Naked (book)

Naked is a 1997 essay collection by American humorist David Sedaris. His second book after 1994's Barrel Fever, it details his life, from his unusual upbringing in the suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina, to his booze-and-drug-ridden college years, to his Kerouacian wanderings as a young adult. Many of the essays originated from his time on NPR's This American Life but were rewritten for publication to include more "unpleasant mental pictures." Naked was released by Little, Brown and Company, and it reached No. 6 on the New York Times best-seller list for Hardcover nonfiction.

The book was acclaimed for its wit and dark humor, with especial praise heaped on the stories about Sedaris's family, and particularly his portrayal of his mother in the months leading up to her death. A New York Times review found Sedaris to be in transition from the style of Barrel Fever, ambitiously revealing himself to the reader via the sour pain that lurked beneath many of his jokes. In 1998, Naked won the Randy Shilts Award for Gay Non-Fiction from Publishing Triangle, and two of its essays were reprinted in later collections of Sedaris's.