Iowa-German Studies: Selected Essays Book

About a third of the way through David Sedaris's book, I wondered how I had not heard of this guy before. This guy was funny. No, not just funny, he was really funny. He didn't just make me laugh while reading his book, he made me cry I was laughing so hard. So why, why had I not heard of someone so side-splittingly funny? A couple chapters later, I understood why. A few more chapters after that and Naked went into a dive bomb. While there were some redeeming moments near the end, he never fully recovered and I returned the book from whence it came with a sigh, thinking of what could have been.

So what went wrong? Let me tell you first what went right. The moments where David was a kid and shared stories about his experiences growing up; those were the priceless moments, those were the hilarious, tear-inducing scenes that were impossible not to enjoy. His description of his sarcastic mom, his crazy grandma, his golf-obsessed dad with mutilated friends were priceless. They were characters you could like and laugh at, at the same time. Then comes stories from Sedaris's college days and afterwards, and you begin to think, "You know, I don't really like this guy." And it is hard to laugh with a guy that you end up not liking. This is a guy who is an unapologetic drug abuser, uses obscenities with graphic language and descriptions, takes advantage of people, looks down on others. Some of these he tempers with a measly sentence at the end of a chapter showing that he has since learned better, but you don't believe it. It doesn't feel sincere, especially in the way he has written it. There are aspects of his childhood self that linger and allow you a view of the Sedaris that you miss, but alas, they are only glimpses.

It was with great effort that I finished Naked, and it was with a bitter taste in my mouth. If I could chance to read more from Sedaris's childhood, I might venture back into those waters, but until then I will avoid him and think of what might have been.