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David Sedaris

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Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim Paperback – May 31, 2005

by David Sedaris (Author)

4.4 3,914 ratings

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David Sedaris plays in the snow with his sisters. He goes on vacation with his family. He gets a job selling drinks. He attends his brother's wedding. He mops his sister's floor. He gives directions to a lost traveler. He eats a hamburger. He has his blood sugar tested. It all sounds so normal, doesn't it? In his newest collection of essays, David Sedaris lifts the corner of ordinary life, revealing the absurdity teeming below its surface. His world is alive with obscure desires and hidden motives -- a world where forgiveness is automatic and an argument can be the highest form of love. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is another unforgettable collection from one of the wittiest and most original writers at work today.

Print length

257 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Back Bay Books
Publication date

May 31, 2005
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.88 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

0316010790
ISBN-13

978-0316010795
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hilarious, elegant, and surprisingly moving tales of al too ordinary madness....Do yourself a favor and rush c to read the damn book for yourself."

About the Author

David Sedaris is a playwright, a regular commentator for National Public Radio, and the author of five internationally bestselling books. He travels extensively through Europe and the United States on lecture tours and lives in France.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Back Bay Books; Reprint edition (May 31, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 257 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316010790
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316010795
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.88 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #156,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #209 in Parenting & Families Humor
- #428 in Humor Essays (Books)
- #1,485 in Fiction Satire

Customer Reviews:
4.4 3,914 ratings

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David Sedaris

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David Sedaris lives in Paris. Raised in North Carolina, he has worked as a housecleaner and most famously, as a part-time elf for Macy's. Several of his plays have been produced, and he is a regular contributor to ESQUIRE and Public Radio International's 'This American Life'.

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4.4 out of 5

3,914 global ratings

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Kindle Customer

He's dang good

Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2024

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Sedaris is a great author, and the overall book quality for the paperback was good. Would recommend! It's a pertty safe/easy book to hand to a bored sibling or suggest to a friend.

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Foster Corbin

No Joking About Anne Frank, Please!

Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2004

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I always enjoy listening to Mr. Sedaris, usually when I'm driving and catch him on some public radio station. Here he has a new book with a terribly clever title as well as a hooty photograph of a mannequin on the jacket cover. Mr. Sedaris then proceeds to dress his family. We can only hope that he is being hyperbolic in some of his outrageous descriptions of his parents and siblings or he may not get invited back to a Thanksgiving dinner any time soon. If one of his sisters indeed is actually named "Tiffany", then of course she'll never make it in a world outside of a trailer park. Surely no heterosexual brother, even on his worst day, can be as big a pig as Sedaris' brother Paul who makes sure that his bride-to-be's dogs are a part of his wedding. She comes down the aisle in silence-- the DJ is stuck in traffic so there is no Wagner or Cat Stevens or whoever to serenade her-- followed by a pack of dogs.
Mr. Sedaris can go from the humorous to the achingly painful in short order. His description of being moved out of his parents' home by his father at the age of twenty-two, not because he was a bum but because he was gay, will break your heart--as it did his mother's. His gentle reveries of his life with his lover Henry and their patterns of dullness will make you smile. Sedaris' father's wanting him to punch out a school bully when the writer spends his weekends making banana nut muffins instead of excelling the "art of hand-to-hand combat" will amuse you. His description of his playing strip poker at a slumber party for him and his friends in the sixth grade is hilarious.
What is not funny-- not funny at all-- is Mr. Sedaris' account of his visit to the home of Anne Frank in Amsterdam. He opines that he has found the perfect apartment and would love to move in and redecorate. "The entire building would have been impractical. . . but the part where Anne Frank and her family had lived. . . was exactly the right size and adorable. . ." The writer couldn't be more wrong. When I visited this home, I was taken aback at how small the Frank family's hiding quarters were and how so many people survived there for so long.
I have no trouble with gallows humor-- if that's what Mr. Sedaris is striving for in the Anne Frank fiasco-- but he falls flat on his face here in what is otherwise for the most part an amusing book. To compare him to Mark Twain and Nathanael West, as someone in "The New Yorker" does, is a bit of a stretch too. On the other hand some commentator recently compared Johnny Cash to Mark Twain as well. Perhaps I'm the one who is out of step here.

9 people found this helpful

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Erica

Another nightstand essential

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2022

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I’m halfway through and I’m loving it. The short story structure is usually perfect for satisfying my inconsistent reading phases and settling my mind before bed, but I’ve found myself wanting to read more despite my eyelids closing involuntarily. One moment I’m cracking up silently next to my sleeping partner and the next I’m relating to a stranger who feels like a friend/ family member. I’m impressed by what feels to be such an honest interpretation of the author’s own character. Insightful, self aware, and slightly self deprecating. It’s a great mix that offers tremendous quality in creating a shared “you had to be there” reading experience for all of us who have been invited into the recount of these moments. Also, the cover art is gorgeous which earns this book extra points as it will be displayed on my nightstand for quite some time where I can keep it easily accessible

5 people found this helpful

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Westley

He can buy and sell you!

Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2004

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"Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" is a collection of typically hilarious essays from David Sedaris - one of the true modern masters of comic writing. Many of the stories chronicle his years growing up gay in North Carolina, with his wacky family featured prominently. Other stories are more contemporary, with glimpses of his current life in France with his boyfriend Hugh. For his fans, Sedaris and his family have become old friends: I relish every detail that provides insight into his writing much as I savor news about people I know.
In addition, I was pleased by some of his stories that go a bit deeper. Instead of relying on unusual circumstances that he has experienced, Sedaris creates some funny situations through introspection; he's clearly growing as a comic writer. Some of his fans may worry that he will run out of childhood stories to tell - this collection suggests that he'll continue to put out great writing long after that happens. Overall, this collection is top-notch; it's incredibly funny and has a great deal of heart.
Minor quibble: I was a bit disappointed that a few of the essays were familiar - many of them have been published elsewhere, such as Esquire. However, this complaint is minor compared to the pleasure I received from reading this book. A real winner sure to please his fans!

3 people found this helpful

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Holly C

Cringeworthy and slightly disturbing

Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2020

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The beginning of the book was enjoyable. It’s an easy read but like another reviewer, I found some of the stories disturbing and painful to read like the story about resisting the urge to pat someone’s head (children), arguing with his boyfriend in front of people, the trapped mouse... Towards the end of the book, I finished reading it just because I was almost done with it. The humor seems more dark and sadistic than what I was ready for

5 people found this helpful

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JR Pinto

Another Great Collection...

Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2004

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The main negative criticism of this book that I have heard is that Sedaris covers no new ground. While, in a certain sense, that may be true but any fan of Sedaris's will enjoy more stories about the misadventures of the Sedaris family. I love when he writes about his brother and "Rooster at the Hitchin' Post" is one of the best essays here. Also included in this volume is one of his best essays ever - "6 to 8 Black Men."

I listened to the unabridged audio version of this book and I HIGHLY recommend it. Some of the tracks are recycled from his live album. Of course, all of these essays have been published before, in one form or another, but I don't want to track down every article in Esquire over the past few years.

Sedaris is still writing at the top of his form. Any fan of his other works will enjoy this one.

2 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

susan pengelly

A new favourite author

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2024

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Great stories of relationships with our nearest and not always dearest. Laugh out loud wit and observations. I would write more eloquently but I'm nearly asleep after being unable to put the book down.

P N G

Funny!

Reviewed in India on March 14, 2024

Verified Purchase

I have been a true fan of David Sedaris and his sense of humor. He writes so well, im deep pov, and generates humor the way he looks at the world. I have read all his books and would suggest them to anyone looking for some light hearted humor

Kindle Customer

Hard to put down, had to finish with one seating

Reviewed in Italy on August 3, 2021

Verified Purchase

I really, really like author's sense of humor.

Andrew S.

Very enjoyable read

Reviewed in Canada on June 30, 2020

Verified Purchase

I am now on my seventh David Sedaris book and I have enjoyed all of them