Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls

I found David Sedaris' latest collection of essays, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls (#387) a mixed bag.   Either the essay struck me as quite amusing and/or dead on target, or I found myself thinking that I really disliked the author, based especially on the way he wrote about his family.

Since on the whole, I feel there's more to like about this book, let me give you a couple of examples of topics I think he nailed.  First, in his highly satirical essay Think Differenter,  Sedaris is trying to be as outrageous as he possibly can be about how far to push the envelope on carrying guns.  Little did he know at the time of writing that he was absolutely predicting the future accurately since Governor Dealey of Georgia signed the infamous "Guns Everywhere" law the day before I read this essay.  (I certainly hope some of his other essays aren't equally predictive of our futures!  Shudder.)  His #2 to Go, though, was the one (!) that really resonated with me.  He talks about visiting China and being appalled by the spitting, hawking of phlegm, loogies hoicked, snot sprayed and third world toilets (which are largely ignored by the general populace).  For us, it started on the China Air flight from New York to Beijing on a cold winter day.  Yes, just about everyone on board had a cold getting on; by the end of this flight, everyone had that cold.  This different take on personal hygiene is never discussed in any of the guidebooks.  I don't think any of us were prepared, either, for the Chinese habit of letting their toddlers piddle and poop anywhere they please.  A lesson we learned walking in Irish pastures where the sheep roam freely proved extremely valuable in China: watch where you walk!  Most Americans reading #2 to Go will think David Sedaris is making this up for comical shock affect; I assure you, he is not.

Less well done were the essays concerning his family.  He does not have kind things to say about either of his parents.  I'm not sure in his position that I would have been comfortable about exposing such a tender spot in my family relations.

No matter what your background or interests, you're sure to find something that appeals to you in this collection.