Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim [IMPORT] (Paperback)

~ (Author) "WHEN MY FAMILY FIRST MOVED to North Carolina, we lived in a rented house three blocks from the school where I would begin the third..." (more)
Key Phrases: eight black men, Aunt Monie, New York, Saint Nicholas (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books/Little, Brown and Company (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316057894
• ISBN-13: 978-0316057899
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (328 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,495,963 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Poignancy than humor, but that's just fine, June 30, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (Hardcover)

While not as sidesplitting in its entirety as "Me Talk Pretty One Day," this was an excellent book. Some of the pieces were still very funny, but there were some pieces that were just touching recollections. What I like is that even when DS is mocking some horrible traits shown by his family members, he also clearly loves them and that love shows through. He knows that you can love someone and not like everything that they do.

There are some clearly funny places though. The author's account of his brother's cooking habits and dog training techniques made me laugh so hard I dropped the book - then I immediately took it to my friend's house so she could read it, but made her read it aloud instead of doing it myself because I know I wouldn't have been able to speak aloud for the last few pages due to the gasping for air.

I also found it interesting that one of his sisters lives in my town - but my neighbor tells me this is not news, she'll introduce herself to you in the local library :)

God forbid we ever have a smoking prohibition, or DS will be in Tourette hell. I believe him utterly when he says that for him, smoking is a good thing.

If you like reading about imperfect people who care about each other but can be quite ludicrous, and observations of human oddity in general, this book is for you. (As are all his other books.) I found the second half of the book to be funnier than the first half.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stories of humor and angst...., July 5, 2005

By	Cynthia K. Robertson (beverly, new jersey USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (Hardcover)

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is my second book by David Sedaris after finishing Holidays on Ice (one of the funniest books, ever). Unlike Holidays, Dress Your Family consists of 22 short stories that are all autobiographical in nature.

Dress Your Family doesn't quite have the belly laughs of Holidays, but it is comical nonetheless. One funny story is about his brother's wedding on the beach with his dogs as attendants (the flower girl was in heat). In another, he plays strip poker with his friends and makes up the rules in order to keep his clothes. Sedaris' self-deprecating humor is also amusing. The author had an unusual childhood, and while most boys were picking up footballs and hockey sticks, Sedaris was picking out wallpaper samples. But Dress Your Family is also filled with the angst of childhood, and most of us will identify with many of these stories. Some are downright heartbreaking. After dropping out of college, his father asks him to move out of the house. Only later does Sedaris learn the real reason: his father disapproves of his homosexuality.

Still, the Sedaris family has center stage here. With mom, dad, four sisters, and a very masculine brother, each one is quirkier than the next. It's hard to tell how much is Sedaris' very keen powers of observation, and how much is exaggeration. In any case, it's no wonder that when odd things happen to his sisters, they all scream at him "and I don't want to see this in one of your books!" Sedaris always promises to keep their secrets, but everyone knows they will appear sometime soon. Sedaris is an amazing writer and storyteller, and it is appropriate that he has such a rich source of material. I'm sure it will keep him going ad infinitum.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lives up to what one expects from Sedaris, December 28, 2004

By	D. Sean West (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (Hardcover)

One does not get the feeling that these stories really represent a slice of life but rather there is something almost super-real about these stories. But even as over the top as these stories sometimes can seem there is never a forced feeling, it does not seem to be so much due to any purpose intent on Sedaris' part, but just the way he is built- the OCD mind constantly running his finger over the edges of events in his life until they take on a cretin polish and shine from the constant handling. This, for me, is much of the charm of Sedaris and this is what allows him to combine his unique view of the world with stunning general insight to life.

Some who have enjoyed Sedaris' early books have been critical of this one for not being `as funny' as his earlier ones- for this I can only tell you that Sedaris is not your monkey to dance for your amusement for whenever you clap your hands. This book is certainly heavier at times than some of his earlier books, largely dealing with the themes of family and relationships, but this is the stuff of life- drink it in for what it is!

(That being said `Six to Eight Black Men' is one of the funniest David Sedaris stories ever.)