Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

Last updated
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Dressyourfamilyincorduroyanddenim.jpg
Author David Sedaris
Cover artistJacket design by Chip Kidd
LanguageEnglish
Genre Essay collection
Publisher Little, Brown and Company
Publication date
June 1, 2004
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages272 (hardcover)
ISBN 0-316-14346-4 (first edition, hardcover)
OCLC 53138732
814/.54 22
LC Class PS3569.E314 R47 2004
Preceded by Me Talk Pretty One Day  
Followed by When You Are Engulfed in Flames  

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is a collection of essays by American humorist David Sedaris. It was released in the United States by Little, Brown and Company on June 1, 2004. The essays detail the author's upbringing in Raleigh, North Carolina, his relationships with family members, and his work and life in both New York City and France.

Contents

The book received praise upon its release, with critics from such publications as The New York Times and Entertainment Weekly highlighting its focus on Sedaris's family as the heart of the entire collection. [1] [2] Reviews also noted an evolution in Sedaris's writing, finding Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim's essays to be more introspective, somber, adult, and emotionally resonant than the author's earlier, more hyperbolic material. [2] [3] [4] The book debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list for Hardcover nonfiction [5] and won the 2004 Lambda Literary Award for Humor. [6]

Background

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is a collection of twenty-two essays by the author David Sedaris. Twenty-one of them had previously appeared in publications [1] such as The New Yorker [7] and Esquire . [8] Sedaris originally intended to name the book Repeat After Me, taken from his favorite story of the bunch, but he worried that it was too similar to the title of his then-most recent essay collection, Me Talk Pretty One Day . He changed the name when his partner Hugh dreamed of a man reading a book entitled Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, which he thought was a great title, even if he could not see its relevance to the contents of the book. [9]

The book includes a number of stories about Sedaris's family and childhood, which was not a conscious decision on the author's part. During an interview with NPR's Fresh Air , he told host Terry Gross that whenever he received a themed writing assignment from The New Yorker, or from Ira Glass for a This American Life segment, he found his youth to be a deep well from which he could usually draw an appropriate story. He also told Gross that he tried to not fall into the trap of portraying himself as a cleverer child than he had actually beenhe firmly believed that he had not in fact been particularly clever, athletic, or attractive as a boy. [10]

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim's cover art was created by graphic designer Chip Kidd. It features the torso of a naked doll, and Kidd, speaking to Time magazine, cited it as a cover that needed to have visceral appeal while also being appropriate to the book's title. [11]

Essays

  1. "Us and Them"
    • Childhood memories of a family "who don't believe in TV"
  2. "Let It Snow"
    • The day when Sedaris's mother locked her children out in the snow
  3. "The Ship Shape"
    • Childhood memories of the second home that his father never bought
  4. "Full House"
    • A childhood game of strip poker gives the young Sedaris a touching moment
  5. "Consider the Stars"
    • Reflecting on the cool kid at school
  6. "Monie Changes Everything"
    • Sedaris's rich aunt
  7. "The Change in Me"
    • The 13-year-old Sedaris wants to act like a hippie
  8. "Hejira"
    • Sedaris' father kicks him out of his house due to his homosexuality
  9. "Slumus Lordicus"
    • Sedaris's father's experiences as a landlord of a Section 8 apartment complex in the early 1980s
  10. "The Girl Next Door"
    • Sedaris's relationship with a girl from a troubled family
  11. "Blood Work"
    • A case of mistaken identity while cleaning houses
  12. "The End of the Affair"
    • Sedaris and Hugh's different reactions to a love story
  13. "Repeat After Me"
    • Sedaris's visit to his sister Lisa, and his family's feelings about being the subject of his essays
  14. "Six to Eight Black Men"
  15. "Rooster at the Hitchin' Post"
    • Sedaris's younger brother is born and gets married
  16. "Possession"
  17. "Put a Lid on It"
    • A visit to Sedaris's sister Tiffany's home, and their relationship
  18. "A Can of Worms"
    • Sedaris's mind wanders as he, Hugh, and a friend eat at a diner
  19. "Chicken in the Henhouse"
    • Prejudiced attitudes towards homosexuals in America
  20. "Who's the Chef?"
    • Bickering between two people in a long-term relationship
  21. "Baby Einstein"
    • The arrival of his brother's first baby
  22. "Nuit of the Living Dead"
    • A late night encounter at home in rural France

Reception

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim received largely positive reviews. Augusten Burroughs of Entertainment Weekly called it the best book of Sedaris's career, deeming it a "brilliant comic performance" with "a deftly shaken cocktail of wit, weirdness, and melancholy," and prose that he found both elegant and skillful. The essay "Put a Lid On It" was singled out as a particularly moving and tear-jerking story, and "Rooster at the Hitchin' Post" as "screamingly, blood-vessel-burstingly funny." [1] Kirkus Reviews highlighted Sedaris's deadpan humor and sense of life's absurdity, [12] and Tasha Robinson of The A.V. Club lauded the book's humor as "down-to-earth, mutedly funny." [3]

The book's spotlight on Sedaris's family was well-received, with Kirkus Reviews noting that his lacerations of them were "not without affection even when the sting is strongest." [12] Burroughs's review also praised Sedaris's affectionate detailing of his family's eccentricities, [1] and Robinson felt that it was one of the collection's greatest strengths, helping showcase the author's "evolution toward plainer and sparer storytelling." [3] Writer Michiko Kakutani, reviewing the collection for The New York Times , called Sedaris's family reminiscences the heart of the book, and suggested that they "attest to the author's evolution from comic writer to full-fledged memoirist." [2]

Kakutani also observed a strain of introspection that was new to Sedaris and thought that it differed from his earlier, self-deprecating stand-upesque material, coming off as a more Chekhovian brand of comedy. She also felt that unlike Sedaris's earlier collections, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim was a book "with more emotional resonance, a more complex aftertaste." [2] Robinson asserted that Sedaris's comedy was more withdrawn, somber, and adult than usual, as well as less hyperbolic, but she also saw a familiar wry charm as he discussed events that were just as outlandish as ever. [3]

Also writing for The New York Times, critic Stephen Metcalf mused on the author's evolution by opining that his newfound success and happiness were "harder and harder to retail as genuine angst." He observed that Sedaris's now-comfortable life was forcing him to mine his own conscience for story material, and that Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim included a "strange, new attitude of self-reckoning" on Sedaris's part. He praised the new outlook, believing that Sedaris had perfected "the quick, tidy, sermonical soul-search" that could balance out his "plush new life as a publishing-world rock star." He singled out Possession, a story about touring the Anne Frank House, as a humorous dig by Sedaris at his own conscience, [4] but Kakutani disagreed, calling it one of two stories that "feel like strained, self-conscious efforts to generate material" and which should not have been included. [2]

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim was released on June 1, 2004, [12] and it debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list for Hardcover nonfiction for the week of June 20. [5] It remained in the top spot for one more week [13] and ultimately spent sixteen weeks on the list. [14] It went on to win the 2004 Award for Humor from the Lambda Literary Awards, [6] an organization that champions LGBT books and authors. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Sedaris</span> American humorist and author (born 1956)

David Raymond Sedaris is an American humorist, comedian, author, and radio contributor. He was publicly recognized in 1992 when National Public Radio broadcast his essay "Santaland Diaries". He published his first collection of essays and short stories, Barrel Fever, in 1994. His next book, Naked (1997), became his first of a series of New York Times Bestsellers, and his 2000 collection Me Talk Pretty One Day won the Thurber Prize for American Humor.

<i>Naked</i> (book) 1997 essay collection by David Sedaris

Naked, published in 1997, is a collection of essays by American humorist David Sedaris. The book details Sedaris’ life, from his unusual upbringing in the suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina, to his booze-and-drug-ridden college years, to his Kerouacian wandering as a young adult. The book became a best-seller and was acclaimed for its wit, dark humor and irreverent tackling of tragic events, including the death of Sedaris’ mother. Prior to publication, several of the essays were read by the author on the Public Radio International program This American Life.

<i>Me Talk Pretty One Day</i> 2000 essay collection by David Sedaris

Me Talk Pretty One Day, published in 2000, is a collection of essays by American humorist David Sedaris. The book is separated into two parts. The first part consists of essays about Sedaris’s life before his move to Normandy, France, including his upbringing in suburban Raleigh, North Carolina, his time working odd jobs in New York City, and a visit to New York from a childhood friend and her bumpkinish girlfriend. The second section, "Deux", tells of Sedaris’s move to Normandy with his partner Hugh, often drawing humor from his efforts to live in France without speaking French and his frustrated attempts to learn it. Prior to publication, several of the essays were read by the author on the Public Radio International program, This American Life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Borowitz</span> American writer, comedian, satirist and actor

Andy Borowitz is an American writer, comedian, satirist, and actor. Borowitz is a New York Times-bestselling author who won the first National Press Club award for humor. He is known for creating the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the satirical column The Borowitz Report.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augusten Burroughs</span> American writer (born 1965)

Augusten Xon Burroughs is an American writer best known for his New York Times bestselling memoir Running with Scissors (2002).

Can of worms is an idiom referring to a slew of subsequent problems and dilemmas arising from a decision or action. The phrase may also refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michiko Kakutani</span> American critic, writer (b. 1955)

Michiko Kakutani is an American writer and retired literary critic, best known for reviewing books for The New York Times from 1983 to 2017. In that role, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Rakoff</span> Canadian-American humorist and essayist (1964–2012)

David Benjamin Rakoff was a Canadian-born American writer of prose and poetry based in New York City, who wrote humorous and sometimes autobiographical non-fiction essays. Rakoff was an essayist, journalist, and actor, and a regular contributor to WBEZ's This American Life. Rakoff described himself as a "New York writer" who also happened to be a "Canadian writer", a "mega Jewish writer", a "gay writer", and an "East Asian Studies major who has forgotten most of his Japanese" writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Haslett</span> American writer and journalist (born 1970)

Adam Haslett is an American fiction writer and journalist. His debut short story collection, You Are Not a Stranger Here, and his second novel, Imagine Me Gone, were both finalists for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. He has been awarded fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the American Academy in Berlin. In 2017, he won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felice Picano</span> American writer, publisher, and critic (born 1944)

Felice Picano is an American writer, publisher, and critic who has encouraged the development of gay literature in the United States. His work is documented in many sources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">André Aciman</span> Writer and professor (born 1951)

André Aciman is an Italian-American writer. Born and raised in Alexandria, Egypt, he is currently a distinguished professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where he teaches the history of literary theory and the works of Marcel Proust. Aciman previously taught creative writing at New York University and French literature at Princeton University and Bard College.

Michael Thomas Ford is an American author of primarily gay-themed literature. He is best known for his "My Queer Life" series of comedic essay collections and for his award-winning novels Last Summer, Looking for It, Full Circle, Changing Tides, and What We Remember.

<i>When You Are Engulfed in Flames</i> 2008 book by David Sedaris

When You Are Engulfed in Flames is a collection of essays by American humorist David Sedaris. It was published on June 3, 2008.

Bob Smith was an American comedian and author. Born in Buffalo, New York, Smith was the first openly gay comedian to appear on The Tonight Show and the first openly gay comedian to have his own HBO half-hour comedy special. Smith, along with fellow comedians Jaffe Cohen and Danny McWilliams, formed the comedy troupe Funny Gay Males in 1988.

<i>I Was Told Thered Be Cake</i> 2008 collection of essays by Sloane Crosley

I Was Told There'd Be Cake is a 2008 collection of essays by American writer and literary publicist Sloane Crosley. It was a New York Times best seller.

<i>The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family</i> 2005 book by Dan Savage

The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family is a non-fiction book by Dan Savage. It was first published by Dutton in 2005. The book delves into the author's experiences with his partner Terry Miller and their adopted son as they decide whether or not to get married. Throughout the course of the book, Savage incorporates an analysis of the debate over same-sex marriage within society.

Michael Arceneaux is an American writer. He is the author of three essay collections: I Can't Date Jesus, I Don't Want to Die Poor (2020), and I Finally Bought Some Jordans (2024).

<i>I Cant Date Jesus</i> Book by Michael Arceneaux

I Can’t Date Jesus: Love, Sex, Family, Race, and Other Reasons I’ve Put My Faith in Beyoncé is a 2018 collection of essays by Michael Arceneaux. Published by Atria Books, the collection includes seventeen essays, discussing Arceneaux's conflicting identities, his internalized homophobia, his journey as a writer, and his experiences dating. It also discusses his passion for the singer Beyoncé, who shares his hometown of Houston, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. Eric Thomas</span> American writer

R. Eric Thomas is an American author, playwright, television writer and advice columnist. He is best known for his essay collection Here For It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America (2020).

<i>The Best of Me</i> (Sedaris book) 2020 essay and fiction collection by David Sedaris

The Best of Me is a compilation of essays and short fiction by American humorist David Sedaris. It was released by Little, Brown and Company on November 3, 2020, with every entry in the collection selected by Sedaris himself. All of the works had previously appeared in earlier books by Sedaris, save for five essays which had only been published in The New Yorker.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Augusten Burroughs (June 4, 2004). "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Michiko Kakutani (June 11, 2004). "BOOKS OF THE TIMES; On the Comedy Freeway, In the Introspective Lane". The New York Times . Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Tasha Robinson (June 4, 2004). "David Sedaris: Dress Your Family In Corduroy And Denim". The A.V. Club . Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Stephen Metcalf (June 20, 2004). "Exercises in Humiliation". The New York Times . Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "The New York Times Best Seller List June 20, 2004" (PDF). Hawes Publications. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Previous Winners - Lambda Literary Awards Finalists & Winners (2004)". Lambda Literary Awards . Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  7. David Sedaris (December 14, 2003). "Let It Snow". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  8. David Sedaris (December 1, 2002). "Six to Eight Black Men". Esquire . Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  9. EW Staff (January 23, 2004). "Early word on Sedaris' "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim"". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  10. Terry Gross (June 15, 2004). "David Sedaris Talks About Corduroy and Denim". NPR . Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  11. Michele Orecklin (May 29, 2005). "10 Questions for Chip Kidd". Time . Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 Kirkus Reviews (April 15, 2004). "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" . Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  13. "The New York Times Best Seller List June 27, 2004" (PDF). Hawes Publications. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  14. "The New York Times Best Seller List October 3, 2004" (PDF). Hawes Publications. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  15. "Mission & History". Lambda Literary Awards . Retrieved August 21, 2024.


Preceded by #1 New York Times Best Seller Non-Fiction
June 20, 2004 – June 27, 2004
Succeeded by
Big Russ and Me
by Tim Russert