Me Talk Pretty One Day

In each chapter, Sedaris typically incorporates multiple stories into the narrative to demonstrate one or several points. Select three chapters and discuss how each chapter uses multiple stories to illustrate a larger idea or theme.

Sedaris’s family is often the subject of many chapters in Me Talk Pretty One Day, especially his father, his mother, and his sister, Amy. Choose one family member and discuss the defining traits of their relationship. What role does this family member play in Sedaris’s life? In the larger arc of the book?

Sedaris writes of his father, “To me, the greatest mystery of science continues to be that a man could father six children who shared absolutely none of his interests” (33), adding that he and his siblings seem to have more in common with their mother. Discuss Sedaris’s relationship with both of his parents and how they differ.

Discuss the representation of Sedaris’s long-term boyfriend, Hugh, in Me Talk Pretty One Day.

Discuss Sedaris’s use of fantasy in Me Talk Pretty One Day.

When Sedaris moves to France, he learns about the differences between the U.S. and other countries. Discuss some of the main themes behind his observations of these differences. How do they illuminate his worldview?

In France, Sedaris struggles to learn the French language and acclimate to French customs. What are some of his insecurities behind these struggles? What lessons does he learn through these struggles?

In recollections of his past, Sedaris notes an awareness of his sexuality at an early age. Discuss how he articulates his sexual identity at various points in this childhood. What do these observations about his sexuality over time have in common?