Don’t be fooled, you’ll learn nothing about diabetes or owls here, but the random suggestion makes it all the more entertaining. Shortly before this book was released, I had the privilege of attending “An Evening with David Sedaris” in Kansas City, where I got a preview of some of the hilarious treasures to come in Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls. Sedaris likes to test his pieces with various live audiences, tweaking them along the way until they are primed for publishing, and I was excited to hear some of my favorites again in their polished state.
This collection is packed with a variety of Sedaris’ usual humor, the essays covering everything from his recent experiences in Britain to tales from childhood. At the end readers are treated to a bonus collection of rambling short fiction pieces that could, in theory, be fodder for high school forensics competitions. I’d love to see one of those performances.
For those who didn’t care for Sedaris’ earlier Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, a satirical collection of short stories featuring anthropomorphized animals, have no fear of this crittery title as he returns to the autobiographical anecdotes for which he’s best known. He’s his usual crass, cultured, and witty self, and I highly recommend listening to his self-narrated audiobook. Check out the book trailer for a sample.