The Best Of Me by David Sedaris
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
I love David Sedaris.
Whenever I think “I need something to make me laugh…something full of quirky sarcasm, a sprinkle of dry or dark humor, a touch of weirdness, a teensy bit of petty and yet at the same time also emotionally heartwarming and full of joy and kindness”, his books are ALWAYS ALWAYS the perfect fit.
This sounds like crazy and somewhat contradictory ingredients that do NOT mesh well together… but I’m telling yall, his writing is the absolute PERFECT mixture of all those things.
He is just one of those people who is hysterically funny without even really TRYING to be….he just IS.
Or at least his writing is so good that you THINK he is one of those people….and that is just as impressive 😄
I am always blown away by writers whose work just seems effortless…like the way their words come out on a page just seem like they flow in an unrehearsed and unplanned conversation.
David Sedaris is one of those types of writers.
Here is the official summary of the book:
“For more than 25 years, David Sedaris has been carving out a unique literary space, virtually creating his own genre. A Sedaris story may seem confessional, but is also highly attuned to the world outside. It opens our eyes to what is at absurd and moving about our daily existence. And it is almost impossible to listen without laughing.
Now, for the first time collected in one volume, the author brings us his funniest and most memorable work. In these stories, Sedaris shops for rare taxidermy, hitchhikes with a lady quadriplegic, and spits a lozenge into a fellow traveler’s lap. He drowns a mouse in a bucket, struggles to say “give it to me” in five languages, and hand-feeds a carnivorous bird.
But if all you expect to find in Sedaris’s work is the deft and sharply observed comedy for which he became renowned, you may be surprised to discover that his words bring more warmth than mockery, more fellow-feeling than derision. Nowhere is this clearer than in his writing about his loved ones. In these essays, Sedaris explores falling in love and staying together, recognizing his own aging not in the mirror but in the faces of his siblings, losing one parent and coming to terms – at long last – with the other.
Taken together, the performances in The Best of Me reveal the wonder and delight Sedaris takes in the surprises life brings him. No experience, he sees, is quite as he expected – it’s often harder, more fraught, and certainly weirder – but sometimes it is also much richer and more wonderful.
Full of joy, generosity, and the incisive humor that has led David Sedaris to be called “the funniest man alive” (Time Out New York), The Best of Me spans a career spent watching and learning and laughing – quite often at himself – and invites listeners deep into the world of one of the most brilliant and original writers of our time.”
This book had all I was looking for.
Plenty of sarcastic satiric commentary, stories from his real life mixed with ficitonal creations, and even some live recordings of him doing readings for an audience which was super fun.
Plus there are delightful little musical interludes in between each chapter which was a fabulous effect to enhance the listening experience.
In my opinion, this book is at it’s best in audio form….even if you are not an audiobook fan usually, I suggest to you to make this one your first.
I always love hearing author’s read their own work regularly, but let me tell yall this……there ain’t nobody who can read David Sedaris as well as David Sedaris.
It is pure auditory literary perfection and I’m telling you hearing his voice tell all these stories is absolutely necessary.
Since this is a collection of what he thinks is his best work, some of these I have heard before but it was equally if not MORE enjoyable hearing them for the second time.
There are fictional short stories with animals as narrators with very human neuroses and complexes, critique of the “horrible theatre” that is elementary school Christmas pageants, poetry about the grossness of dogs, and also plenty of his real life stories which are about his childhood and his family members.
I love the way he can find dark humor amidst his trauma and healing, even in the worst type of scenarios like childhood mistreatment, homophobic behavior, and family tragedies.
He says things that most of us think in our brains but never say out loud with our mouths.
He explains moments and recollects every day happenings in such a real, humor filled and unique way.
And man…does he love his weird family SO MUCH.
Even though they have their problems and pain and issues, what lies beneath it all is just such a HUGE amount of care and tenderness from him.
It is beautiful to hear about…
And also the odd things he shares will have you thinking “OMG…. I am NOT the only one who has an eccentric family! We aren’t the ONLY weird ones! Hooray!”
Unless you have a totes normal family (which BTW I have NO IDEA what that is like….I don’t think most people do…. so good for you 😄) and then you’ll be all “OMG….are people REALLY like this?!?!” (the answer is YES, BTW)
Yall….I have to pause for a moment to apologize to you…
Because this is where I usually would share all kinds of tremendous quotes from the actual book that I had to write down as I listened.
But I failed you this time, fellow bookworms. 🤦♀️
I just was enjoying the book so very much, I didn’t even pause to collect some special treasures to share with you….
Although….I’m not even sorry really. 😁
Because I just truly had a good time listening to this and regret nothing.
You will just have to do the same thing to collect your own gems this time.
Another reason to be sure to listen to the audiobook version is that there is an exclusive interview with David Sedaris at the end of it that SHOULD NOT BE MISSED.
You won’t get it in the print version, yall.
It was so intriguing and interesting to hear his thoughts and musings on his very own writings over the years, to hear his perspective on his growth as a writer and to just listen to his commentary on life in general.
Loved this book. Love this writer. You should too.
The end 😁