Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls

By: David Sedaris

Narrated by: David Sedaris

From the unique perspective of David Sedaris comes a new book of essays taking his readers 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

Critic reviews

A dazzling collection

Very entertaining

What did you love best about Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls?

This was my first Sedaris book and I will definitely read more as a result. Very entertaining.

Great app

Great app, has everything you might need : sleep timer, free trials, und so weiter . Try it soon, try it now.

Not a fan I’m afraid

I was totally unfamiliar with Sedaris’ back catalogue when I started this audiobook. From my subsequent research, it seems the author has a distinctive and predictable style; essentially a series of semi-related, extremely personal, based-on-a-true-story essays strung together like mismatching baubles on an eclectic necklace. And what a bizarre and conflicting little necklace this book turns out to be.

Some of the chapters are true jewels --- preciously hilarious, wonderfully observed and dryly told pieces of satire. This is especially true of the chapters recorded at live book-readings with an audience. But the worst chapters are rotten --- like sodden, red Froot Loops masquerading as rubies.

After the first chapter, I was a “David Sedaris Convert”. I was ready to purchase every book he’d ever written, and I’d already decided Diabetes was clearly going to be a five-star listen. Although he peaked way too early, there were some genuinely funny moments speckled throughout. But there was just too much self-involved, self-righteous, self-pity to keep me interested.

There are definite shades of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” here (a series I adore by the way). While Larry David knows how to flirt perfectly with controversy, I’m afraid I can’t say the same for David Sedaris. Maybe he’s the kind of “character” who grows on you --- in which case I humbly suggest first-timers like me start with some of his earlier works and progress to Diabetes.

Oh, and by the way. I’m Australian and “kookaburra” is pronounced with a “cook” (like the chef), not a “kook” (like the eccentric neighbor). A small thing, but…

I’ll end on one positive note. The narration by the author is fantastic. More than a few times, some very average jokes were elevated beyond their station by Sedaris’ dry and knowing delivery. For fans of the hardcopy version (yes, I do realize many people love this book), the audio version would be a sound investment.