Summary of Autobiography Me Talk Pretty One Day

Me Talk Pretty One Day is an autobiography told by a twisted storyteller. It is the account of David Sedaris’s life ranging from his boyhood in North Carolina to his residence in Normandy with his boyfriend Hugh. The story is comprised by a collection of scathingly humorous essays. He begins with his sessions in speech therapy, setting the stage for his eternal struggle with language. The rest of his upbringing is defined by his own lack of a defining quality. His father selfishly attempts to fill with music. All the while Sedaris is hilariously insulting in his description of his childhood struggles with sexuality, academics, and family bonding. Eventually Sedaris finds identity in drugs and conceptual art, but given his complete lack of artistic talent, this life fails him too. Sedaris continues to play with the absurdities of the English language, including an account of an extremely foul-mouthed younger brother, until “Part Deux” transfers his focus on his inability to understand French. As if he is back with his speech coach in elementary school, Sedaris is once again the subject of linguistic and cultural ridicule, finding it difficult to assimilate and communicate. Yet he is even criticized by American tourists who believe he is French and unable to speak English. Me Talk Pretty One Day does not take its readers from point A to point B, but throughout the collection, Sedaris provides a disturbing but funny assault on his own battles with language and adaptation.

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