Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls

By: David Sedaris

Narrated by: David Sedaris

Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2013 David Sedaris (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Sedaris is the preeminent humorist of his generation." ( Entertainment Weekly)

EVEN AT MY DESK AT WORK, I AUDIBLY LAUGHED

Something about David Sedaris' wit hits just the right chord with me.

His stories about his family, his childhood, his husband Hugh, his travels, and of picking up rubbish along the English countryside--he finds humor and irony in everything. He turns both the mundane daily ephemera and the omnipresent darkness of the soul into joke fodder.

His forensics essays at the end--they remind me of my college creative writing classes, his telling of hilariously twisted fictional stories just to tell them, to perfect the telling of them, and the laugh is as if you had just heard the funniest of all the dead baby jokes.

Don't expect to wax sentimental over his tales, but be prepared to relate strongly to his revealed existential observations and desires.

He makes you feel at once guilty and empowered to laugh along with him. And, of course, the narration wouldn't be quite the same without his voice. Glad I finally read this. :)

Same Sedaris, with something people should know:

-The chapters that say 0:00 seem like they're missing but they've all been moved to one combined chapter at the end since these are fiction and would be confusing mixed with the usual Sedaris stuff (and they serve a particular funny purpose which he tells you.) I was going to complain to audible but my laziness payed off when instead I just listened through.

-There's a nice little easter egg at the very end after all the chapters haha

Funny as always

The first stories are about David’s life but there are a few from a different perspective at the end which really took me by surprise. Really fun!

Gem Collection

Fans of David Sedaris rejoice--this is his best collection of essays since "Me Talk Pretty One Day"--at least in the humble opinion of this reviewer. Sedaris is in top form here on topics ranging from airline travel to the pitfalls of foreign language instruction (Japanese, German, Chinese) to the casual everyday cruelty of children--and of adults, for that matter. The tone is in turn poignant and sarcastic, and always unflinchingly honest.

Sedaris' humor has an edge to it and he doesn't spare himself from its blade, but he unfailingly finds the comedy in his experiences and invites us to do the same. His turn of phrase manages to state truths while at the same time being very funny--one example I can't get out of my head is his observation that Americans see Australians as "Canadians in a thong."

While one or two of the essays had a familiar ring to them (perhaps from a version appearing on an episode of This American Life?), the material is almost all new as far as I can tell.

Sedaris' deadpan delivery style greatly enhances the listening experience--this is certainly an instance where the audio surpasses the print version. Highly recommended!

Started out great....but fizzled

This book starts out funny and witty in wonderful Sedaris style, but then gets very political. I turn off the TV to get away from all the different view points. I barely made it to the end.

Great music! Speaking bits in between good, too.

We actually went to hear David Sedaris read two days before this book was released. Going into the auditorium I was thinking how cool it was that he picked Columbia, SC as the feature stop on his tour; the stop right before the release. However, when he admitted that he didn't really know anything about Columbia (despite growing up in North Carolina), my hometown shriveled back down to it's normal lowly status.

As for the book, it is very good; much better than "When You are Engulfed in Flames." David has left most of the really personal reflections about his youth and family behind in "Me Talk Pretty One Day," "Naked," and "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim," but still manages to find some new ones for this book. It is amazing how many good (and funny) stories are to be found in one family.

This book is his most polished so far and David has nearly perfected his unique delivery. After hearing (watching) him live for the second time, I realized that though his speech patterns are his own, he does plan his cadence and pauses very carefully for maximum effect. I have listened to all of his books and several of his broadcasts and having done so, I don't think I could "read" his books. Hearing him read his own stories is a big part of what makes David Sedaris so enjoyable.

If you have listened to David Sedaris books before, then you will feel right at home. If not, then listen to one or more of the earlier books mentioned above first. Either way, you will enjoy this audiobook.

Let's hope there isn't 5 more years before his next one.

Oh, and the music played between the stories IS great, too.

Another amazing book by David Sedaris.

I love this author. His amazing ability to find the humor in every day situations is outstanding.

Writing from personal experience, and over 35 years of journal entries, he weaves many stories in all of his essays and brings you into his world of the odd and interesting.
I would recommend this book for a good laugh, and urge you to hang on through the Stand By (talking about layovers and delays), and the essays written for debating teenagers.
I laughed out loud several times, and have purchased the hard copy to share with my friends.

So if you love a good laugh at every day situations, I would definitely recommend this book!

Non-stop laughter

Would you listen to Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls again? Why?

There aren't a lot of books I'd go back and listen to multiple times, but there are a few. There are definitely some stories in this one I would revisit and share with a friend or two.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls?

I find it very difficult to choose just one, but the two stories that I liked the best were the one about Obama being elected and the Europeans thinking it would never happen because Americans are too racist and the one where he talks about traveling abroad and learning German from the language recordings. Oh... and the young father with the special t-shirt in the airport. Can't forget that.

What about David Sedaris’s performance did you like?

Not only is he a wonderful writer, but he is a very entertaining narrator. He tells the stories in an almost acerbic manner, but so humorously. The thoughts he describes going through his head are so much like what I think, and I'm sure anyone else who enjoys him. This is a man that I would absolutely love to encounter in an airport or coffee shop and spend some time bitching about other people.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I enjoy listening to books while I do my grocery shopping. I go alone, so I like to disappear into my head. I use a set of bluetooth headphones and you can't see them under my long hair. I was listening to one of his stories while shopping the other day and noticed that a lot of people kept smiling at me. Then I realized that they thought I was smiling at them because I just couldn't stop laughing at David. They either thought I was extremely friendly or completely mental. Either way, I enjoyed that shopping trip very much.

Any additional comments?

I'm very glad my friend suggested David Sedaris to me. I'd never heard of him, but I will be enjoying him from now on.

Entertaining!

Where does Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Found this book entertaining - good worldly humouor. I found this an amusing piece of writing.

What other book might you compare Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls to and why?

Really? It was unique!

What about David Sedaris’s performance did you like?

I liked that the author read his own book as it added so much character to the writings.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No

Any additional comments?

None

Classic Sedaris

Where does Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the very best

What was one of the most memorable moments of Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls?

Too many to list.

What about David Sedaris’s performance did you like?

Outstanding creative vision and comedic timing.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Too long for one sitting, but very entertaining.

Any additional comments?

A few of the stories are repeats from other live performances that he has done, but the vast majority is new material.