errors merely serve to more firmly root him in the cateogory of total loser. The kind you want to avoid lest it rub off.
The nonlinear and jumpy nature of the book, serves only to increase the perceived disinterest in the people and situations discussed.
In short, equal parts fluff, cruelty, and misinformation deflate any possible laughter I might have otherwise experienced, and cause me to file this book in the trash, lest someone else suffer the injury of its prose.
Book Review: Quite funny, but not sidesplitting
Summary: 4 Stars
Finally I jumped on the David Sedaris bandwagon, this being the first book by him I've read. It truly is pretty funny. It's a series of essays about his wacky family, living in France, and being on the subversive side of a very straight-laced U.S.
The book cover blurbs oversold it. I read reviewers say they "screamed with laughter" or found it "sidesplitting" or "wildly entertaining." It's mildly entertaining. Don't expect to scream with laughter.
You also have to suspend your belief to some degree. Exaggeration is okay but it's probably a major part of this autobiographical book. The first half is about growing up and adult life, and the second half is about life in France. There's not a lot of continuity here: it's truly a random collection of essays.
I don't want to leave a totally negative impression. Let me tell you two of my favorite lines from the book:
"...my childhood was unspeakably dull. When I was seven years old, my family moved to North Carolina. When he was seven years old, Hugh's family moved to the Congo. We had a collie and a house cat. They had a monkey and two horses named Charlie Brown and Satan."
Another, about a speech therapy class for boys with lisps: "When asked what we wanted to be when we grew up, we hid the truth and listed who we wanted to sleep with when we grew up: `A policeman or a fireman or one of those guys who works with high-tension wires.'"