In David Sedaris’ world, no one is safe and no cow is sacred. A manic cross between Mark Leyner, Fran Lebowitz, and the National Enquirer, Sedaris’ collection of essays is a rollicking tour through the national zeitgeist: a do-it-yourself suburban dad saves money by performing home surgery; a teenage suicide tries to incite a lynch mob at her funeral; a bitter Santa abuses the elves.

Barrel Fever is like a blind date with modern life and anything can happen. This first collection of David Sedaris’ comic stories and essays is performed by the author and his sister Amy Sedaris. The New York Post called this program a nuclear barrage of humor you could never replicate by reading this material on your own.