Psychologists make their living listening to people regaling tales of their dysfunctional childhoods and bizarre family members. While some of these people have truly remarkable circumstances, the real truth is that almost everyone has family members rooted in dysfunction. Instead of spending all that money in a doctor’s office, why not open up a book and read about someone else’s dysfunctional family instead?
Though his most recent book was published in 2005, David Sedaris has mastered the art of satire. His works include: “Barrel Fever,” “Naked,” “Holidays on Ice,” “Me Talk Pretty One Day” and “Dress your Family in Corduroy and Denim.” His books hysterically depict his loveable yet crazy family during some of the most difficult times of his childhood and should be considered required reading for every college student.
Each book contains a collection of short stories tackling subjects ranging from Sedaris’ education, Greek heritage, homosexuality and drug use during his years in North Carolina, New York, and France. In one of his most acclaimed books, “Naked,” Sedaris confronts his obsessive-compulsive disorder and describes some of his childhood tics such as compulsively licking the classroom light switch and tapping his forehead with the heel of his shoes. Who hasn’t done that?
Luckily, Sedaris’ parents along with siblings Lisa, Gretchen, Amy, Tiffany and Paul, are all along for the ride in these enjoyable stories that read like a rollercoaster of laughs and entertainment.
While Sedaris tops the list of satirical writers, there is another David whose books provide readers with a few chuckles.
David Foster Wallace’s “Consider the Lobster,” is a compilation of stories that dive into the depths of such subjects as the Adult Video News Awards and the Maine Lobster Festival. This collection of previously published work was bound together in a lobster shell and published in 2005. Among others, David Foster Wallace is the author of “Infinite Jest,” “Girl with Curious Hair” and “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.”
Like Sedaris, Wallace has the unique ability to catch a reader’s attention at the beginning of a sentence, but Wallace’s writing style requires a bit more thought and calculation.
“Consider the Lobster” is a book that reads quickly while still managing to tickle the reader’s funny bone. Wallace has the ability to make even politics interesting and humorous as apparent in “Up, Simba!” a story in which he covers Senator John McCain’s 2000 presidential campaign. Whether you are feeling miserable and want to laugh at someone else, or just want to escape from reality, open up one of these books and laugh a little.
