David Sedaris plays in the snow with his sisters. He goes on vacation with his family. He gets a job selling drinks. He attends his brother's wedding. He mops his sister's floor. He gives directions to a lost traveler. He eats a hamburger. He has his blood sugar tested. It all sounds so normal, doesn't it? In his newest collection of essays, David Sedaris lifts the corner of ordinary life, revealing the absurdity teeming below its surface. His world is alive with obscure desires and hidden motives -- a world where forgiveness is automatic and an argument can be the highest form of love. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is another unforgettable collection from one of the wittiest and most original writers at work today.
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From Publishers Weekly
Sedaris (Me Talk Pretty One Day, etc.) perfects his written essays by going on the road and reading them aloud, so it's no surprise that his new collection is even more hilarious and haunting as an audiobook. All 22 of the book's essays are here, and it's a treasury of riches matched by Sedaris's slightly nasal but enthralling delivery. Sedaris's material has always walked a razor's edge between hilarious and heartbreaking, and never more so than here. Although Sedaris pokes fun at his family, he mixes the laughs with empathy. When he tries to make sense out of his sister's squalid living conditions in "Put a Lid on It," his deadpan descriptions and hyper reactions are hysterically funny, but it's clear that his sister is a complex person, not just a punch line. Likewise, his late mother, previously seen as a chain-smoking, tart-talking dame, gains more depth in the downright spooky "The Girl Next Store." In "The End of the Affair," he and boyfriend Hugh disagree over a romantic movie and he concludes, "Real love amounts to withholding the truth, even when you're offered the perfect opportunity to hurt someone's feelings." Still, Sedaris hasn't lost his irreverence; in "Possession," he tours Anne Frank's annex and imagines how he'd redecorate it.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School - This lighthearted follow-up to Me Talk Pretty One Day(Little, Brown, 2000) contains a selection of personal essays. Some of the pieces appeared previously in magazines or on the NPR radio program This American Life. The first half of the collection focuses on Sedaris's childhood, including his relationship with his supportive mother and "man's man" of a father. Family vacations, snow days from school, and parental conflicts are all rendered in a comic style. Several of the pieces highlight the author's growing up with the knowledge that he is gay. He writes about the mixture of feelings he experienced in a real but funny manner. The second half moves Sedaris into adulthood. Although still dealing chiefly with his family, the focus shifts to his brother and sisters. From Tiffany, who collects and sells junk right from her house, to macho, floor-sanding Paul, Sedaris sets up a family dynamic that's sometimes odd, sometimes sad, but always funny. A handful of pieces include or refer to his life partner, Hugh. Whether it's apartment searching in "Possession" or the clash of personalities in "A Can of Worms," it's refreshing to see a writer portray a gay relationship that's committed and monogamous. Although not as unified as his other books, this collection serves as a touching reminder of how odd, funny, and unique our lives really are. - Matthew L. Moffett, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
One of the two funniest books I've ever read --- (the other was Jackson McCrae's "Katzenjammer"), DRESS YOUR FAMILY is a rollicking rollercoaster of a ride from cover to cover. The Sedaris family has center stage here. With mom, dad, four sisters, and a very masculine brother, each one is quirkier than the next. It's hard to tell how much is Sedaris' very keen powers of observation, and how much is exaggeration. I found myself cracking up at stories like "Six to Eight Black Men", "Baby Einstein" and "Monie Changes Everything." I often laughed so hard I received very curious stares from those around me. David Sedaris is not only hilarious and entertaining, but also a very talented writer who knows how to weave a story unlike any others. I highly, highly, as highly as anyone can, recommend this book for someone, anyone who needs a good laugh.
Format:Paperback
"Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" is absolutely brilliant. It is one of the funniest books I have ever read. I highly recommend it. I also highly recommend: "Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules", "The Children's Corner", "Simon Lazarus", "Nightmares Echo" and "Running With Scissors".
By Karla K
Format:Hardcover
Is this David Sedaris' BEST book? Maybe not. ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY must take that honor. However, after a rocky start I did enjoy this collection of witty essays from America's greatest (expatriate) humorist. In particular, "The Change in Me" struck that classic chord: it's an essay that can be read again and again, brilliant in only the way art can be (which is to say, magical). Two other books I'd like to recommend with DRESS YOUR FAMILY, is RUNNING WITH SCISSORS by Burroughs and THE LOSERS CLUB (Complete Restored Edition) by Richard Perez.
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3.9 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
I just keep recommending this book!
To describe this book as a series of autobiographical essays by David Sedaris is like describing a slice of decadent homemade cheesecake smothered in fresh macerated strawberries... Read more
Published on Jan 27 2007 by R. Hales
5.0 out of 5 stars
You'll Enjoy It. Trust Me
The theme behind David Sedaris's latest collection is brilliantly simple: everybody's family is wacked-out... Read more
Published on July 22 2005 by Joan Bristol
5.0 out of 5 stars
Genuine Sedaris
Once again Sedaris delivers a poignant,honest and witty book about life.
I couldn't wait to get this book, and the wait was well worth it. Read more
I couldn't wait to get this book, and the wait was well worth it. Read more
Published on July 17 2005
5.0 out of 5 stars
You'll Enjoy It. Trust Me
The theme behind David Sedaris's latest collection is brilliantly simple: everybody's family is wacked-out... Read more
Published on July 11 2005 by Joan Bristol
5.0 out of 5 stars
All messed up
I received DRESS YOUR FAMILY as a gift, and let me promise that you will not be at a loss if you read this book, it is light and helps very easily to bring you into his world of... Read more
Published on July 5 2005 by Roger M. Keel
5.0 out of 5 stars
My First
Being the first David Sedaris book I've ever picked up, I didn't quite know what to think when I first checked it out from the library. Read more
Published on Jun 19 2005 by Dale Barrett
5.0 out of 5 stars
You'll Enjoy It. Trust Me.
The theme behind David Sedaris's latest collection is brilliantly simple: everybody's family is wacked-out... Read more
Published on Jun 4 2005 by Joan Bristol
5.0 out of 5 stars
All Dressed up and . . .
Much like Jackson McCrae (Children's Corner), Sedaris has a knack for showing us the unusual. Sometimes the result is hilarious, and sometimes it has a deeper meaning. Read more
Published on Jun 2 2005 by Bidi Provost
5.0 out of 5 stars
You'll Enjoy It. Trust Me.
The theme behind David Sedaris's latest collection is brilliantly simple: everybody's family is wacked-out... Read more
Published on May 29 2005 by Joan Bristol
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great fun
I received DRESS YOUR FAMILY as a gift, and let me promise that you will not be at a loss if you read this book, it is light and helps very easily to bring you into his world of... Read more
Published on Feb 7 2005 by Starkweather,
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