David Sedaris' Latest Book

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris. OMG. This critic is a huge fan of David Sedaris' humor, essays, and books. I finally got to hear him do an actual author reading and it expanded the scope of the whole Sedaris experience. David arrived on the author scene many years ago with The Santaland Diaries - his experience as a Macy's elf. It is hysterical and a must read at Christmas - not to children, please.

From there, he's written Barrel Fever, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You are Engulfed in Flames, and Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk. Whether it is his sisters (look for Amy Sedaris - she's also crazy funny), his late mother (drinking wine, smoking a cigarette, and shaking her head at his shenanigans), or his father (who just ups and walks out of a room in the middle of a conversation) - Sedaris can turn a small situation into a comedy routine. His stories evolve and circle back on themselves a few times. It's about love, family, the public, and trying to learn Mandarin Chinese on the plane to Bejiing.

Yes, he's a middle-aged gay man in a committed relationship with Hugh (who seems to roll his eyes constantly at David's wacky ideas) and Sedaris doesn't drive. They currently live in England, they did live in France, and yes he's a US citizen who tours here constantly. He spends hours with his fans - signing books and asking/answering questions. His interest in people and their peculiar lives fascinates and becomes fodder for futher essays.

The audience at the Winspear in Dallas ranged from college aged to middle aged fans like myself. My husband is a newbie to Sedaris world, but laughed for the 1-1/2 hours that David presented his material - stories, a poem, just a random thought, and then a deep Q&A. The essays in Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls are not for teen or children reading. There is some "adult" material, and some folks might say "Whoa!". Well, turn the page to another essay and then bust a gut laughing.