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Dear Mr. Sedaris
Your book “Let’s explore diabetes with owls” is an interesting read in many ways. Firstly there is humor. The story is easy to read and the pages turn quickly. The content is pretty much every day life and circumstances at times familiar to the reader ie the reader can relate. I definitely enjoyed some of the chapters particularly the Laughing Kookaburra chapter however this was not because I liked your writing or experiences but because I have an affinity to Australia and have traveled there few times.
Many of your experiences are interjected with hurt from your childhood. Mostly this is to do with your father and son relationship or you might say lack of relationship. It was a relationship but not the one you wanted. It seems that your writing is cathartic and that you need to write in order to vent, understand or come to terms with your past. You see the past now with adult eyes and humor but I think that behind the humor you still have pain.
You want the reader to be empathetic and feel for you. But you do go on a bit!! Seriously mate! Even in Australia you are still complaining about your father…..!!! How about enjoying the sound of lorikeets and bell birds, remaining eager for the occasional kangaroo hopping or the wallabies jumping out of the bush at dusk, when least expected.
I know you think that the reader might sympathize and recognize these family situations and relationships and it could be that you think you can help the reader see his own similar experiences in a more humorous light. But honestly I began to find your chapters self-indulgent and attention- seeking. The reader is left thinking “get a therapist man! Stop off-loading on others! This attention seeking is clear when you say things not only for sympathy but also if you don’t think that is working you try to shock the reader. For example you are often way too crude. I don’t like it. An example of this is on page (142) in the chapter Author, Author in a Costco shopping for groceries with his brother in law feeling uncomfortable because people think that you and your brother are a gay couple. And you go on to talk about gay sex quite explicitly which is so unnecessary and makes me think that you are not uncomfortable with the situation at all but maybe you are sexually frustrated because you simply cannot stop talking about it in graphic detail. Maybe we don’t care what you do and with who! Get over it mate. Its okay. Be who you are! You don’t need to go into such detail.
Another example of your attention seeking is the title of your book its kind of bizarre and I guess you think people are going to pick it up in the bookshop to see what it could possibly be about because it is such a strange title. It is an eye-catching title but to me this seems like a commercial ploy hoping people will pick up the book and buy it.
So….interesting though some of the book is…as I described earlier…because of its attention seeking and crude tones I am not going to be reading many more of your books. I’m going to stick to Bear Grylls. On page (208) in the chapter Now Hiring Friendly People you say,”WHO THE HELL CARES? I wanted to shout.” This just about sums up how I feel about your book. Sorry Dude, No offense it is just how I feel.
Sincerely,
Sebastian Lindsey
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Dear Mr. Sedaris,
So I have been reading your book Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls and it has led me to want to ask you a few questions. When you write about your father he comes off as an antagonist in your stories, is this intentional? Do you think that he was making a conscious effort to treat you the way he did or that he was a product of his time and how he was raised. There are so many times that it comes up such as in Memory laps when he is extolling on every other boy and yet even when you do something grand, like making the NY Times best seller list, all he has to say is it is not the Wall Street Journal. Again in Laugh, Kookaburra his reluctance to give you credit comes out once again when traveling to Australia is good enough because you did not go to “the Bush”.
This leads to another line of thought that I had and that is did you turn out like your dad? At least more than you thought you would. Going back to Laugh, Kookaburra you ended with a story of getting a whooping from your dad. In that punishment you wrote that he said “If I don’t stop myself early I’ll Kill you”. This reminds me of a similar type of thinking that you had Think Differenter you literally said that you left your wife and kids over an Ipod being dropped in the toilet. Additionally in Standing Still you really show how you would like to mimic your father and his behavior when it comes to protecting your sister.
I truly thank you for your time that you took to read my letter and hope that you will find it in your heart to respond as it will help me to understand your motivations in your writing.
Sincerely,
Michael Pearson
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To David Sedaris,
How the heck are you? Living the life I bet? I know we have not met but I feel like I know you so well just by reading your essays in your amazing book Let’s explore Diebetes with Owls. You are quite frankly a person who I could see myself being friends with, and not just the kind of friends who sees each other here and there and will occasionally call or text to see how we are doing no, but the kind that sees each other like twice a week or more and checks up daily. I have so many questions I wanna ask you, where do I start.
First off, I know you state that when you were young you felt the need to join in with the “normal“ boys playing football and what not, to seem “normal“ like them. when do you feel like all that pretending didn’t matter anymore? When did you decide, enough is enough and you knew you had to stop pretending? Do you think that the reason you’re so ambitious is because of the way your father was with you? Do you believe it’s because you feel like you need to prove yourself to him? Or you feel like you simply just want his approval and recognition?
Do you resent him because of the way he treated you growing up? Or do you appreciate it? If so why? Did it shape you into the person you are today?
You seem like you are an open book for your readers. You tell it like it is without fear of possibly offending, how do you do that without feeling guilt? In your essays you speak a lot about the relationship you have with Hugh, it seems you guys have such an open type of relationship with each other, does he ever get upset because you are so open in your essays about your relationship? How do you handle it? Your writing seems so easy to me, you are so free with your words, you make it seem so easy to just write what you feel and all your experiences. I think the fact that you can make fun of yourself or laugh at a past event in your life even if it wasn’t so funny then is amazing. I want you to know that you have made me open my eyes and see that I can write freely, that I can laugh at myself when something doesn’t go the way I want it to and it’s ok. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and I appreciate your openness and transparency about your life through your words. Sincerely,
Consuelo Jasso, A new fan
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Dear Mr Sedaris,
Let’s start with a cliche shall we; hope this letter finds you well. Aside from that I do hope you are doing well. To make this letter a little more interesting, I will be using the word awesome once in a while, just to make it a little more fun. I have been reading your book, “Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls;” and I have to say as much as I enjoy and how awesome your book is, for some reason I can’t seem to read you. There are essays where I get you, but then in the next essay you question my opinion of you. You have such a unique and awesome personality, that I have learned it takes a certain person to understand you, without them getting offended. I have developed an opinion of you, but it may seem totally far fetched, in the sense that out of all my fellow classmates I might be the only one with this certain opinion, but let’s not get it to that right now. Let’s get into your book, and how your stories had me looking at life from a different point of view. While reading your essays, there are many things that shocked me, and made me laugh. There are things from your past that are not “normal” for this time. With that being said I appreciate how open you are, especially when you write about your childhood and the way your father raised you. I believe you write the way you do is to show us that the world is not always cupcakes and rainbows. As you know there are a lot of people in the world that go about their life with blinders on. By writing your real experience with life, you show how raw the real world can be, you show different personalities that you encounter through your travel, and just a different side of life. For example, I consider myself very lucky growing up with two parents that raised me and my siblings very well, reading your stories made me realize not everyone was raised like me, which is very naive of me to think that. Though through all of this your humor is on point, which I would like to praise you on. The use of your humor fits very well with your deplorable life. Deplorable might be a harsh word, but seems like it makes sense. No, but for real, you are really funny and I enjoy every ounce of your awesome humor! I hope you encounter many more interesting characters through your book tours and travels, and if you haven’t already you should dedicate a whole book just with stories about them. I would be first in line for that one. Thanks again, and embrace the awesome situations in life. Oh one more question, what is your fascination with C-sections?!
Your new adversary,
Patricia Martinez
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September,17,2020
Dear Mr. Sedaris,
I hope this letter finds you well. I have recently discovered your book called “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls,” and it’s a page turner. I was intrigued by your optimistic nature and how you continuously take a negative situation and turn it into something positive. One example of this would be in “ A Friend In The Ghetto”; you initiated the chapter with a call made to you by a telemarketer selling a cell phone, as much as you denied his service, he insisted; somehow this led to you agreeing for a future call, a call in which you had been anticipated to receive but never did. Then you imagined the worst case scenario, such as: may be he lost his job, or his life must have gone from bad to worst; you continued, “ Isn’t it likely he got promoted,” “ that’s it — once he settles into the new job and moves into that house he’s been eyeing… Then he’ll dig up my number, reach for his phone, and by God, call me.” It’s been 7 years since the release of this book; has the telemarketer called? What I’ve come to admire about you Mr. Sedaris how you perceive the negative as temporary and choose to see the light in every bad situation. From the reading I can tell you’re a very talented man and an entertainer at heart. I’m thankful for your relatable passages and the countless laughs and smirks you’ve reintroduced into my life. The reading has changed my overall perspective of how I perceive the world around me and I have implemented one or two tactics of yours to my day to day life. Thank you.
With gratitude,
Anahi Olazo
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Dear Daivd Sedaris,
Your style of writing is like no other I have seen. I have been reading your book ‘Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls’ and I must say, I have had a laugh with every essay/chapter within it. Was this inspired by something or someone? You’re so open with all your personal thoughts but you give it such a funny twist and take. It’s like a comedic diary that I shouldn’t be reading but can’t stop. The real situations being like comedy skits make it so unique and interesting. In the part of the book where you go to the dentist, it reminded me of myself. It seemed like you were concerned about all these things like your bump and your “red lightning” shape in your eye, and the Dr. would just tell you it’s normal. It reminds me of myself because I feel like I’m always freaking out over little things all the time and most of the time it is normal, except I never have a positive look on the situation, I just continue to worry. I thought it was cool how you could make you seem concerned, seem funny. Another thing, I loved the chapter ‘Just a Quick Email’ getting pizzas as a wedding gift and just giving them away to coworkers was hilarious. It just seemed like an ongoing rant but with a fake positive tone.
You’ve definitely inspired me to express myself more when it comes to writing, making music, and even my own clothing. I’ve seen your interviews on Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Seth Meyers. I love your fashion sense, especially the jacket you wore on Jimmy Kimmel’s interview. As a person who can turn any situation into a good one, you set the best example of a happy soul and just a good person. Anyway, I look forward to looking more into you and checking out more of your work, this was just the beginning of many.
Sincerely,
Ethon Sanchez
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Dear Mr.Sedaris,
I have read part of your book “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls” and still am reading it; at first when I began to read it I was a little annoyed with your dramatic reactions because it made me think you were going to be too sensitive. I slowly changed my opinion of you being sensitive though in the chapters afterwards where you would write in your attitude and also the attitudes of the characters truthfully instead writing them critiqued to what you would most likely prefer. I can’t find on what page you made the quote or if it was on purpose was you basically talking about layers which made me think of shrek which also made me change my opinion even more from you being a dramatic type of author.
In two of your chapters I noticed you being polar opposite in your writing where one chapter seems cartoonish like and the other is more serious with you seeking your father’s sort of approval or appreciation. The chapter which seemed cartoonish was “Attaboy” where your father gets mad and picks up the wrong Tommy. The polar opposite of this chapter was “Memory Laps” with you bad mouthing Greg about his strokes in front of your father with you later writing that you probably wanted to be like Greg without going into any more detail about it. All I’m saying basically is this what I like and don’t like about your book so far.
Sincerely,
Steven Padilla
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Dear David Sedaris,
I just started to read your book and this is the first time I hear about you. Never in my life, I heard about you and you are a very interesting guy. What inspires you to write? Your write makes me wanna meet you in person because your not a boring write like other writers just talk about what really happens and be all serious about it. My write really sucks can I get any suggestions on how can I get better in writing? How can you mix funny with serious at the same time?
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Dear Sedaris,
This is a latter from your reader, who is reading your work, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls.
How is life doing with your husband, Hugh? I really look up to you being a public homosexual person. Do you get hate letters or unsupported people against you? I hope not! If there is any negativity from your readers, how do you deal with it?
I then have to say thank you to your humor that really inspired and make the laughter of my day, thanks!
I would really like to dig deeper into your very interesting childhood, your parents, your friends, and even the crush you had in your childhood times (A friend in the Ghetto), Debra. How do you think that they make a difference or influenced your later life? And how you survived your childhood with your cheap(From your interview with Jimmy Kimmel) father, who reused toilet paper that was wet in the rain or some other reason? That event was funny but very cute!
Next I want to ask if you consider yourself a normal person or not? Personally I think that you are not just not normal but a completely strange person(no offense), with all your creativity, free soul and open mind.
Last and most importantly, I would like to ask how you are able to write so free? How you can you be able to share things that could be hated so open-mindedly? What is the key to your successful writing career?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my latter,
Sincerely,
Quince Wu
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Dear David,
How are you doing? Hope this quarantine isn’t treating you too bad and you’re making the best of it. Ive been reading your book “Lets Explore Diabetes with Owls” and I have to admit I had not heart of your work before this book cam across my desk. I have thoroughly enjoyed your sense of humor so far. Your commentary on things and situations is historical and a lot like how I think. I enjoy the true bluntness of your work. There doesn’t seem to be a filter of concern regarding hurting feelings or offending anyone. It is all very matter of fact and I has been refreshing to read something like that, especially right now. Do you just right the first comment that comes into your mind? Have you always had this sense of humor? I know you have mentioned a few times your dad was not the most ideal father in quite a few situations.. Do you think that “trauma” if you will, cause your humor to warp towards almost a dark sense at time? I know thats kinda a different question. I know personally from the less fortunate things in my life, to say it lightly, changed and molded my humor and personality to what it is today.
I hope you enjoy my letter and I look forward to reading more of your work.
Best,
Julia Reed
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