The Land and Its People: Essays
- Author: David Sedaris
- Page count: 272
- Started on: 2026/07/09
- Finished on: 2026/07/25
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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I mostly know David Sedaris from the fact that he once wrote about the Dutch Sinterklaas phenomenon in Six to Eight Black Men, and we have that book in a cabinet, but The Land and Its People is the first book of his I’ve read. As is typical of Sedaris, it’s a collection of his essays ranging in length from 5 minute narrations to almost half an hour.
The essays are anecdotal accounts of David’s experiences at home (in New York nowadays), and during his travels around the world. They’re all told with his characteristic wit and snark, and often center on his family and friends and his experiences with Duolingo (🦉). While Sedaris’s writing is easy to absorb, many of the stories are about affection, grief, mortality, and the difficulty of being a decent partner, sibling, or friend.
I listened to the audiobook of The Land and Its People, assembled from live recordings of Sedaris performing the essays at different live appearances. Sedaris’s narration made them even easier to consume. Nothing earth-shattering, but quite entertaining.
