Barrel Fever: Stories and Essays

In David Sedaris' world, no one is safe and no cow is sacred. A manic cross between Mark Leyner, Fran Lebowitz, and the National Enquirer, Sedaris' collection of essays is a rollicking tour through the national Zeitgeist: a do-it-yourself suburban dad saves money by performing home surgery; a man who is loved too much flees the heavyweight champion of the world; a teenage suicide tries to incite a lynch mob at her funeral; a bitter Santa abuses the elves.
David Sedaris made his debut on NPR's Morning Edition with "SantaLand Diaries", recounting his strange-but-true experiences as an elf at Macy's, and soon became one of the show's most popular commentators. With a perfect eye and a voice infused with as much empathy as wit, Sedaris writes stories and essays that target the soulful ridiculousness of our behavior. Barrel Fever is like a blind date with modern life, and anything can happen.

• Naked
• When You Are Engulfed in Flames
• Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
• Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary
• Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls
• Holidays on Ice
• Me Talk Pretty One Day
• Calypso
• Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules
• Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002)