Our book group choice for April 2005 is Dress your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris. Sedaris returns to his deliriously twisted domain: hilarious childhood dramas infused with melancholy; the gulf of misunderstanding that exists between people of different nations or members of the same family; and the poignant divide between one’s best hopes and most common deeds.
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is a collection of 22 autobiographical essays by American humorist David Sedaris. The essays address the author’s upbringing in Raleigh, North Carolina, his relationships with family members, and his work and life in New York City and France.
The title of the book is a reference to Sedaris’s childhood, when his mother would dress him and his siblings in corduroy and denim. This was a way for her to show her love for them, and it also served as a reminder of their close-knit family.
The essays in Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim are often funny, but they also deal with more serious topics, such as death, grief, and addiction. Sedaris’s writing is insightful and honest, and he never shies away from the uncomfortable or the dark.
One of the most memorable essays in the book is “Us and Them,” which tells the story of Sedaris’s first encounter with racism. When he was a child, his family went on vacation to the beach, and Sedaris was shocked to see that the black people were forced to stay in a separate section of the hotel. This experience had a profound impact on Sedaris, and it helped to shape his views on race and discrimination.
Another powerful essay is “Change in Me,” which deals with Sedaris’s addiction to crystal meth. Sedaris writes about the dark days of his addiction, and how he eventually managed to get clean. This essay is a cautionary tale about the dangers of drug abuse, and it is also a testament to the power of recovery.
Discussion Questions
- What was David’s relationship with his mother and with his father? How did his relationships impact his life?
- What style of parenting did David’s parents have? How did their parenting impact their children as adults?
- How were David’s parents guilty of committing child abuse? Provide examples. What different types of child abuse are there?
- What behavior did Lou have that was a constant source of disappointment to his wife and children? How did that impact the relationships between father and children?
- How did bias against homosexuality impact David? How did each of his parents react to his sexual orientation?
- What were some signs that David had an obsessive-compulsive disorder? How did it impact his life?
- Why was it risky for David to befriend Brandi? What did he learn from that incident? Why was he lucky to avoid a bigger problem from that relationship?