Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is the setting for most of David's childhood and teenage recollections about his growing up. To Sedaris, Raleigh is a quiet, uneventful city that nevertheless holds enchantment for his younger imagination. As a boy, the city represents a safe, city-wide playground which he can explore and understand the larger world around him. Although he has much in the way of personal freedom, David is also somewhat sheltered in Raleigh, which is far more conservative when he is growing up than today.

New York City

New York City occupies many of the essays in When You Are Engulfed in Flames but mainly from the vantage point of when David was working his way up the ladder, and rarely from the perspective of his later success as an author and public speaker. Because of this perspective, much of the New York City David writes about takes place...