(yeah, I know it came out over ten years ago) Naked is a collection of essays and short stories from the life of David Sedaris.  Each story or essay stands independently and varies in length from several pages to around 40 pages maximum.  Topics range from David's experiences growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina, to his adventures hitchhiking across America, to his visit to a nudist colony as an adult. 

Looking at the back cover, you'll see quotes from critics like "humorous" and "hilarious", but I should warn you that your take on Sedaris's writing will depend very much on your sense of humor.  The author's writing style is dry, so dry that many times you'll have to re-read something just to make sure you took his meaning correctly. 

If you revel in sarcastic wit and dry humor, then you should (mostly) enjoy this book.  But if your sense of humor fits anywhere between puns and slapstick, then you might want to pass on Naked.

The book begins like most Sedaris books, with several hilarious and raucous stories back to back.  The story relating the author's obsessive-compulsive "tics" and the chapter about his grandmother, Ya Ya, are two of my favorites.  These stories will have you eagerly turning the pages to see what's next.  And if you start reading the book on an airplane (as I did) or in a public place, you'll have to stifle laugh after laugh to avoid looking like a crazy person.  And speaking of crazy people, there are a lot of those in this book.  I'm not sure how Sedaris manages to meet such a large number of off-the-wall individuals in his travels.  For example, there is a guy that makes hundreds of jade clocks in the shape of the state of Oregon.  Another one takes pride in his wall-mounted dildo collection.  But I suppose this is what you get when you spend a lot of time hitchhiking. 

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