Because humor is a life saver and a tried and true vent valve much needed these days, this collection of the best work of David Sedaris couldn't have come out at a better time. Perfect for old and new fans alike, it serves generous helpings of his witty prose. It often takes a sharp turn towards sadness and, at times, even morbidity but never misses a beat in casting a comic light on everything, EVERYTHING, that makes us flinch. His essays are mostly autobiographic, his recurring themes focusing on an assortment of social embarrassments (especially in-flight ones), his middle-class suburban childhood, life abroad and the awkwardness of trying to fit in and absorb a foreign culture, his relationship with his quite normally dysfunctional large family. The earlier ones are hilarious, insolent, a tad unforgiving. As the years pass his writing changes, becomes more sensitive and charitable but never falters in finding the droll side in every misfortune, small or big. As each story unfolds you find yourself eagerly awaiting for the twist that will unfailingly offer the anticipated comic relief. A compilation of David’s essays from previous books. The one exception is “Unbuttoned,” which was published in the ‘New Yorker’ sometime in March or April of 2020, has been added. In the early version I listened to it wasn’t included, but I’m guessing fans were upset with that story because they were left wondering if David’s father died or not. Finally, towards the end of his life, Sedaris's nonagenarian father told him, "You've accomplished so many fantastic things in your life. You're well....I want to tell you....you....you won." When sober, David's mother was sunny and likable, and when drunk, she was dark, belligerent, and - when other people were around - embarrassing. Still, the family never confronted her.

Genius… It is miraculous to read these pieces… You must read The Best of Me.” —Andrew Sean Greer, New York Times Book Review The following is a list of the essays in Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, with brief notes about their contents: He was standing beside the sofa, wearing a shirt I clearly remember throwing into his trash can in the summer of 1990, and enjoying a glass of vodka with a little water in it” (p. 343). The heartbreaking story of an emotionally battered child delivered with captivating candor and grace.The collection will also feature an introduction by the author; two never-before-collected stories, 'Unbuttoned' and 'Undecided'; and a new interview with David Sedaris. Book Genre: Autobiography, Biography, Biography Memoir, Comedy, Essays, Humor, LGBT, Memoir, Nonfiction, Short Stories, Writing Realizing their Moroccan classmate was unfamiliar with Christianity, the students used their minimal knowledge of French to respond. In a foreign language class conducted exclusively in French, the teacher asked a question about Easter. A Moroccan student asked "Excuse me, but what's an Easter?" While it seems counterintuitive for me to call David Sedaris relatable (he’s a man, he’s gay, he’s decades older than I am, he’s incredibly rich and famous), his inner thoughts are just that. As he describes his aging father in the quote below, I’m 100% positive that both my brothers and I have thought the same thing about our own father:

Taken together, the performances in The Best of Me reveal the wonder and delight Sedaris takes in the surprises life brings him. No experience, he sees, is quite as he expected - it’s often harder, more fraught, and certainly weirder - but sometimes it is also much richer and more wonderful.Every summer the Sedaris family rented a vacation home on the North Carolina coast, where the houses had clever names like The Skinny Dipper, Lazy Daze, Loony Dunes, etc. The family was in the car one day when David's dad said he would BUY a summer house. For more than twenty-five years, David Sedaris has been carving out a unique literary space, virtually creating his own genre. A Sedaris story may seem confessional, but is also highly attuned to the world outside. It opens our eyes to what is at absurd and moving about our daily existence. And it is almost impossible to read without laughing. When the teacher asked who brings the chocolate, Sedaris replies, "The rabbit of Easter. He bring of the chocolate."

For months after this, it was as if David Sedaris dropped off the planet. Nothing on social media, no followup about his father. As a loyal fan for years, I was quite put out. ‘He told us about his family for years,’ I screamed, ‘he made us care.’ How could he leave us hanging. Just replace ‘vodka’ with ‘boxed wine’ and that would be my Dad (and I know he’s reading this!).The best part about this quote is that his father isn’t even the topic of the story, or the paragraph, it’s just the way Sedaris writes: quirky observations dropped in with fantastic comedic timing. What could be a more tempting Christmas gift than a compendium of David Sedaris's best stories, selected by the author himself? From a spectacular career spanning almost three decades, these stories have become modern classics and are now for the first time collected in one volume. David observes that Paul once juiced "What I think was a tennis ball mixed with beets and four-leaf clovers."

A personal ’90s music overview that is far from definitive, but nevertheless instructive and often poignant. David Sedaris’s best stories and essays, spanning his remarkable career - as selected and read by the author himself. Featuring fresh and classic recordings, including a new essay and an interview exclusive to the audiobook.