This book, published in 2008, is one I return to often. I confess that I enjoy the audiobook version more than my dog-eared published copy because David Sedaris is simply a superb performer of his own life. Oddball people stories, his weird interactions with friends, family, and the general public while bucking behavior that is expected of him are all part of his repertoire and are endlessly amusing. David is a person I would never have made easy friends with; he scares me sometimes, but you can learn a lot from people like that. He also has the power to make me cry so much I have to pull into the right lane and slow down so I don’t cause a pile-up on the freeway while listening to some parts of his audiobook. A weird friend you can keep at a distance or pull out for when you want a wild ride. I sometimes want him to be ordinary, but he is much more enjoyable when just being himself. He makes me think differently than usual because he is not afraid to write about the unwritable and taboos we usually avoid.
Oh, and in keeping with my trend, he is a self-made success. He started with not many believing in him (including himself at times) and created art, his books, his stories, and his persona without apology.
