Episode · The Book Review · 2020-12-04
David Sedaris on The Book Review: books mentioned (Dec 2020)
David Sedaris on a Career-Spanning Collection
Pamela Paul discussed The Best of Me by David Sedaris, and criticized Naked by David Sedaris. David Sedaris recommended Our story begins by Tobias Wolff, Game Change by John Heilemann and others, and The End of Eddy by Édouard Louis. Jennifer Szalai discussed A Promised Land by Barack Obama and Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Best of Me
Discussed“and what I enjoy so much in in this collection the best of me are the Encounters in the airplane”
Where to get it
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Naked
Naked by David Sedaris is a humorous and candid autobiographical collection of essayistic stories reflecting on the author's eccentric family, childhood, and unconventional adulthood.
Critiqued“there's one thing from the book naked in there but only one because to me it is so overwritten you know and it's just somebody who's really trying too hard”
Where to get it
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Our story begins
Our Story Begins by Tobias Wolff is a comprehensive, career-spanning collection of masterfully crafted short stories that explore moral ambiguity, human vulnerability, and the turning points of everyday lives.
Recommended“I don't know Tobias wolf he put out a big collection of his stories Our Story begins and I absolutely love him”
Where to get it
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Game Change
Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin is a bestselling piece of political journalism that provides an inside look at the dramatic 2008 United States presidential election.
Recommended“well right now I'm reading game change which I never read when it came out about the 2008 election”
Where to get it
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The End of Eddy
The End of Eddy by Édouard Louis is a raw and uncompromising autobiographical novel that chronicles the author's brutal childhood growing up in a poverty-stricken, homophobic, and violent working-class town in France.
Recommended“and the book I read with my eyes was by Edward Louie and it was the end of Eddie which is interesting”
Where to get it
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A Promised Land
A Promised Land by Barack Obama is the presidential memoir by the 44th President of the United States, offering a detailed and reflective look into his early life, political rise, and the first term of his historic presidency.
Discussed“because I have no idea but the book uh that I reviewed this week was a Promised Land by Barack Obama”
Where to get it
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Dreams from My Father
Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama is an introspective memoir chronicling the future president's early life, family history, and journey toward self-discovery.
Discussed“I think about his first book dreams from my father and in that book he also showed that he does have a writer sensibility”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (5) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“David will be here to talk about his latest collection the best of me Alexander alter will have an update from the publishing World Plus”
“you know I just looked at The Count of Monte Christo because my sister Amy had read it that's 54-hour audio book where could you walk with that”
“the last time you were on the podcast it was to talk about your collection theft by finding in which you had many encounters over the years with people on the street”
“the first is related to your books theft by finding was part one of your Diaries are you working now on part two”
“can you tell us about your new book Garner's quotations yeah I I I sort of compiled it rather rather than wrote it”