Me Talk Pretty One Day contains far more than just the funniest collection of autobiographical essays - it quite well registers as a manifesto about language itself. Wherever there's a straight line, you can be sure that Sedaris lurks beneath the text, making it jagged with laughter; and just where the fault lines fall, he sits mischievously perched at the epicenter of it all.

Abandoned by her cruel Aunt Reed, the young and spirited Jane Eyre finds herself living in a spartan, oppressive orphanage. After the death of her best friend, Jane resolves to search out a brighter and more independent life for herself. She finds work as a governess for Adele, the ward of Edward Rochester, enigmatic master of Thornfield Hall. As days pass, Jane feels the intensity of love build between her and Rochester as he reveals all but the...