Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002) by David Sedaris (Epub)

Description

For forty years, David Sedaris has kept a diary in which he records everything that captures his attention-overheard comments, salacious gossip, soap opera plot twists, secrets confided by total strangers. These observations are the source code for his finest work, and through them he has honed his cunning, surprising sentences.

Now, Sedaris shares his private writings with the world. Theft by Finding, the first of two volumes, is the story of how a drug-abusing dropout with a weakness for the International House of Pancakes and a chronic inability to hold down a real job became one of the funniest people on the planet.

Written with a sharp eye and ear for the bizarre, the beautiful, and the uncomfortable, and with a generosity of spirit that even a misanthropic sense of humor can’t fully disguise, Theft By Finding proves that Sedaris is one of our great modern observers. It’s a potent reminder that when you’re as perceptive and curious as Sedaris, there’s no such thing as a boring day.

User’s Reviews

Review PRAISE FOR THEFT BY FINDING: “Starve and Struggle. Feast. Bloat. These are the three stages that all artists – with some variation – go through in their careers…So it’s encouraging to read 25 years of David Sedaris’s diaries, and not just because he manages to defeat Bloat. It’s helpful to see that a voice as original, hilarious and sometimes as infuriating as his was put through the same Struggle and Starve meat grinder that most of us go through…No one escapes Bloat, but many survive it. Maybe not with the grace, whining, hilarity and eye-rolling that Sedaris does. But through all 25 years of “Theft by Finding” – of soap opera addictions and spider feeding, family kookiness and language lessons – Sedaris’s developing voice is the lifeline that pulls him through the murk.”―Patton Oswalt, New York Times Book Review”If it’s hard to be funny, it’s an astounding feat to stay funny–wildly, wickedly, ingeniously so–for more than twenty years. Yet David Sedaris has somehow pulled it off, in exhilarating essays that zero in on the absurd and the poignant with eviscerating wit and radiant humanity….Fans will no doubt delight in the entries that will turn into Sedaris’s most beloved essays…We’re treated to a portrait of the artist as a young man, albeit one with an old and singular soul.” ―Fiona Maazel, O, The Oprah Magazine”A standout… Whether he’s in an IHOP in Raleigh or his apartment in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, his eye for the absurd and the vulgar is infallible and his deadpan prose style inimitable…Here, the relatively artless diary entries, short and long, sequenced and non sequitur, add up to something we’ve never gotten before–a big, juicy narrative arc. It comprises 25 years of an essentially heartwarming success story, any potential ickiness kept in check by Sedaris’s judicious minimalism.”―Marion Winik, Newsday”Mesmerizing… Delightful… Sedaris describes the world around him… the vast and splendid array of human life that can be observed at IHOP, or the vagaries of fruit picking… Reading Theft by Finding is like watching a favorite play from behind the scenes, in the company of a friend who can identify what is absurd and heartbreaking and human about every person on stage.”―Annalisa Quinn, NPR”Sedaris, a master of incisive and comic cultural criticism, is about to get more personal than ever…Theft by Finding reveals intimate details of this literary luminary’s life and mind–all told with his singular sense of humor.”―Harper’s Bazaar”Sedaris fans will thrill to this opportunity to poke around in the writer’s personal diaries, which he has faithfully kept for four decades and used as raw material for his hilarious nonfiction as well as his performances.”―Paul S. Makishima, Boston Globe”If you’ve had the good fortune of seeing Sedaris on tour, you’ve probably heard him read from one of his snarky and hilariously solipsistic diary entries. Finally, they’re collected in one place for the first time.”―Entertainment Weekly”Randomly open to any page of Theft by Finding and you’ll find a gem… Sedaris’s gift is to make you stop and think one moment and laugh out loud the next.”―Rob Merrill, Associated Press”Here, in these as-it-happened accounts and jottings, is a rich chunk of the mother lode from which David Sedaris has mined his personal essays and performances. The extracts in Theft by Finding cover what may be called the disconsolate IHOP years, when he was a college dropout, rootless casual worker and aspiring artist, and those during which he became a celebrity…. The appeal of these diary entries lies in their spareness and in Sedaris’s boundless relish for the absurdity of life…. The Sedaris of these diaries is, above all, a connoisseur of annoying things and of bothersome and downright dreadful people.” ―Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post”This is Sedaris, who can be wickedly funny as well as deliciously insightful about modern mores – so the nuggets are big and shiny and well worth panning for… His eccentric existence is eminently enthralling.”―David Holahan, USA Today”The thrill of Sedaris’s nonfiction lies in the absurd details of his memories, burnished with…polish and comic timing…Now we’ll finally have access to the raw material — fragments of the writer’s personal diaries that you might recognize from the banter in his prolific and hilarious live readings.” ―Boris Kachka, New York”Of course you’re going to buy, read, laugh, ponder, read. He is one of our best comic writers, one of our most thought-provoking, and–who knew?–a dedicated diarist.”―John Timpane, Philadelphia Inquirer”Sedaris’s diaries are the wellspring for his cuttingly funny autobiographical essays, and he now presents a mesmerizing volume of deftly edited passages…Sedaris is caustically witty about his bad habits and artistic floundering…A candid, socially incisive, and sharply amusing chronicle of the evolution of an arresting comedic artist.” ―Donna Seaman, Booklist (starred review)”Raw glimpses of the humorist’s personal life as he clambered from starving artist to household name…Though the mood is usually light, the book is also a more serious look into his travails as an artist and person…A surprisingly poignant portrait of the artist as a young to middle-aged man.” ―Kirkus (Starred Review)”A David Sedaris book is always a welcome addition to any personal library – his hilarity, his self-deprecation, his compassion for (and amusement with) the human condition, and his clear joy at making his readers laugh out loud are all what make a David Sedaris book great.”―E. Ce Miller, Bustle”Peak Sedaris…A real journey, and catnip for his most loyal fans.” ―Jinnie Lee and Maura M. Lynch, WMagazine.com”For those curious about the mind of a comic genius, this is a great place to start.” ―Melissa Kravitz, amNewYork”Filled with rich and unfailingly sharp observations…There are moments of sadness…but this is not a sad book; instead, it’s a gloriously weird one…This is a diary that shows us how Sedaris’s powers of observation and his intense investment in his own perspective have enriched his life and, by extension, ours.”―Kelly Blewett, BookPage”Scintillating… Sedaris is a latter-day Charlie Chaplin: droll, put-upon but not innocent, and besieged by all sorts of obstreperous or menacing folks… Sedaris’s storytelling, even in diary jottings, is consistently well-crafted and hilarious.”―Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)”Wildly entertaining….This book is flat-out memerizing.” ―Laurie Hertzel, Minneapolis Star-Tribune”A summer in which there is a new Sedaris book is the very definition of a good summer.”―Ann Patchett, author of Commonwealth”Diary entries shouldn’t be this good, but considering Sedaris’s output, it’s not surprising that this collection is a worthy addition to his name…Like much of Sedaris’s deceivingly simple prose, the enjoyment comes not from its very basic conceit but its sharp observations and bone-dry humor.”―Caitlin PenzeyMoog, A.V. Club”The Sedaris diaries are laced with snark, wit and trenchant observations, personal and public.”―Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel”As brilliant and hilarious as anything Sedaris has previously published.”―Zack Ruskin, SF Weekly

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ I’m normally a huge Sedaris fan but I had a tough time getting through this one. It’s a collection of diary entries, the majority of them being very short, about three or four sentences, often covering the same topics again and again. As such, the first 2/3 of the book drags and I kept putting it down and coming back to it days later. It closes strong, with the entries becoming longer and the writing becoming engaging and humorous towards the end. I don’t regret reading it but I do wish I’d just waited and checked it out of the library instead of forking over the cash.

⭐ If you’ve read all of David Sedaris’ books, attended one or more of of his performances, followed him on NPR or have read his magazine articles, you’ll enjoy this book. I loved looking back on his younger years and early observations–and especially loved seeing his list of dreams and goals, and how many of them came to fruition. He also gave us a deeper view into his mom’s alcohol addiction and his sister Tiffany’s mental illness. I’d recommend this specifically to his fans and followers and look forward to reading his next 15+ years of diaries. I rated it 5 stars because I couldn’t put it down and laughed a lot in the middle of the night. He just never disappoints.

⭐ As far as I’m concerned, the release of any new book by David Sedaris is always cause for celebration. I don’t care if it’s another collection memoirs, fiction, or just one long account of him catching flies to feed to his house spiders in Normandy (yes, please). I don’t need to know anything about it ahead of time, my pre-order is placed at the first mention. In this case it’s 25 years of Sedaris’ diary entries. If you’ve read his books of autobiographical essays, this tome provides fascinating glimpses of periods and events you’ve read about before, from various forms of drug abuse, odd jobs, and faithful nightly visits to IHOP to interactions with his parents and siblings, life in France with his partner, sobriety, and life on seemingly endless book tours. Only this time it’s more personal, because – at least originally – these diary entries were simply written for Sedaris himself. It’s a pretty amazing thing to read what a person chose to record for and about themselves from age 21 to 46. I also thoroughly enjoyed all the mentions of David’s sister, Amy Sedaris. It’s clear she’s always been the glorious and talented weirdo she is today. I hope Sedaris intends to publish more of his diaries someday. I’ll be ready.

⭐ Not only funny, but insightful, because I really find David’s history and life and how he became who he is today to be fascinating. To say that I’m a fan of David Sedaris is to understate my devotion, because I literally cannot get enough of his work. I first saw David in person in a small bookstore, in Berkeley, before he made it big, and have delighted in seeing his success since. Whether reading or listening, I do it over and over. So true to form, I first bought this book, then downloaded it as an audio. I listened to it while driving 800 miles recently on a grim journey, and it was just the thing to lighten a tough time. David’s voice is half the fun, but it’s just as fun to read it in written form. I can’t wait for the next issue, 2003-2017.

⭐ I had trouble putting the Diaries down once I started reading. And what made that feel odd was that there was no plot or story line. I just couldn’t wait to see what might happen next, where the author might go, and who he might meet up with along the way. Then, upon reaching the end, I wanted more. Thank you Mr. Sedaris for sharing your wit, humor and keen observations.

⭐ Here’s the thing. This is not a book you sit down and start with of his work. In fact, he even states in his intro that he doesn’t expect people to pick this up and read it cover to cover. I chose to because I am seeing him on his tour and wanted to be prepared and have ready most of his books and love him. All of his previous work is funny and entertaining but this does take a darker dive into his life. You see a rawer side him but I do feel his wit shines through.If you are an avid David fan, read this after reading some of his other books. I was able to tie some of his diary entries his short stories! Like the time his brother almost drowned and he talked about in the story about his brothers weddinh in When You are Engulfed in Flames. It was pretty cool to see the diary entry where he talked about he and his brother swimming and almost drowning.But like I said – go into this later. Don’t let this be your first book of his.I found it cool to see the start of his stories. That he wrote in his diaries and then expanded in his essays in his books.

⭐ David has become the PG Woodhouse of his era. Unfortunately, this includes publishing SOME reruns. Great writing​ as always and some tales are new. But you will be frustrated when you recognize you read that story before. I LOVE David but he needs to get out more.

⭐ It is easy to understand how the author David Sedaris has become very popular over the years with his special talent of making every day experiences very funny, making you laugh, sometimes out loud.Indeed, as everyone knows the funniest things in life are our common life experiences. This 514-page soft cover book (Theft by finding diaries. 1977-2002 by David Sedaris), which I purchased on Amazon for a bargain price, is fantastic. I found it to be both entertaining and humorous.This collection of memoirs covers his time when he was young living with his family. We learn about the various issues most families have but do not talk about, but David Sedaris seems to have no trouble revealing personal things about him and his family. His writing skills bring out the humor in everyday incidents and situations makes for a fun and entertaining read. This volume is written as a day-by-day diary from 1977 to 2002.If you are a fan of David Sedaris, you will no doubt enjoy this book.Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Never trust a politician: A critical review of politics and politicians).

⭐ I’m a longtime fan of David Sedaris. I purchased this thinking it would be like his other books and didn’t realize how different in tone it’d be. Because the subject matter was serious and in my opinion not humorous, I found myself bored almost immediately. I trudged through the first few chapters before throwing in the towel.I still love David, but I won’t be recommending this book to my fellow Sedaris fans.

⭐ “I’m always struck by how many times people get stabbed. It seems like it’s never just once or twice. It must be one of those activities that, once you get started, you just can’t stop.”Observations like the one above explain why David Sedaris moves so many copies. With Theft by Finding: Diaries, we get a look into his life and mind that swings from insightful and hilarious to horrible and horrifying. If you’ve read his essays, you won’t be surprised. If not, buckle up, this gets weird!The most useful bits, if you fancy putting pen to paper yourself, reside in the intro where he gives some journaling tips he’s followed throughout his life. For instance, he says: “If nothing else, a diary teaches you what you’re interested in.” Which is a good point – whatever deep thoughts you start out jotting down may not really be what you long to focus on. However, the things you write about over and over is where your true interest lies.As Sedaris wrote: “The point is to find out who you are and to be true to that person. Because so often you can’t.” He goes on with further tips for keeping a diary, many of which I highlighted in my Kindle and noted: “OMG I love this!” So, price of admission right there, folks.But you didn’t come for the useful bits, you came for a peek behind the curtain. As always, Sedaris lets us in, warts and all. Through much of the early years of the diaries, he’s dirt poor, working odd jobs, and frequently blasted on meth, alcohol and what have you. The places he lives and people he encounters in these times are often cruel, stupid and racist. At one point I noted: “What the f*** nightmare hellhole is Raleigh?!” To be fair, he had disturbing encounters with people in Chicago, too. I could relate hard to some experiences on public transport there. Things didn’t improve when he moved to New York.He spent a lot of time as a messed up, aimless, wannabe artist who made god-awful art. “I’m going to start saving dirty napkins at work,” he wrote at one point. That tells you all you need to know about his art. I’m hoping that was for his artwork, anyway.A look at the dark times he recounts: “In the park I bought dope. There was a bench nearby, so I sat down for awhile and took in the perfect fall day. Then I came home and carved the word failure into a pumpkin.” That quote seemed to sum up his adult life up to that point.An astute observation: “Other people’s pain is uninteresting. My own, though, is spellbinding.”And also: “In my twenties and early thirties I was able to disguise my shallowness, but now it’s written all over my shopping bags.”There were many, many passages I read out loud to my husband; they were too good not to share. This book proved far more interesting than I truly thought reading someone’s diaries could be. You also see the moments his career (and life) first started to take off, how he met the love of his life, Hugh, and how he gradually morphed from someone painfully broke and counting pennies to someone with the bank to buy multiple homes. I don’t mind at all that some of that money came from my pocket. Hopefully, you won’t either.I’ll leave you with a final tip from Sedaris on keeping a diary that sums up his beautiful style:”In order to record your life, you sort of need to live it. Not at your desk, but beyond it. Out in the world where it’s so beautiful and complex and painful that sometimes you just need to sit down and write about it.”

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