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)

Entertaining!

Of course it's a plus that David Sedaris performs as much as he reads his essays. And of course it's a plus that they are witty and provocative. The only real down-side is when he touches a sensitive nerve or two, but then I suppose that's what provocative essays are designed to do. The essays at the beginning are much better than those at the end, which were sort of ridiculous. I listened during my commute and was sorry that it only lasted about a week.

David Sedaris !

Would you consider the audio edition of Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls to be better than the print version?

Yes

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

the Amtrak bar car story

What about David Sedaris’s performance did you like?

his hilarious unpretentious take on the world.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

making a movie of this book would be such a mistake

Any additional comments?

The only thing better than reading David Sedaris is listening to david Sedaris reading his own words

Necessary

I love reading David Sedaris books, but doesn't it just take his work to another place when he narrates? Bravo.

Would have been miffed if I had paid for this.

I selected this book as a freebie, to try out Audible. I felt that I had to say that straight out, even though it makes me seem like an ungrateful jerk. Got this book FOR FREE by an author I enjoy, and here I am giving it two fours and a three. That being said, I leave it to you to decide if I should have written this.
I enjoy Sedaris' writing.Well, I guess I enjoyed his earlier stuff a bit more.
Some of the essays in this new book struck me as very mean spirited, meant to shock for shock's value only, but that's just my opinion, as a gun-loving Libertarian who supports gay marriage.
Don't get me wrong, the chapter about China, dealing with the bizarre food and people defecating and hawking up mucus wherever the whim took them was truly hilarious.
The chapter on Obama was fantastic, and I didn't even vote for him.
But then towards the end, some of the satire struck me as just plain...boring.
HOLIDAYS ON ICE has an essay dealing with a family's Christmas letter to their friends and family. Filled with truly horrendous stuff, but it makes me laugh out loud. It was narrated by a very talented actress, Ann Magnuson. I love hearing David perform his work, but maybe he should have asked his sister Amy to help?
I completely understand that he's angry about gay marriage not being the law of the land. But the tide is turning. Minnesota just made it legal.
Some of these tales made me feel as if I was being punished for something I didn't do.
Not a terrible book, but kind of a let down after the great WHEN YOU ARE ENGULFED IN FLAMES.
I keep reading and re-reading this review. It's just my opinion, but to paraphrase David himself, I feel like I've kicked a kitten.

Listen to the credits

Any additional comments?

Other reviewers complain that it's not as fresh as his older works, but its good moments are great. The dog poetry would do Ogden Nash proud. Even the production credits at the end had me laughing out loud.

Great stories, but many recycled from other media.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I love all these Sedaris gems, but had heard several of them before on such shows as "This American Life," and "The Moth."

Sedaris comes through again!

I've enjoyed David Sedaris for a long time now, and this book is no exception. It holds true to what one expects from Sedaris: it's clever, cutting, funny, and when you often least expect it, poignant. It's not quite as purely flat out funny like some of his other autobiographical experiences, but there's enough here to give his many fans a feeling of being back with their old buddy, and enough pure witty moments to gain converts. This is also one of those books that I think you can appreciate even more if you listen to each of the stories with a break in between. Too much snarky can be tiring, but it's always fun.

Some good some boring

There's some really enjoyable chapters in this. Enough that it was well worth the $5 I got it for on sale. There's a few places that were boring. There's a few places that would probably be funny to someone else.

Outside of being funny there's a lot of enjoyable insight in these essays and the writer does a good job as the narrator.

Awesome

Was great to hear all his essays in one place. Great stuff. Both serious and hilarious. Just what you would expect from him.

Definitely one of his funniest collections

I've had mixed feelings about David Sedaris books but something about this one really hit home with me. And I'll admit that I think I enjoyed it more because it's an audiobook experience and a lot of the nuances of his stories were tied nicely to how he read them aloud. This book is a great mix of stories of his life but also some crazy fictional pieces that are there to make a point about this or that subject. Very witty and the smart kind of funny that we need more of in this world.