Naked

I guess because I had read so many raving reviews of this book I had expected more. I did have a giggle every once-in-a-while, but not enough to have LOVED this book.

'Naked' by David Sedaris is a collection of several autobiographical stories of his youth. We get to meet his unusual parents, Greek grandmother, and a wide assortment of decidedly strange people and the author struggles to grow up. Most of these stories are humorous but there is some pathos thrown in. None of the stories are especially memorable, and title story 'Naked', about the author's visit to a nudist camp, is surprisingly dull. But David Sedaris is a talented writer; the book reads very well. And although he doesn't have the wit of Augusten Burroughs, an equally famous gay writer who has penned his memoir, his work is every bit as entertaining.


Bottom line: a voyeuristic look and someone's misspent youth. Fun stuff.

A couple of gems in here though it's not nearly as stellar as Me Talk Pretty One Day. Still, I keep this one handy for those nights between novels.

In a way, I would describe this as Sedaris' most cynical work. Example: the take-home message of the short story that shares the collection's title. We find out something about ourselves when we bear all, eh? But we'll just as soon retreat to the comfort of our coverings. And those that don't be damned; you don't want to associate yourself with those shameless folks anyway.

David Sedaris is a very funny writer and this is one of his better collections. I highly recommend it. Though my favorite among his books is still the gut-splitting "Me Talk Pretty One Day", this collection comes fairly close to matching it. Prepare to laugh hysterically throughout.

Archived episodes of the radio program, This American Life, contain portions where Sedaris reads some of the stories in these collections, and they are really well worth tracking down and listening to.

This is the third Sedaris book I've read. It's also the funniest and the darkest. It's clear he used up all his good material in this one. The stories in his later books are definitely not as inspired.
I did feel a little guilty laughing at his poor Greek grandmother and the amputee guy with the jade clocks. "My mother was pregnant with her sixth child when we learned that Ya-Ya had been hit by a truck." Oh man, I had tears streaming down my face at that point.
Some of the stories are less successful--I didn't see how the "Dinah the Christmas Whore" story was supposed to be funny, and the quadriplegic girl was just sad.
He is a snob, but I think that's part of the humor: he's a snob that has no right to be one.