Is there any book quite as intriguing as the loaned book? I mean, don’t get me wrong: I’ve devoted the majority of my life to the premise that owning books is awesome, pretty much since I had two coins to rub together. But the thing about someone loaning you a book is that they liked it so much that they are compelled to share it, and that they see a commonality in you and really believe that you’ll love it every bit as much as they did, if not more. That’s deep, meaningful human contact right there. And spiritual, too. They are giving you of their own book, that you might read it and think of them. It’s, like, The Last Supper, but without as much bread, man!
…too far? Anyway, my point is, I approve of this practice between people.
As you may have worked out by now, this most recent book was a loaner. Me Talk Pretty One Day is a book of essays by David Sedaris, who apparently is a reasonably well known essay writer. (At least, he’s in the top 5 or 10 people I see mentioned on eharmony, behind Dan Brown and that guy that pissed off Oprah and five heavenly dead dudes.) I was very amused to discover that his sister Amy is in fact actress Amy Sedaris, though. Anyway, books of essays aren’t really my thing, generally speaking. And it would be difficult to make the claim that I have much of anything in common with a 40-something gay art guy who spent most of his life in New York and Paris.
And yet, he grew on me. There’s just something about his voice as he describes his misfit childhood and drugged out youth that gradually converted my tolerant smiles into quiet chuckles, and by the time he got to the second half of the book and his expatriation to France (for example, right now I’m having a chuckle at how he’d hate it being characterized that way), I was bursting out with sharp laughter once or more per story. I’m pretty sure this doesn’t indicate that the early stuff in the book isn’t as polished; like I said, he grew on me. I think if I went back and read it from the start, I’d find a lot of it more funny now. I’m not likely to any time very soon, but I expect I’ll try to borrow one of the others before too many books have passed. Because if loaning is a great way to say ‘I think I know you well enough to know this is for you’, reciprocal borrowing has got to be the best way to say, ‘good call, you were totally right’.
Still, though. It might be my bias, but I’m pretty sure the stories that included Amy were the funniest.
Sedaris is also a periodic contributor to This American Life (or used to be), the hour-long public radio show which is generally quite good and frequently full of awesome. (And as Sarah Vowell is also a contributor to that program, you can see where its bias goes.) TAL is podcasted these days, to boot.
In in twist, I’ve never heard of this sister Amy.
Also, I’m lying in wait for the first geek to mention that Adama advises us to only give books, never lend them. The smart money is on your nice friend not being a BSG watcher, because — this geek will say — they have failed to heed their (somewhat preoccupied, granted) colonial overlords. …Boy, do I have a rejoinder waiting in the wings for THAT!
Finally, +1 on reviewing books of essays. Nice change-up from the genre books.
I feel obligated to correct your ‘reviewing’ to ‘reading’, if only to specify that if I read a book, it gets reviewed.
Acceptable. 🙂
Put me also in the “Is this Amy person David Sedaris’ sister?” camp when I heard of her well after reading his stuff.
I think this is his best set of essays, but his other stuff isn’t not worth reading, if you follow.
Also, worth listening to in audio form, because Sedaris (perhaps not surprisingly, given his radio background) is a great reader, and the stories are actually funnier when he’s reading them aloud.