The Land and Its People by David Sedaris

David Sedaris has perfect timing. Whenever I am struggling to find a new book, or in the middle of one that is failing to entertain me, he releases a new book. And then, like magic, all is right with the world again. I just need to listen to him on audio to smile, widely. His humor and his wit are exactly the kind that make me laugh out loud. Whether he is talking about his husband Hugh's hip surgery, his passion for learning German on Duolingo, or a visit with a group of comedians to meet the Pope, his essays are spot on. His quirky penchant for wearing a priest's robe is new, and his love of getting steps and picking up road-side trash remains a long-standing passion. This is not to say that his essays are not sometimes dark. When he talks about his sister Gretchen's lung cancer, or his sister Tiffany's death from mental illness, the pain he feels about both of their struggles is heartbreaking. But he carries on, making sense of the world through his own writing. There is always a part in nearly every book I have read of his, in which he turns his pen back on his parents. While they are both now deceased, his ability to find humor in them, is nothing short of impressive. It was as if he began writing as a baby, the moment he first saw who his parents were. They inspired him with their absurdity. They can be kind but they can also be mean, and yet time and time again he makes them funny. Sedaris is a literary treasure, and I just hope he keeps writing about our land and its people again and again. To buy this book on Amazon click here.