Rating: 
Summary: Naked
Review: I first heard of Sedaris through his reading of "True Detective" on NPR (fudge-colored towels). I actually sat in my parked car at the grocery store to hear the whole thing. I didn't realise the reading was from an entire collection so I was delighted to stumble across Naked a few months later. I am eagerly awaiting the audio version from the library. Until then, I am half-way through the book. Last night my husband and I were reduced to tears and painful belly laughs as I read aloud from "Cyclops". This morning as we were on our way to his work, I read aloud from "I Like Guys". I am two-thirds of the way through the book and thus far I prefer the earlier entries involving Sedaris' childhood over the latter entries involving his travels and odd-jobs. Yet even those are engrossing and entertaining. Had I been Sedaris' editor I would have left out "Dix Hill" and "Incomplete Quad" neither of which has added anything to the collection. Rather, I found myself skimming quickly, impatient for the next entry. For those who think Sedaris' tales are implausable just think of the last time you rode public transportation. I recently had a Girl Friday sort of job that was fraught with just the sort of experiences that would make an unbelievable story had I the inclination or the talent to record them. The kid who I pawned the job off on took notes. For any of you have ever had the inward thought, "What are all these incompetents doing on the set of MY movie?" this book is for you.
Rating: 
Summary: The Funniest Book I Ever Read
Review: I was about to go on a long plane trip. A good friend gave me Naked, saying "I hear this guy on NPR and for some reason I think of you." I never did read the book on the plane ride (lucky for my fellow frequent flyers since my laughter would have annoyed them no end). When I finally got around to reading it I laughed from start to finish.In one chapter (I can't use the book for a reference since it is in circulation to all my good friends who have a demented sense of humor) he talks about his mother's discovery that she has terminal cancer. The idea that this can be side-splittingly funny without being mean spirited is amazing and indicitive of how brilliant Sedaris is. If life is getting you down and you need someone to make you laugh precisely because life can suck sometimes, find a place where you won't annoy people with your laughter and read Naked.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious, Absolutely Worth Your Money!
Review: Well, first, I resent this being classified as fiction when it's a memoir. That aside, Naked contains some of the most brilliant modern autobiographical writing that I have had the fortune of reading.
Any two-bit writing course will teach you that you should write what you know. But few can blend insightful self-analyzation, wit, and social commentary like David Sedaris. Through his eyes, as a child, an adolescent, young adult, and finally as a thirty-something, Sedaris introduces us to his large and bizarre family, various quirky characters in his life, and to himself, by far the most intriguing subject of them all. I had a hard time saying goodbye to him when the book was over. I had the overwhelming desire to fly to NYC, make friends with him, and spend the rest of my days meeting him for coffee and saying, "Tell me something that happened when you were an apple-picker." Buy this buy this buy this. Absolutely the funniest book I read since WILL@epicqwest.com by Tom Grimes, and I thought they didn't come any funnier!
Rating:
Summary: Addictive.
Review: David Sedaris takes you on a journey through part of his life in a series of autobiographical essays - each one better than the last. If you're in the mood for a comical autobiography then this is for you!
Rating:
Summary: Disturbingly Honest
Review: I had never heard of David Sedaris until a couple months back when a friend handed me her copy of this book and urged, "You have to read this!" Not being one for intense reading experiences, I was skeptical that I'd even make it beyond the first chapter. But because I favor sarcasm and cynicism above all else, this book appealed to me. The author's ability to paint such vivid portraits of everyone, from the merest acquaintance to the closest family member, is what pulled me in. Although this book is a collection of short essays, it does tell a story of a man riding the wave on which his neurotic tendencies take him. Sedaris displays a remarkable ability to view himself and the people around him in a harsh but honest light. If only more of us could be as observant of the world in which we live. Cynical as the author professes to be, I couldn't help but read a significant amount of hope in between the lines. The chapter in which he discusses his mother's inoperable cancer (as well as his entire family's reaction to it) is told against the backdrop of his sister's wedding. Perhaps I'm overanalyzing here, but I find it difficult to believe that someone who is completely cynical would use such a celebratory occasion as the backdrop to this story. I can't help but wonder what it must be like to live with a David Sedaris in your life. Were it me, would I be self conscious of every thing I said and every move I made for fear that it would wind up the subject of yet another essay on human fallibility?
Rating:
Summary: One Big Laugh Out Loud!
Review: I would love to give this books five stars but I can't. There were three stories ("Chipped Beef," "Dinah, the Christmas Whore," and "The Drama Bug") that just didn't grab me, so I can't in good conscience give "Naked" a perfect rating. But it's a very strong 4....like a 4.7. David Sedaris is one of the funniest authors I've ever read. His storytelling is superb and absolutely hilarious! This is a must-read for anyone out there who wants to temporarily escape their own dull lives and live vicariously through someone else. Underneath Sedaris's humorous adventures lies a sadness and fear, but that's what makes the stories so beautiful and genuine. Living with OCD, his mother's death, and realizing and accepting his homosexuality are amongst life's trying situations, to say the least. But Sedaris recounts those experiences with tenderness and dignity. I dreaded getting to the last page, and when I closed the book and put it back on the shelf it felt like I was losing a new friend. So...the solution to that was simple....I just pre-ordered his next book. NOTE: If you loved "Naked" you'll love "Barrell Fever."
Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly funny
Review: This is one of the most entertaining non-fiction books out there; David Sedaris knows how to make us laugh and cry. Well, okay, he knows how to make us laugh _until_ we cry, and who would want it any other way?
This series of fragmented memoirs is at its most entertaining when Sedaris relates his childhood memories of growing up in a typically dysfunctional family. He never fails to show himself as self-serving, and this brutal honesty makes us love him all the more. And he doesn't spare his family any either; in one memorable scene, his mother and sister are emulating the methods of a fictional detective they enjoy as they read the crime reports in the daily news.
"We know that the girl was held at knifepoint on the second floor of her house," Lisa said, tapping a pencil against her forehead. So the person who robbed her was...not in a...wheelchair."
Moments later, the mother reveals her own brilliant deduction, that a professional thief would have used a gun while this person could only afford a knife, meaning that the culprit was clearly a drug addict.
This is just hilarious material, and while it does become slightly less enjoyable as young David's world expands and grows more complicated, the writing remains top notch throughout. Sedaris joins only a handful of other authors who have written their memoirs with the reader's enjoyment as the first priority.
If you are leery of autobiographical writing because of the self-inflating nature of the genre, please make Naked the only memoir you every buy.
You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Necked
Review: NAKED has to be the funniest book I've ever read. I expected to read the book, write my review and be done with it. But, after reading it through the first time, I had to pick it up and read it again. In fact, the first time I read through it, after I read certain 'chapters' I'd go back and read it again. I'll admit I felt a little silly sitting in my bedroom laughing out loud to myself as I read the book, but seriously, it was THAT funny. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a great sense of humor, anyone who feels they lack a sense of humor, anyone who needs a pick-me-up after a hard week. I truly feel this book could be enjoyed by just about anyone. It does use some harsh language from time to time, but nothing I found to be offensive. I is a great book and I would definitely have to say David Sedaris is one of, if not, my favorite authors! If you liked McCrae's THE CHILDREN'S CORNER or Sedaris's ME TALK PRETTY, then you'll love this as well.
Rating:
Summary: RAW AND FUNNY!
Review:
David Sedaris' "Naked" is aptly titled, because he is a writer with no qualms about laying himself and his life bare on the page. Very few writers, I think, would be willing to admit to the insecurities, quirks and downright deceptions that grace the pages of this collection of memories. Were this a work of fiction, many readers would be put off by the bizarre exploits and experiences Mr. Sedaris relates, saying that they are all far too strange to believe.
But this isn't fiction, and the reader may find himself squirming uncomfortably when recognizing the truth of Sedaris' supremely dysfunctional family -- a truth that mirrors far more contemporary American families than any phony Ozzie and Harriet ideal ever could. His sharp-tongued mother, smoking and drinking her way to an early demise due to cancer; his oblivious father, alternately ranting and cajoling his children, trying to teach them the joys of playing golf; and his two sisters, each as puzzled about their parents and the mysteries of life as he is combine to form a nuclear family that is constantly on the verge of a meltdown.
Anyone familiar with Sedaris' other literary works -- "Barrel Fever," "Holidays on Ice" and "Me Talk Pretty One Day" -- or his contributions to Esquire magazine and NPR will surely enjoy this work. To those of you who haven't heard or read him yet, I can't think of a better place to startbut try it for yourself! Pick up a copy! Another book I need to recommend -- as funny as Sedaris, and very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining and funny little novel I can't stop thinking about.
Rating: 
Summary: A bandwagon I just can't join.
Review: I don't get it. I just don't get it.
Mr. Sedaris writes well...mostly. He also tells a hell of a good story...sometimes. He is not, however, either consistently funny, consistently insightful or particularly wise.
"Naked" was the literary equivalent of cotton candy. It started off as a really enjoyable special treat, but the taste was so monotonous that you'd had enough midway through.
Of course, it may just be me.
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