TBR Challenge: Me Talk Pretty One Day

TBR Pile challenge (from Roof Beam Reader), found at Tasseled Book Blog. It’s time to get through that stack of unread books!

Book for February: Me Talk Pretty One Day; David Sedaris

Another gift, this time from Christmas. I have seen this book around for years, put it on a list, and even read some of his other books without getting around to this one. And then a friend bought it for me an now I have no excuse.

A collection of short chapter, loosely connected by Sedaris moving to France–the events that led to the move, living in France, visiting the US afterwards, and especially trying to learn French. He also touches on several memories of his family in between his France-related chapters. There is a story about his brother’s profanity-laden speech, his father’s odd eating habits, struggles at school, issues with tourists, and a dozen other pet peeves and problems with the human race.

Humor is a very individual thing, and David Sedaris doesn’t make me laugh. Some of the stories were entertaining or peculiar, but they weren’t for me. I didn’t dislike the book, really, it was a quick read, but none of it resonated with me as I expected it might. I can relate to the hapless and bemused, and especially to struggles with a new language–years of Spanish in high school and college failed to make much of an impression on me.

But fans of Sedaris’ work, who appreciate a understated slightly misanthropic sense of humor should give this book a shot. All else fails, a chapter a two will be enough for you to decide whether you’ll laugh or not.