The Best of Me (Sedaris book)
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Books |
The Best of Me is a curated anthology of essays and short stories by American humorist David Sedaris, published by Little, Brown and Company on November 3, 2020. Sedaris handpicked each piece, most of which had been featured in his previous collections, except for five essays that debuted exclusively in The New Yorker.
Critics responded favorably to the compilation, with outlets like The New York Times and The Christian Science Monitor noting Sedaris's shift from humor centered on eccentricity and harshness to more personal narratives exploring themes of love, family dynamics, and aging. Both the hardcover and paperback versions secured spots on The New York Times Best Seller list.
In the book’s introduction, Sedaris explains that every essay included represents the kind of writing he aimed to achieve when he started at age 20. He expresses a fondness for his newer works, as they have had less time to lose their appeal. During an interview with WBUR, he mentioned deliberately leaving out the well-known essay "Santaland Diaries" because he wanted to "hurt its feelings."
Speaking with the Houston Chronicle, Sedaris confessed that much of his earlier writing now embarrasses him, with even pieces from just ten years ago feeling outdated. Notably, The Best of Me contains only one story each from 1994’s Barrel Fever and 1997’s Naked.
Sedaris shared with WBUR that the collection was initially intended as an audio project, selecting essays he enjoyed narrating aloud. He did not embark on a tour to promote The Best of Me and told Entertainment Weekly that there was less pressure to achieve top rankings on the bestseller charts since the book consists of previously published material.
Essays
Primarily drawing on Sedaris’s earlier publications, The Best of Me also introduces five essays appearing for the first time in one of his collections; these were originally published in The New Yorker between 1996 and 2020.
| Title | Original Publication | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Glen's Homophobia Newsletter Vol. 3, No. 2 | Barrel Fever | |
| Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol | Holidays on Ice | |
| Christmas Means Giving | Holidays on Ice | |
| The Incomplete Quad | Naked | |
| Girl Crazy | N/A | |
| Card Wired | N/A | |
| How to Spend the Budget Surplus | N/A | |
| You Can't Kill the Rooster | Me Talk Pretty One Day | |
| Me Talk Pretty One Day | Me Talk Pretty One Day | |
| Jesus Shaves | Me Talk Pretty One Day | |
| Dog Days | Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls | |
| Us and Them | Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim | |
| Let It Snow | Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim | |
| The Ship Shape | Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim | |
| Repeat After Me | Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim | |
| Six to Eight Black Men | Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim | |
| Possession | Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim | |
| Nuit of the Living Dead | Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim | |
| Solution to Saturday's Puzzle | When You Are Engulfed in Flames | |
| The Understudy | When You Are Engulfed in Flames | |
| Town and Country | When You Are Engulfed in Flames | |
| In the Waiting Room | When You Are Engulfed in Flames | |
| Undecided | N/A | |
| The Cat and the Baboon | Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk | |
| The Motherless Bear | Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk | |
| The Faithful Setter | Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk | |
| Dentists Without Borders | Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls | |
| Memory Laps | Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls | |
| Think Differenter | Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls | |
| Loggerheads | Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls | |
| If I Ruled the World | Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls | |
| Easy, Tiger | Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls | |
| Laugh, Kookaburra | Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls | |
| Just a Quick E-Mail | Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls | |
| A Guy Walks into a Bar Car | Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls | |
| Standing By | Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls | |
| Understanding Understanding Owls | Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls | |
| Now We Are Five | Calypso | |
| A House Divided | Calypso | |
| The Perfect Fit | Calypso | |
| Leviathan | Calypso | |
| A Modest Proposal | Calypso | |
| Why Aren't You Laughing? | Calypso | |
| The Spirit World | 'Calypso' | |
| N/A | Subsequently included in Happy-Go-Lucky |
Reception
Published in November 2020, The Best of Me received Editors' Choice recognition from The New York Times Book Review and was honored as Best Book of the Month by both CNN and The Christian Science Monitor. It appeared on The New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction Best Seller List for three weeks, while its 2021 paperback release maintained a spot on the Paperback Nonfiction list for sixteen straight weeks.
In a review for The New York Times, writer Andrew Sean Greer described it as "the finest work Sedaris has produced," emphasizing the transition from his previous "rock-star journey" narratives to more personal reflections on love and family. Greer observed Sedaris’s development from humor rooted in cruelty toward an exploration of the joys and sorrows associated with aging. Likewise, Heller McAlpin of The Christian Science Monitor praised the book’s progression from outrageous tirades to more heartfelt content. Kirkus Reviews referred to it as "one of the most hilarious—and authentic—books in recent memory," applauding Sedaris’s talent for portraying human awkwardness and unease.
Both Greer and McAlpin endorsed the collection for both new readers and longtime fans, with Greer highlighting its comedic approach to life’s toughest challenges and McAlpin describing it as "an excellent highlights compilation." Kirkus Reviews deemed it "essential reading for admirers of the poet laureate of human imperfections."
Jamie Keenan’s cover artwork was spotlighted in LitHub's "The 10 Best Book Covers of November," characterized as "scholarly, irreverent, playful, and just a touch... menacing," visually reminiscent of a ransom note.