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David Sedaris' new collection of essays - including live recordings! - tells a most unconventional life story. It begins with a North Carolina childhood filled with speech-therapy classes ("There was the lisp, of course, but more troubling than that was my voice itself, with its excitable tone and high, girlish pitch") and unwanted guitar lessons taught by a midget. From budding performance artist ("The only crimp in my plan was that I seemed to have no talent whatsoever") to "clearly unqualified" writing teacher in Chicago, Sedaris' career leads him to New York City and eventually, of all places, France.
His move to Paris poses a number of challenges, chief among them his inability to speak the language. Arriving a "spooky man-child" capable of communicating only through nouns, he undertakes language instruction that leads him ever deeper into cultural confusion. Whether describing the Easter bunny to puzzled classmates or watching a group of men play soccer with a cow, Sedaris brings a view and a voice like no other to every unforgettable encounter
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Previews available in: French German English
Subjects
David Sedaris, teens, teenagers, YA, young adult, juvenile, Nonfiction, Biography, Bio, Humor, Americans, Essays, French language, culture shock, Large type books, American literature, Humor, form, essays, LGBTQ humor, Lambda Literary Awards, Lambda Literary Award Winner, LGBTQ essays, German language materialsPeople
David Sedaris, Hugh, Paul Sedaris, Amy Sedaris, Americans, Jesus ChristPlaces
Paris, France, Normandy, Raleigh, North Carolina, New York City, Asia, AfricaTimes
2000Showing 4 featured editions. View all 21 editions?
Edition | Availability |
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1
Je Parler Francais (French Language Edition)
January 2003, J Ai Lu Editions
Mass Market Paperback
in French
2290319740 9782290319741
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2
Ich ein Tag sprechen hübsch
2002-05, Diana Verlag
Paperback
in German
- [1. Auflage]
3453210719 9783453210714
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3
Me Talk Pretty One Day
2001 06, Little, Brown & Co.
Paperback
in English
- 1st Back Bay paperback edition (23)
0316776963 9780316776967
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4
Me Talk Pretty One Day: By National Best Seller - Author of Naked
June 2001, Back Bay Books, and imprint of Little, Brown and Company, Hatchette Book Group, USA
Paperback
in English
- 1st paperback ed. (5)
0316776963 9780316776967
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Book Details
Edition Notes
Originally published in hardcover: Boston : Little Brown, 2000.
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Work Description
A recent transplant to Paris, humorist David Sedaris, bestselling author of “Naked”, presents a collection of his strongest work yet, including the title story about his hilarious attempt to learn French.
David Sedaris' move to Paris from New York inspired these hilarious pieces, including the title essay, about his attempts to learn French from a sadistic teacher who declares that every day spent with you is like having a caesarean section. His family is another inspiration. You Can't Kill the Rooster is a portrait of his brother, who talks incessant hip-hop slang to his bewildered father. And no one hones a finer fury in response to such modern annoyances as restaurant meals presented in ludicrous towers of food and cashiers with six-inch fingernails.
Excerpts
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