The book details Sedaris’ life, from his unusual upbringing in the suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina, to his booze-and-drug-ridden college years, to his Kerouacian wandering as a young adult.

The book became a best-seller and was acclaimed for its wit, dark humor and irreverent tackling of tragic events, including the death of Sedaris’ mother.

He initially held onto his apartment-cleaning job in New York City, but when working on Naked, his followup essay collection, he regretfully quit the gig in order to focus on writing.

Not wanting to be cooped up at home all day, he wrote the book in a variety of places, including France, Chicago, the Yaddo artists' community, and the nudist colony that informs the titular essay "Naked.

[2] Sedaris has said that many of the stories he tells in Naked came originally from his work with NPR, but he was not allowed to paint any kind of unpleasant mental picture while on the radio.