The Land and Its People Book Review: David Sedaris Does It Again

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I didn’t need much convincing to pick up a David Sedaris book. The man is basically the gold standard for humor essay writing. (I am the aluminum standard, but you should read my book Essays Out of Left Field anyway.) The Land and Its People: Essays is Sedaris’ latest set of riffs on travel, family (mostly dysfunctional), getting old, friends dying, and walking a crap-ton of miles. All of it delivered in his typical snarky dark humor.

This is part of my 100 book reading goal for 2026 (Book #38).

My The Land and Its People Book Review

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Thank you, David Sedaris and Little, Brown and Company for providing this book for review via NetGalley! All the stuff I say here is MY opinion. I mean, of course it is, but I feel like I should say it here anyway.

Where to Get It

Available in multiple formats, depending on how you like to read (or listen).

🎧 Audiobook (Indie Option): Listen on Libro.fm
🎧 Audiobook (Amazon Option): Listen on Audible
📚 Support Local Bookstores: Buy from Bookshop.org
📦 Amazon (Paperback/Kindle): View on Amazon

Book Summary

The Land and Its People is David Sedaris’s first collection of essays since Happy-Go-Lucky. It does exactly what you expect from him. He wanders. He observes. He judges fellow humans. He travels to Guatemala, Kenya, Vatican City. He takes care of his husband Hugh after hip surgery with mixed results. He walks an absolutely absurd number of miles with his friend Dawn. He loses friends to death. He shares loving memories of his crazy family. And also throws them under the bus, per usual. Lovingly, of course.

It’s funny. It’s dark. It’s very Sedaris. If you’ve read him before, you know the vibe. If you haven’t, go fix that immediately. Start with Me Talk Pretty One Day and then come back here. I’ll wait.

If you’re a fan of humor essays in general, I’ve got a whole list of the best humor essays on the site. Sedaris shows up there too. Obviously.

Who is David Sedaris?

In case you’ve somehow never encountered this man:

✍️ Author of a whole bunch of humor essay books, including Me Talk Pretty One Day, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and Calypso
🏆 Winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, the Jonathan Swift Prize for Satire and Humor, and the Terry Southern Prize for Humor.
🎓 Inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2019
🚶 Walks an absolutely unhinged number of steps every single day, apparently.
🌍 Lives in England but seems to be everywhere.

My Rating:

My innovative system for rating humor books is explained here

Wholesomeness Score: 2/5

Not a criticism. Sedaris is dry, profane, and not above saying something that makes you cringe a massive cringy cringe. Not much is off limits, from what I can tell. He’s not a warm, wholesome poet of joy and compliments. That’s not why you read him. Just know what you’re signing up for.

Hilarity Score: 4/5

Consistently funny throughout. Here’s a little blip:

“I just shudder when I hear a man say the words my husband. Something about it sets off alarm bells in me. It’s like my unicycle or my rescue ferret – just creepy” – David Sedaris when not wanting to refer to Hugh, his husband, as his husband.

Overall Book Awesomeness Score: 5/5

Always awesome. Tender, funny and sometimes a little sad. If you read humor essays at all, this belongs on your list.

Things I liked:

It’s David Sedaris. I mean, come on. He’s the king of the humor essay.
The walking essay. There’s an essay in here about walking. Counting steps. Obsessing over miles. I can relate, but to like 10% of his step goal.
Connecting (or lack thereof) with his teenaged godson. Kids really don’t know how to talk to adults anymore. Or maybe they never could?

Things I didn’t like:

Is he a bad person? No. Probably not. But sometimes I genuinely can’t tell. He is so dry. So relentlessly sarcastic. So willing to say the thing you’re not supposed to say. And I wonder – wait, does he actually mean that? Is he awful? Is this a bit? I’m pretty sure it’s a bit.

Conclusion

Here’s the thing about David Sedaris. You’re never going to read one of his books and think, “wow, that was a surprise.” You know what you’re getting. Dry wit. Sharp observations. Travel. Family. Death (not his own.)

The Land and Its People is exactly what it’s supposed to be. Funny and a little sad. Weird. And Cringy.

Read this book. You’re welcome.