Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls

4.3 | 6,256 ratings

Price: 17.05

Last update: 01-11-2025

About this item

Audie Award Finalist, Humor, 2014

From the unique perspective of David Sedaris comes a new collection of essays taking his listeners on a bizarre and stimulating world tour. From the perils of French dentistry to the eating habits of the Australian kookaburra, from the squat-style toilets of Beijing to the particular wilderness of a North Carolina Costco, we learn about the absurdity and delight of a curious traveler's experiences. Whether railing against the habits of litterers in the English countryside or marveling over a disembodied human arm in a taxidermist's shop, Sedaris takes us on side-splitting adventures that are not to be forgotten.

Karen Lea Hansen

Another great Sedaris Collection!!!

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2013

My love of David Sedaris has caused me to break one of my 2013 resolutions. I had challenged myself to stop buying new books (the exception being few digital downloads for my Kindle while on vacation) and to plow through the books already on my shelves. I just couldn't hold out for my upcoming summer trip to Europe and had to purchase the latest Sedaris book NOW!!!!

As with all of his previous essay collections, humorist Sedaris reaches into the seemingly bottomless well of quirky personal stories for his latest book, "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls".

I've had the pleasure of seeing Sedaris read at UCLA for the last three years. I'm not a big fan of audio books, but Sedaris reading his own essays would be a big exception. I probably heard him read about 1/3 of this book over the years at UCLA and as I was reading them now, I could recall his cadence and tone. Sedaris is as much of a verbal storyteller as he is an author and nothing in my imagination can match his unique form of sarcasm and wit. These stories beg to be heard, not just read!

It's hard to pick a favorite from the collection, but if pressed, "Understanding Understanding Owls" is a stand-out. I heard Sedaris read this one at UCLA and even though I knew where the story was going, it still put me in a giggle fit. It's about the perils of being known for collecting a particular object and the joy of finding the perfect Valentine's Day present, even when that present comes from a taxidermy shop. Actually, Especially when that present comes from the taxidermy shop.

The collection isn't strictly non-fiction. Sedaris also write pieces that at the start of the book he states are intended to be read as monologues. One of my favorites is the character of Cassie Hasselback, a fervent Christian, ranting about her views on modern society in the piece "If I Ruled the World". It's dripping with sarcasm and utterly hilarious.

I love the way Sedaris' brain works and how he can just riff on everyone and everything. He has such a great perspective. Although his writing is often comedic, it is just as likely to have a serious undertone. It's this ability to balance between the two that really draws me to his work.

Another great collection from a fantastic author.

Please visit my blog for more reviews and thoughts.

Donna Hill

Many Smiles and a Few Laughs

Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2014

If I could give this 4.5 stars I would. I don't think it made me laugh as much as Naked did. But I smiled a lot. And I identified sometimes, and this is always a plus. Sedaris is not that far from my generation--just nine years younger than I am. We're both familiar with corporal punishment. We both had parents who attacked us both physically and verbally, making the coddled children of today look like Little Lord Fauntleroy. I loved the way he said that so many children today have presidents' names--Madison, Lincoln.

Many reviewers criticized the fact that much of the book was taken from everyday experiences--so much the better as far as I'm concerned. Costco is a funny place already, but Sedaris makes it even more hilarious. The colonoscopy chapter was cute although I would have enjoyed even more details.

Many reviewers found much of this book to be "cringe-worthy"--this was the case for me maybe 15% of the time. I have a fairly high threshold for so-called disgusting things. I, like Sedaris, have lived in many countries, so his expat tales of all types of food and the animals that provide it, aren't that nauseating for me.

I love the stories from his childhood as well as the more recent ones. I did get a little bored with his pet turtles, but I must say I was impressed with his mom who was so accommodating. I kept thinking that it was good that I had a daughter, not a son.

Sedaris makes me feel as though I could sit down and chat with him for quite a while. I'm retired from driving--he never learned--neither of us have cell phones, we're both disturbed by littering, we've lived overseas, and we've overcome difficult childhoods, to name a few similarities. I love him. He's so honest and forthright about his life and his quirks. He can be judgmental and critical but when all is said and done, he has a live and let live attitude. I'm probably not finished with Sedaris. Although his books aren't non-stop hilarity for me, they make me smile and laugh quite a bit, and in our world today we're not always given an abundance of laughter-producing material. He's not for everyone. But if you're not too squeamish, he might amuse you.

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