A review by somanybookstoread
The Best of Me by David Sedaris

emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Although his work had fallen off my radar the last 8-10 years, I used to read and re-read everything Sedaris wrote. I have seen him read his work about five times. He is funny, interesting, and his work inspired me to write essays (fun fact: I told him this when I met him after one of his readings and he remembered me and asked how my book was coming along about three years later). So I will always be a big fan of David Sedaris and his work. I admire how prolific and dedicated he is as a writer. It was interesting to read his self-proclaimed “Best of” collection and to see his decisions around selecting and curating this collection. In this collection, his humor lands for me about 80% of the time. There are a few pieces that are narrated by animals that didn’t work for me. And there are a surprising number of references to animal cruelty that I will never be able to read without becoming upset (drowning mice, for example). I was also interested to re-read pieces published 15-20 years ago and considered how certain references to race likely wouldn’t make an editor’s cut today. 

Overall, I recommend this collection and everything else Sedaris has written. I love his voice and have a lot of respect for him.