Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
OK, finally book two (I could have swore this was the third book?) of the year is done, “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim” by David Sedaris. It’s a shame the way it kind of comes off sounding like a chore, but with all the other dumb shit I try to squeeze into a day some how reading usually takes a back seat. This book was pretty good as a lunch reader because it is more or less a bunch of short stories that sort of go together because they are all based around David Sedaris’ life.
It’s funny, it’s hard for me to think of what to say, but I have honestly never been good at “book reportsâ€, which is how this kind of feels to me. I used to hate book reports in school. I understand they had to figure out a way to see if you were really doing your reading, but I swear half the time I wasn’t. I would either borrowed someone else’s book report, or have them explain the book to me, or read the Cliff Notes, or just read the back of the book and like two pages and make it up (as if the teacher couldn’t tell). I seriously used to hate reading, since first grade I can remember faking reading assignments. The worst was summer reading. I don’t think I ever read one whole book on my summer vacations. I just didn’t like the idea that what they wanted me to read was better than what I would have chosen to read. Especially Mrs. Ryan and her freakin’ Newbury Award Winners – all of her books for 7th and 8th grade had to be Newbury Award Winning books, as if that made them better. Usually they were so overlaid with metaphor that the message and plot were lost to me, and then when she asked about the metaphors after the fact I’d get all pissed off because I didn’t get it but could have gotten it better if someone would have just said something – whatever!
Anyway, I finally was in tune with David Sedaris on this book and thought it was very enjoyable and made me laugh out loud a few times. I especially like the way he writes his brother’s dialog. If you’re into David Sedaris and haven’t read this one pick it up. Not to knock his writing skills, but I think he would make an excellent magazine writer; quick witted, humorous, and not long winded, maybe that’s just me.
April 11th, 2007 at 8:35 am
Funny you should mention his magazine style – which I agree with – because I know his claim to fame is as a commentator on NPR. Which is fundamentally – at least in his role – an audio magazine.