The Best Of Me, By David Sedaris

For more than twenty-five years, David Sedaris has been carving out a unique literary space. A Sedaris story may seem confessional, but is also highly attuned to the world outside. It opens our eyes to what is at absurd and moving about our daily existence. And it is almost impossible to read without laughing.

Now, for the first time collected in one volume, the author brings us his funniest and most memorable work. In these stories, Sedaris shops for rare taxidermy, hitchhikes with a lady quadriplegic, and spits a lozenge into a fellow traveler’s lap. He drowns a mouse in a bucket, struggles to say “give it to me” in five languages, and hand-feeds a carnivorous bird.

But if all you expect to find in Sedaris’s work is the deft and sharply observed comedy for which he became renowned, you may be surprised to discover that his words bring more warmth than mockery. Nowhere is this clearer than in his writing about his loved ones. Here, Sedaris explores falling in love and staying together, recognizing his own aging not in the mirror but in the faces of his siblings, losing one parent and coming to terms—at long last—with the other.

Full of joy, generosity, and the incisive humor that led Time Out New York to call David Sedaris “the funniest man alive”, The Best of Me spans a career spent watching and learning and laughing—quite often at himself—and invites readers deep into the world of one of the most brilliant and original writers of our time.

David Sedaris's funniest and most memorable stories in one collection. From quirky adventures—shopping for taxidermy, hitchhiking mishaps, and hand-feeding birds—to deeply moving reflections on love, family, and aging, these tales blend sharp comedy with genuine warmth. Sedaris's signature humor opens our eyes to the absurd and moving moments in everyday life, while his writing about loved ones reveals unexpected tenderness. A career-spanning collection from one of today's most brilliant and original writers.

The Best of Me is David Sedaris's collection of his funniest and most memorable stories. Blending sharp, absurd humor with unexpected warmth, these tales span quirky adventures and deeply personal reflections on love, family, and aging. Sedaris's signature wit opens readers' eyes to the moving and ridiculous moments in everyday life, while his writing about loved ones reveals genuine tenderness beneath the comedy. A career-spanning collection from one of today's most brilliant writers.