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| credit : chipkidd.com |
Writer : David Sedaris
Publisher : Little, Brown and Company
Format : Ebook, 205 pages
Publishing date : 23rd, April 2013
Language : English
Genre : Non fiction, memoir, humor
Read on July, 3rd 2014
My rating : 4 of 5
A guy walks into a bar car and...
From here the story could take many turns. When this guy is David Sedaris, the possibilities are endless, but the result is always the same: he will both delight you with twists of humor and intelligence and leave you deeply moved.
Sedaris remembers his father's dinnertime attire (shirtsleeves and underpants), his first colonoscopy (remarkably pleasant), and the time he considered buying the skeleton of a murdered Pygmy.
With Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, David Sedaris shows once again why his work has been called "hilarious, elegant, and surprisingly moving" (Washington Post).
From here the story could take many turns. When this guy is David Sedaris, the possibilities are endless, but the result is always the same: he will both delight you with twists of humor and intelligence and leave you deeply moved.
Sedaris remembers his father's dinnertime attire (shirtsleeves and underpants), his first colonoscopy (remarkably pleasant), and the time he considered buying the skeleton of a murdered Pygmy.
With Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, David Sedaris shows once again why his work has been called "hilarious, elegant, and surprisingly moving" (Washington Post).
“One person doesn't eat meat, while another is lactose intolerant can't digest wheat. You have vegetarians who eat fish and others who won't touch it. Then there are vegans, macrobiotics, and a new group, flexitarians, who eat meat if not too many people are watching.” from essay titled #2 to Go pg. 145
Ketika membaca judulnya, jangan berharap kalian akan membaca buku yang bertemakan kesehatan, atau cerita tentang pengalaman si pengarang mengalami diabetes. Hha... sama sekali tidak ada hubungannya dengan hal yang saya sebutkan tadi. Tapi jika kalian sudah mengenal David Sedaris, mungkin kalian akan paham kemana buku ini akan mengarah. Well... meskipun di judulnya terselip kata Diabetes, tapi tidak ada satu pun essay yang menyinggung penyakit diabetes, ada sih tentang penyakit-penyakit gitu, tapi cuma sakit gusi sama Tumor dan itu pun hanya bagian dari lelucon Mr. Sedaris.
Buku ini berisi 26 cerita pendek/essay yang berasal dari pengalaman pribadi penulis. Cara penyampaian hampir semua essays di buku ini memiliki gaya yang sama, dimulai dengan satu premis yang berupa fenomena keseharian masa kini lalu diikuti dengan flashback kehidupan pengarang di masa lalu yang berkaitan dengan fenomena awal yang dipaparkan. Pengalaman yang dituliskan sangat beragam mulai dari pengalaman pribadi penulis ketika kecil yang berkaitan dengan keluarga, saat pemilu Obama, hingga pengalaman ketika keliling dunia dan melihat berbagai macam budaya dalam sudut pandang seorang Amerika. Dari semua essay yang ada dibuku ini, judul favorit saya antara lain; Attaboy, Think Differenter, A Friend in the Ghetto, Standing Still, #2 to Go, and The Happy Place.
“In Japanese and Italian, the response to ["How are you?"] is "I'm fine, and you?" In German it's answered with a sigh and a slight pause, followed by "Not so good.” from essay titled Easy, Tiger pg.61
Tak jarang tawa saya meledak secara tiba-tiba ketika membaca buku ini. Bukan karena ceritanya yang konyol namun karena kisah yang dipaparkan memiliki bauran intelektual sekaligus humor yang menggelitik.
“The iPhone 2 led to the 3, but I didn’t get the 4 or 5 because I’m holding out for the 7, which, I’ve heard on good authority, can also be used as a Taser. This will mean I’ll have just one less thing to carry around. And isn’t that technology’s job? To lighten our burden? To broaden our horizons? To make it possible to talk to your attorney and listen to a Styx album and check the obituaries in the town where your parents continue to live and videotape a race riot and send a text message and stun someone into submission all at the same time?” from essay titled Think Differenter pg. 26
Dalam bukunya yang menjadi New York Bestseller ini, Mr. Sedaris tidak ragu menyinggung rasis (khususnya black people) dan lower class yang selalu berakhir dengan guyonan sehingga orang yang mungkin merasa tersinggung akan turut mengamini kelucuan yang dituliskan oleh Mr. Sedaris. Selain itu, buku ini juga membuat kita tanpa sadar menertawakan kehidupan.
“Neighbors would pass, and when they honked I'd remember that I was in my Speedo. Then I'd wrap my towel like a skirt around my waist and remind my sisters that this was not girlish but Egyptian, thank you very much.” from essay titled Memory Laps p. 32
"Hilarious... Winning... Sedaris's experiences are an endless source of good material." - People
from 1st Essay titled "Dentists Without Borders"
One thing that puzzled me during the American health-care debate was all the talk about socialized medicine and how ineffective it's supposed to be. The Canadian plan was likened to genocide, but even worse were the ones in Europe, where patients languished on filthy cots, waiting for aspirin to be invented. I don't know where these people get their ideas, but my experiences in France, where I've lived off and on for the past thirteen years, have all been good.
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| Happy reading fellas!! |
Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls" by David Sedaris is a delightful collection of essays that intricately weaves humor and poignant insights. Sedaris' witty observations on life's quirks, his eccentric family, and societal idiosyncrasies are a joy to read. His adept storytelling keeps readers engaged, offering a refreshing perspective on everyday experiences. The way he blends humor with introspection is genuinely remarkable. As a graduate of glasgow caledonian uni, I found his anecdotes particularly relatable, making the book an enjoyable escape into the whimsical realms of Sedaris' mind.
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