Book 43: Naked

TITLE: Naked
AUTHOR: David Sedaris
STARTED: August 11, 2008
FINISHED: August 30, 2008
PAGES: 224
GENRE: Humor / Memoir

FIRST SENTENCE: I'm thinking of asking the servants to wax my change before placing it in the Chinese tank I keep on my dresser.

SUMMARY: [From barnesandnoble.com] In Naked, David Sedaris's message is pay attention to me. Whether he's taking to the road with a thieving quadriplegic, sorting out the fancy from the extra-fancy in a bleak fruit-packing factory, or celebrating Christmas in the company of a recently paroled prostitute, this collection of memoirs creates a wickedly incisive portrait of an all-too-familiar world. It takes Sedaris from his humiliating bout with obsessive behavior in 'A Plague of Tics' to the title story, in which he is finally forced to face his naked self in the mirrored sunglasses of a lunatic. At this soulful and moving moment, he picks potato chip crumbs from his pubic hair and wonders what it all means. This remarkable journey into his own life follows a path of self-effacement and a lifelong search for identity, leaving him both under suspicion and overdressed.

THOUGHTS: Is it memoir or is it humor? Either way I don’t care – this book was amusing. The Boyfriend handed me this book saying I would enjoy. He was right, so I don’t have to dump him. Sedaris does a marvelous job of detailing moments in his life that speak to his readers in humorous but touching ways. Naked gives an inwardly cynical yet provocative look at the human experience.

I’ve read Sedaris before but this book seemed more introspective than the other books. While Naked made me smile, it also made me think about all the instances where being human is weird and awkward. Seriously… I have no idea how I would act at a nudist colony. Sedaris embraces his uniqueness and also highlights what makes everyone else unique. Naked isn’t so much a memoir about Sedaris – it is more a memoir of those he meets along the way. The overarching theme of this book is that human interaction is a necessity, one that changes us, and one that will always alter how we act and perceive life.

Writing wise, Sedaris’ language is simple, but highly descriptive. In just a few words or sentences, Sedaris paints a vivid scene that is easily imagined. Sometimes, Sedaris’ descriptions are so fantastic they made me say, “Ew.”

If I was Ew-ing, at least I was enjoying myself the whole time.

RATING:7/10 [Very Good]