But when push came to shove, he started talking it down. He got his wife and kids excited about the prospect of buying a family vacation home at the beach. Sharon apparently struggled with alcoholism for many years, which contributed to her failures as a parent.Īs for Lou, David's father, was concerned, he always promised more than he could deliver. When he peeked in the window, he saw that she was sitting at the kitchen table with a large bottle of wine - something he and the other kids observed quite often. Even after David pounded on the door and pleaded with her, she chose to ignore them. She locked the door and after two hours when the kids were nearly frozen, she refused to open the door and let them back in. The kids were all off from school on snow days and were apparently driving her crazy. In one incident, Sharon shoved David and all his little sisters outside to play in the snow. However, she often displayed a remoteness toward her own children and had a penchant for relentlessly criticizing them. She could read people well and her intuition about them was often spot on. Sharon never met a stranger and was at ease speaking with just about anyone. It is obvious that David loved his mother, Sharon, and saw good qualities in her. He brings adult prospective to the many times he was abandoned by them and felt like an outcast in his own home.

While the main focus of this book is on David's childhood and adolescence, some stories in this collection are from his adult life which includes episodes about his relationship with long-time partner, Hugh.Īs David looks back on his younger years, he more clearly understands the destructive nature of his mother and father's parenting style than when he was actually living it.

Growing up in his very early days in upstate New York and later in Raleigh, North Carolina, David gives the reader insight into his life with his large family, his relationships with his parents, and with some of his many siblings. 'Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim' by David Sedaris is a collection of episodes from the author's life.

David sedaris corduroy and denim