Perspective

Sedaris is clearly a comic with a quick, biting humor. In a house full of children always biding for attention, it is no wonder. Sedaris makes it clear in the book that he felt like an outsider at a young age. In his very first essay, Go Carolina, Sedaris is branded as a kid with a speech impediment. He is so sensitive about this label that he goes to extremes to develop a vocabulary that allows him to cleverly dance around certain words and avoid being corrected.

In another childhood scenario, Sedaris witnesses his music teacher being taunted by teenagers at a local restaurant. This event quickly replaces Sedaris's aversion for the teacher with sympathy. However, when Sedaris attempts to make amends with his teacher by being honest, he is faced with the teacher's fear and disapproval.

These childhood scenarios make it clear how Sedaris developed his sense...