Customer Reviews

Sex and Death to the Age 14

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This book made me laugh. Laugh out loud! Over and over again...

Spalding Gray's "Sex, and Death to the Age 14" is autobiographical. Spalding Gray is funny, very funny, and a little... extreme. Sometimes you read and wonder if the author's fantasy is "running wild" or if he is flat out lying just to add the little extra to the story. But nevertheless, this is spot-on super-funny book, a book you can expect will crack you up, over and over again.

I am not giving away the story, but I can tell you that I found myself almost speed-reading though the pages, eagerly waiting for something that would crack me up (again). I read this book in big gulps at the time, and finished it in a few sittings. There are few books that I have read, that have truly made me laugh out loud. This is one of them.

A super-funny book!

(If you like this one - I suggest you read David Sedaris' "Me talk pretty one day")

These essays are nothing compared to hearing the man actually relate them, but are nonetheless invaluable illustrations of the human condition. Spalding Gray may never learn his lesson, at least not until he's had lots of time to obsess over his mistakes. This has been his MO since his first theater piece, and will prbably follow him to the grave. Never is his wit and hindsight better aimed than in this collection of mostly coming-of-age type pieces. Nobody but Gray could usurp the poweral archetype of nostalgic, recollected youth with such ease, without appearing to try at all. Of his works, this is probably my favorite, but I still must recommend an audio recording of it over even this fine smorgasboard of sex, death, oedipal complexes, obsessive behavior and rash judgments. Add the man's voice to it and it all almost makes sense.

I read this book in one sitting, laughing so hard at some parts that I cried. This is the perfect book to read when you're home sick or stuck in an airport lobby. Spalding Gray is whacked out, but just sane enough that he could very amusing as your next door neighbor or distant cousin.