When You Are Engulfed in Flames
Tuesday, July 22nd by jamie
At the airport last summer, the two books I most frequently saw in the hands of travelers were The Secret by Rhonda Byrne and Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. The horridness of both texts cannot be adequately described. The self-absorption of each author nearly eclipses the ego of the Mighty Oprah (both “writers” appeared on her show, to much mutual ass-kissing.) The overall message of the self-help books is to “ask the universe” to provide for you and take a positive attitude toward loving thyself.
Me, I like my self-absorbed writers to be cynical. And to actually be able to write.
Could it be a sign o’ the times, then, that the book clasped in the hands of travelers this summer (most of whom appeared to be rehearsing their spiel and digging up change for Charon) was not the mystical dog-poop of 2007 but the biting, dark humor of David Sedaris?
On every newstand When You Are Engulfed in Flames was prominently displayed as the Number One Best-Seller. It made my black little heart happy.
In our tanking economy, perhaps people are able to relate more closely to mortality than immortality. In his essay, “The Monster Mash,” Sedaris reflects on his time spent visiting a morgue and how little information is known about the deceased.
“A police report would explain that Mrs. Daniels had been killed when a truck lost control and drove through the front window of a hamburger stand, where she had been waiting in line for her order…Three men are shot to death while attending a child’s christening, and you tell yourself, Sure. They were hanging out with the wrong crowd. But buying a hamburger? I buy hamburgers. Or I used to anyway” (112).
If you missed David Sedaris reading from his work on Letterman Friday, check out the video below. It’s well worth your five minutes. And a much better way to use up your time on earth than asking the universe for squat.
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:55 pm
My favorite was the cranky neighbor who spent her life straightening out everyone else’s life. SHE never had any self doubt. I wonder if she was more fulfilled than those of us who try to be more in tune with the universe and figure out our true missions on earth?!