I'll admit - I first only added this book to my list because of the crazy title. Oddly enough this method of choice has worked well for me before and didn't fail me here either.
Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls is a collection of essays/short stories, most of which have a humorous tone. It opens up with what ended up being one of my favorites about the author's search for a real taxidermy owl. I knew at that point that this guy was my kind of person. David Sedaris tells many stories of his life and childhood - many instances with his very authoritarian father, his book patrons, his foreign friends. I loved an essay about when he tried to learn German using the Pilsner Language series - apparently the German version is more affected by German customs than other Pilsner language discs. I also really loved when he describes one of his book tours. During the meet and greet portion, he always asks each person who comes up to meet him a random question. When one woman came up, he suddenly drew a blank and couldn't think of what to ask. He just blurted out, "When was the last time you touched a monkey?" He thought that the woman would say not since she was a child or many years ago, but she responded, "Ooh, can you smell it on me?" lol It turned out that she worked in some kind of monkey sanctuary.
I found the style of this book much like the style of one of my favorite authors, Chuck Klosterman, making me just want to read more from David Sedaris. I very much enjoyed his wit and sarcasm and the way he can make these seemingly everyday situations worth remembering. I can't wait to see what his other books hold :) I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.
HE IS BRILLIANT! Do treat yourself to all his works, you'll not regret it.
ReplyDelete