Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls

David Sedaris (2013)
image links to Amazon

THE A5 BOOK REVIEW

We freely admit that calling Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls a travel book is a bit of a stretch.  It is more accurately a collection of witty essays from someone who travels a lot.  No matter though - the goal here is to promote the work of David Sedaris, one of the funniest and more talented writers alive today.  Some of his stories come from his childhood, including his unsuccessful attempts to keep small captured animals alive, his doomed romance with the girl from the ghetto, and his father’s affinity for only wearing underpants at home.  Some of the stories embrace cross-cultural experiences from his time living abroad, including his affection for his Parisian dentist, his French neighbors’ response to Obama winning the election, and one of the best, his time bonding with a taxidermist while shopping for a stuffed owl in North London.  Some are more truly travel related, with detailed accounts on trips to China, Australia, and the Courtyard Marriott.  All in all, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls is a solid book from a highly recommended writer.
Click here to see reviews and prices for this book on Amazon.

ABOUT DAVID SEDARIS

David Sedaris is a bestselling Grammy Award-nominated American author.  His writing is autobiographical, sharp, and hilariously self-deprecating, often covering his family life and childhood growing up in North Carolina, the peculiarity of people, homosexuality, and his life living abroad with his partner, Hugh.  Sedaris is perhaps best known for Me Talk Pretty One Day, published in 2000, but he has a number of other popular and similarly funny books.  His speaking tours are attended by thousands and well worth attending.  

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GREAT QUOTES FROM DAVID SEDARIS IN LET'S EXPLORE DIABETES WITH OWLS

“I should be used to the way Americans dress when traveling, yet it still manages to amaze me. It’s as if the person next to you had been washing shoe polish off a pig, then suddenly threw down his sponge saying, “Fuck this. I’m going to Los Angeles!”

“I've become like one of those people I hate, the sort who go to the museum and, instead of looking at the magnificent Brueghel, take a picture of it, reducing it from art to proof. It's not "Look what Brueghel did, painted this masterpiece" but "Look what I did, went to Rotterdam and stood in front of a Brueghel painting!” 

INTERESTING LINKS:

  • Read "Funny Talk",  the New York Times review of Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls, written by Dave Carr in 2013.  Or try the review for NPR by Heller Mcalpin.
  • David Sedaris is not only a prolific writer, he also does a popular speaking tour.  To learn more about his schedule and his work, follow him on Facebook.​​

DAVID SEDARIS ON THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON