Theft by Finding

For forty years, David Sedaris kept a diary filled with his successes, failures, overheard conversations, and secrets confessed by strangers. He adds humor to his memories which is a wonderful change from the traditional memoir. Even a boring day can make us laugh. This is the first of two volumes and is the better of the two.

My friend, Richard, gave me this book. He is not selfish or stingy, but he is also not the sort to give away books. He insisted and—stunned—I gently took it from his outstretched hand. 

I’ll admit I was a little like meh before I started reading, not being someone who enjoys hearing other people’s dreams or reading their pithy and edited diary entries. But this is pure genius, in a very meta way since we all know how the end turns out: David becomes famous.

Here, though, are the early days cleaning houses and doing too much cocaine. His family… show more.

By sharing his private journals from 1977-2002, I realized why David Sedaris is one of the funniest writers alive today. This laugh-out-loud accounting of his observations of both the outside world and his inside voice makes this a read you don’t ever want to end. From his relationships with his family to his inability to hold a job to his fascination with accumulating collection, I was reminded again that it’s never about the stuff but about the feelings the stuff gives us. He illustrates the meaning we pile on our clutter with an uncomfortable, painful but hilarious accuracy.