Being expelled from French class for accurately portraying his teacher is all in a day's work for David Sedaris. About half of Me Talk Pretty One Day deals with family and childhood, and half with his recent move to France and its ramifications in his life, ranging from having to defend the U.S. at cocktail parties to discovering a preference for movies over tourist traps. "I didn't care where Hemingway drank or Alice B. Toklas had her mustache trimmed," he writes.

About the author
David Sedaris' life changed on the radio. He was a writer in New York who cleaned houses to make a living, until producer Ira Glass put him on National Public Radio to tell about his stint as an elf at Macy's one Christmas. His latest book is Me Talk Pretty One Day.