I listened to this book and it is read by Sedaris. I'm not sure that reading it would have gotten the same reaction out of me. The author reading it seemed to give it life and character that it might otherwise lack. I've read a few others like it (ie Are you there God, It's me, Chelsea...terrible) and appreciate the fact that David Sedaris is really no one special. He is just a regular guy, he didn't do anything spectacular in his book. He has low self esteem and often addresses his struggles with that. He is just a good writer (I use the term "just" here loosely as I view good writers as heroic). He is able to tell seemingly unexciting stories in a way that keeps me intrigued and captivated. A good example is the vachette tournament in France. NOTHING happens, the vachettes chase the contestants around, maybe someone breaks a rib or two but on the whole, anticlimactic. The way Sedaris told the story and his feelings about it was mesmerizing. David Sadaris is clever, the entire book is. While my to-read list is uncomfortably long, I will add his other books to it, though it might take a some time to get to them!
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