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The Last Black Unicorn
Goodreads Choice Award
Winner for Best Humor (2018)Placed in the foster care system as a teen, and struggling to read at a basic level in ninth grade, Haddish found that humor and jokes helped her endure. When offered a choice between the Laugh Factory comedy camp or counseling to help recover from issues within the foster system, she chose the former and found her calling. In her first book, Haddish recounts her early life straight through to her powerhouse success both on the comedy circuit and in Hollywood with the 2017 film Girls Trip.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published December 5, 2017
About the author
Tiffany Haddish
6 books1,017 followersTiffany Sarac Haddish is an American comedian and actress. After guest starring on several television series, Haddish gained prominence as Jackie on the first season of the OWN television drama If Loving You Is Wrong from 2014 to 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 8,025 reviews
December 16, 2017
This is definitely worth reading. Haddish is incredibly funny, smart and observant. She has lived a hard life which makes her success all the more admirable and deserved. There are places where I wanted more depth. The book is short and reads fast, sometimes too fast. But the funny parts will bring you to tears. So will the painful parts. I am not a fan of books by comedians is all. They just don’t work as cohesive narratives.
June 17, 2019
I've never DNFed a book so fast. This was bad.
June 13, 2021
This is a book written by a comedian...and purely because of that I feel like there's some obvious assumptions going into it.
Namely...that this book would be funny.
Now, I'm all for comedy pushing the lines and totally agree that everyone has different barriers...but honestly, I'm still reeling from this mess.
What kind of person actually creates a mock-accent to mimic a disabled man's voice as she narrates her audiobook?
How is that different from when Trump did the arm thing to the reporter?
Is it cause Tiffany oh-so-respectively tells her audience that she had the disabled man hit it from behind cause apparently he has great dick, just that looking at his face/disabled arm was such a huge turn-off for her?
Who the heck on the publishing team listened to that entire chapter as Tiffany slurred his words, ridicules his body and ultimately crushes this man's heart so thoroughly that he literally left his job, his home and is god-knows-where today?
(note: if it matters, she insists that mentally he's all there but broke up with him because she didn't want her friends to make fun of her for being with the disabled man...and cause his voice made him sound like he's not mentally all there.)
(also note: this man was the kindest, sweetest person in this book. You cannot tell me that he'd be pleased or flattered or touched by her painfully disrespectful depiction and description of him & his disabilities during sex.).
So, if you can't tell already, this book was a miss for me. And unfortunately, while the story above was what most influenced my rating...it wasn't the only thing that brought the book down to 1-star for me.
Tiffany shared a lot of really, really painful and heartbreaking stories for the audience which was truly brave and wonderfully honest of her...but the tone and method she went about describing them left me confused.
Like when she was talking about being molested every morning before school because someone at her foster home convinced her that if he could suck on her titties that they'd grow?
Or when she went in for toxic shock syndrome at age 13 because of a tampon and called the doctor back over and exposed herself to him for a "second look" cause she thought he was hot and wanted him?
Or when she had an abortion to escape an abusive ex, and then danced around the abortion clinic - laughing and having a wonderful time - while people around her sobbed as they waited for their procedures?
Or when she literally shit in a shoe to get back at her ex-boyfriend, or was beat multiple times by her ex-husband, or had a miscarriage due to the ex?
Most of those moments seemed incredibly serious but the way they were written plus the tone of the audiobook made them sound like they were being set up like jokes or at least humorous anecdotes ... but there wasn't a punchline.
The stories would end and then she'd move on to the next thing...leaving the anecdotes feeling underdeveloped and unappreciated.
She kept playing it off serious moments as just a fun/funny thing that happened (i.e. I'm just so cRaZy that I shit in his shoe!! and Don't let guys do that to you, it doesn't work! The titties didn't grow!) - which I don't think worked for the book.
Sometimes she'd swing to the more serious side but just as quickly it was back to the upbeat/cheerful audiobook voice to describe her begging for the hot doctor to take a look at her vagina at 13.
I think this memoir could've worked better if she didn't try to write it as a comedy - cause she has a lot of really difficult moments to her life that she overcame.
And I was genuinely interested in how her career developed...but the tone was just too jarring for me... and the story about the disabled man was unforgivable.
Namely...that this book would be funny.
Now, I'm all for comedy pushing the lines and totally agree that everyone has different barriers...but honestly, I'm still reeling from this mess.
What kind of person actually creates a mock-accent to mimic a disabled man's voice as she narrates her audiobook?
How is that different from when Trump did the arm thing to the reporter?
Is it cause Tiffany oh-so-respectively tells her audience that she had the disabled man hit it from behind cause apparently he has great dick, just that looking at his face/disabled arm was such a huge turn-off for her?
Who the heck on the publishing team listened to that entire chapter as Tiffany slurred his words, ridicules his body and ultimately crushes this man's heart so thoroughly that he literally left his job, his home and is god-knows-where today?
(note: if it matters, she insists that mentally he's all there but broke up with him because she didn't want her friends to make fun of her for being with the disabled man...and cause his voice made him sound like he's not mentally all there.)
(also note: this man was the kindest, sweetest person in this book. You cannot tell me that he'd be pleased or flattered or touched by her painfully disrespectful depiction and description of him & his disabilities during sex.).
So, if you can't tell already, this book was a miss for me. And unfortunately, while the story above was what most influenced my rating...it wasn't the only thing that brought the book down to 1-star for me.
Tiffany shared a lot of really, really painful and heartbreaking stories for the audience which was truly brave and wonderfully honest of her...but the tone and method she went about describing them left me confused.
Like when she was talking about being molested every morning before school because someone at her foster home convinced her that if he could suck on her titties that they'd grow?
Or when she went in for toxic shock syndrome at age 13 because of a tampon and called the doctor back over and exposed herself to him for a "second look" cause she thought he was hot and wanted him?
Or when she had an abortion to escape an abusive ex, and then danced around the abortion clinic - laughing and having a wonderful time - while people around her sobbed as they waited for their procedures?
Or when she literally shit in a shoe to get back at her ex-boyfriend, or was beat multiple times by her ex-husband, or had a miscarriage due to the ex?
Most of those moments seemed incredibly serious but the way they were written plus the tone of the audiobook made them sound like they were being set up like jokes or at least humorous anecdotes ... but there wasn't a punchline.
The stories would end and then she'd move on to the next thing...leaving the anecdotes feeling underdeveloped and unappreciated.
She kept playing it off serious moments as just a fun/funny thing that happened (i.e. I'm just so cRaZy that I shit in his shoe!! and Don't let guys do that to you, it doesn't work! The titties didn't grow!) - which I don't think worked for the book.
Sometimes she'd swing to the more serious side but just as quickly it was back to the upbeat/cheerful audiobook voice to describe her begging for the hot doctor to take a look at her vagina at 13.
I think this memoir could've worked better if she didn't try to write it as a comedy - cause she has a lot of really difficult moments to her life that she overcame.
And I was genuinely interested in how her career developed...but the tone was just too jarring for me... and the story about the disabled man was unforgivable.
April 15, 2018
Indomitable spirit. Which historical figures come to mind when you hear that phrase? Mother Teresa? Gandhi, maybe? Those are two of the people who pop into my head right away.
And now, whenever I hear those words, I will also think of Tiffany Haddish.
I was late to the Haddish fandom. I somehow missed her years of stand up. It wasn’t until I saw the preview for Girls Trip and was like, “WHO IS THAT HILARIOUS WOMAN?” that I became aware of her.
Two days before the movie hit theaters, I saw her on Jimmy Kimmel, talking about how she took Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith on a Groupon swamp tour. If you haven’t seen this interview, do yourself a favor and watch it. Do not drink or eat anything while you do, because the threat of choking is REAL.
So, this hilarious, witty, high-energy woman with an infectious smile was a large part of the reason I watched Girls Trip, second only to the desire to support this glorious comedy with an ensemble of super talented black women staring in a major motion picture (seriously, Golden Globes, how the hell did you snub this movie???)
I’ll just come right out and say it: Girls Trip is the funniest movie I’ve ever seen. If you haven’t watched it yet, do so. We need to support women-driven movies. We need to support women of color in the industry, especially since the industry itself doesn’t. For more on this, check out Jada’s Twitter thread:
Seriously, Haddish was robbed. If she doesn’t get nominated for an Oscar, I will lose what little faith remains in the Academy. For me, she stole every single scene that she appeared in. She’s one of those people that your eyes drift to, even when the whole ensemble is together. Because the whole time you’re wondering what she’ll do next.
Okay, so this is supposed to be a book review, but I wanted to include all this background, because it’s what led me to The Last Black Unicorn.
I listened to the audio version of this, and I recommend you do the same, because it’s an EXPERIENCE. Haddish herself is the narrator, and whenever you can listen to someone tell their own story, you should. She brings an emotion and realness to the narration that no one else could. And if you think this is one of those books that you’re just going to laugh your way through, be warned. You’re not.
You’ll probably cry at some point. Hard. Like I did. Your face will probably burn with the strength of your blushes, because you know those horrifically embarrassing memories you have of your teen years? Those stories you’ll never tell anyone, because OMFG I WISH I COULD FORGET THAT HAPPENED? We all have those stories, including Haddish. And she tells them. Without sugar coating anything. I cringed so hard so many times, because it brought up all those times I acted in ways that make me yearn for brain bleach.
Lastly, you’ll probably get so angry while listening to this that you’ll want to punch someone.
Me before this audio book: My childhood was kind of messed up.
Me after this audio book: My childhood was a wonderland of merriment and bliss.
Tiffany Haddish’s childhood and early adult life were…rough. You need to prepare yourself for hearing what she went through. Child abuse, molestation, physically abusive romantic relationships. At one point, she was a pimp. Which all sounds pretty Dickensian and bleak. And it can be, at times. But those times are made bearable, because Haddish is a hell of a storyteller. One minute I found myself in a full rage about what was done to her, and the next, I was hysterically laughing.
That is where my opening statement comes from.
Indomitable spirit.
Because after everything that she’s been through, the fact that she is so positive and hysterical and energetic is awe inspiring. This is grade A role model material right here.
I can’t recommend this book enough. For literally everyone. Because I truly do believe there is something here for everyone. I truly do believe that men and women from all walks of life will find takeaways here. That they’ll be inspired by her story. That they’ll apply her lessons to their own lives.
That it will help people going through a hard time to find the light.
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January 14, 2019
Tiffany Haddish is a funny person and a funny comedian, but this book was vastly disappointing.
I listened to the audiobook, and I really expected a killer narration. Every single other audiobook autobiography of an actor/comedian that I've ever listened to was flawlessly narrated. I mean, it's their own words and they're actors, right? Well, not here. Tiffany's narration was so odd. Really choppy, really strangely read, like she had trouble with her own words. It honestly sounded like bad acting.
Tiffany's life has been a very interesting journey, and she has suffered and has overcame huge obstacles. I've seen her comedy before, and I've really loved her on stage, however, she comes across in her book as just... mean.
I can't believe I have to say this in 2018, but imitating and mocking a handicapped person is not funny, and in audiobook form, it's excruciating to listen to.
She is horrible to fat people and Jews, and it made me like her a whole hell of a lot less.
The overall layout of the book also leaves much to be desired. The format is scattered and there wasn't any cohesion.
While this book had funny moments and made me respect Tiffany's journey, it tarnished my impression of her as a person.
April 12, 2018
I haven't seen Girls Trip, The Carmichael Show, Keanu, or If Loving You is Wrong. Big surprise - I'm not a raucous-rude-comedy-appreciating viewer. Not that there's anything wrong with those who are, of course.
I became a Haddish Fan Girl the first time I viewed the 5 -7 minute video clip of Haddish on the Jimmy Kimmel show doing her bit on Will and Jada Pinkett Smith and the swamp tour. It was the funniest, most brilliant bit I've seen in a long, long time. On that basis, I checked LBU out of my library, with no- to low- expectations, not because of Haddish but because comedian memoirs are often problematic. Like most of America, I read Bossypants a while back. Fine, but not revealing. Similarly, Amy Poehler's book is funny, in parts, but on the whole it's not special or memorable.
That 5-star rating doesn't mean that I consider Tiffany Haddish's memoir to be the literary equivalent of Crime and Punishment. I rate the books I read on whether they were successful in their category and, in this instance, The Last Black Unicorn is a top-flight comedian memoir, and vastly better than readers have a right to expect from any celebrity memoir, generally.
As an aside, she won my heart by explicitly thanking her ghost-writer, and allowing her ghost-writer to write his/her (I don't recall) acknowledgments at the end. That is incredibly gracious of her and I can't recall the last time I saw a celebrity recognize the talent of her writing partner.
Haddish's memoir is her story, in her voice. As in, each reader needs to be prepared for plentiful f-bombs, intentional bad grammar, slang et al. I suspect she's a champion code-switcher, but she chose to write LBU in her stand-up voice and readers shouldn't expect anything different. LBU also includes horrifying details about Haddish's childhood, about domestic violence, about rejection by her mom, who suffers from mental illness.* And she manages to present the bad accompanied by just enough humor to take the edge off, while still disclosing all of the pain and the horror. (In contrast, I stopped reading Rabbit: The Autobiography of Ms. Pat after 15 - 20 pages because her descriptions of childhood events so disturbed me.)
Eighty percent of LBU is a chronological telling of Haddish's life to-date, including her overnight success that didn't occur overnight. Then, for good measure, several of her greatest bits finish it off. That's when I encountered the Smith-Groupon-SwampTour story in writing. And it was word-for-word identical to her performance on the Jimmy Kimmel show. As in, Haddish has perfected delivering her lines and bits so that she comes across like your favorite girlfriend, casually telling you one of the funniest stories you've ever heard, from the passenger seat of your car while you head to Target. But there's nothing casual about how she approaches her work. It is nothing less than perfect every time, even if she seems to be entirely relaxed in her Uggs.
Tiffany Haddish is funny. And gifted. And perceptive. And likeable. And a hard worker. And resilient. And authentic. And still seeks a relationship with her trouble mom, in a way that makes your heart break. And she is, through it all, a consummate professional. If you like her, you'll love The Last Unicorn.
*Haddish's father left when she was 3. Mom remarries and has 4 more kids. Haddish's stepfather tampers with the brakes on her mom's car, intending to kill all of the kids as well as mom, but they weren't in the car when Mom had an accident and suffered severe brain damage. Mom later is diagnosed with schizophrenia. After the accident, Haddish - then 9 - is in charge of herself and her four younger siblings. Read that sentence again. I'll wait. Haddish and her siblings enter foster care when she is 12, and they are temporarily separated from one another. Foster care is as good as you've ever heard elsewhere. At 15, she and her siblings are together under the care of their grandmother. (Wait, you say, there was a grandma? Why didn't she take them in earlier?? She's a piece of work.). She cares for them to the extent of the DSS payments. When Haddish turns 18, and the DSS checks stop, Haddish is on her own.
I'm not made of nearly as strong stuff as Ms. Haddish. She has all of my respect for her lack of bitterness and her large heart. If you're interested, don't hesitate to read her book.
I became a Haddish Fan Girl the first time I viewed the 5 -7 minute video clip of Haddish on the Jimmy Kimmel show doing her bit on Will and Jada Pinkett Smith and the swamp tour. It was the funniest, most brilliant bit I've seen in a long, long time. On that basis, I checked LBU out of my library, with no- to low- expectations, not because of Haddish but because comedian memoirs are often problematic. Like most of America, I read Bossypants a while back. Fine, but not revealing. Similarly, Amy Poehler's book is funny, in parts, but on the whole it's not special or memorable.
That 5-star rating doesn't mean that I consider Tiffany Haddish's memoir to be the literary equivalent of Crime and Punishment. I rate the books I read on whether they were successful in their category and, in this instance, The Last Black Unicorn is a top-flight comedian memoir, and vastly better than readers have a right to expect from any celebrity memoir, generally.
As an aside, she won my heart by explicitly thanking her ghost-writer, and allowing her ghost-writer to write his/her (I don't recall) acknowledgments at the end. That is incredibly gracious of her and I can't recall the last time I saw a celebrity recognize the talent of her writing partner.
Haddish's memoir is her story, in her voice. As in, each reader needs to be prepared for plentiful f-bombs, intentional bad grammar, slang et al. I suspect she's a champion code-switcher, but she chose to write LBU in her stand-up voice and readers shouldn't expect anything different. LBU also includes horrifying details about Haddish's childhood, about domestic violence, about rejection by her mom, who suffers from mental illness.* And she manages to present the bad accompanied by just enough humor to take the edge off, while still disclosing all of the pain and the horror. (In contrast, I stopped reading Rabbit: The Autobiography of Ms. Pat after 15 - 20 pages because her descriptions of childhood events so disturbed me.)
Eighty percent of LBU is a chronological telling of Haddish's life to-date, including her overnight success that didn't occur overnight. Then, for good measure, several of her greatest bits finish it off. That's when I encountered the Smith-Groupon-SwampTour story in writing. And it was word-for-word identical to her performance on the Jimmy Kimmel show. As in, Haddish has perfected delivering her lines and bits so that she comes across like your favorite girlfriend, casually telling you one of the funniest stories you've ever heard, from the passenger seat of your car while you head to Target. But there's nothing casual about how she approaches her work. It is nothing less than perfect every time, even if she seems to be entirely relaxed in her Uggs.
Tiffany Haddish is funny. And gifted. And perceptive. And likeable. And a hard worker. And resilient. And authentic. And still seeks a relationship with her trouble mom, in a way that makes your heart break. And she is, through it all, a consummate professional. If you like her, you'll love The Last Unicorn.
*Haddish's father left when she was 3. Mom remarries and has 4 more kids. Haddish's stepfather tampers with the brakes on her mom's car, intending to kill all of the kids as well as mom, but they weren't in the car when Mom had an accident and suffered severe brain damage. Mom later is diagnosed with schizophrenia. After the accident, Haddish - then 9 - is in charge of herself and her four younger siblings. Read that sentence again. I'll wait. Haddish and her siblings enter foster care when she is 12, and they are temporarily separated from one another. Foster care is as good as you've ever heard elsewhere. At 15, she and her siblings are together under the care of their grandmother. (Wait, you say, there was a grandma? Why didn't she take them in earlier?? She's a piece of work.). She cares for them to the extent of the DSS payments. When Haddish turns 18, and the DSS checks stop, Haddish is on her own.
I'm not made of nearly as strong stuff as Ms. Haddish. She has all of my respect for her lack of bitterness and her large heart. If you're interested, don't hesitate to read her book.
January 24, 2018
I think Tiffany Haddish is hilarious and beautiful and wonderful; however, this book is terrible.
This might not be a popular opinion, but I thought this book was disgusting. Not just because she shits in a shoe (she does) but because as another reviewer noted, Haddish showed "such an in-depth level of ugliness and ignorance" that I couldn't make myself finish this one.
Her descriptions of her encounters with a larger woman, a Jewish man, and a disabled co-worker were extremely offensive. In the audio-version, Haddish used a VOICE when quoting Roscoe and pokes fun at his "little limp arm" for an entire chapter. WHYYYY. I waited for some kind of redemptive acknowledgement of her erroneous judgments or how she learned from these experiences, but it just didn't happen.
This might not be a popular opinion, but I thought this book was disgusting. Not just because she shits in a shoe (she does) but because as another reviewer noted, Haddish showed "such an in-depth level of ugliness and ignorance" that I couldn't make myself finish this one.
Her descriptions of her encounters with a larger woman, a Jewish man, and a disabled co-worker were extremely offensive. In the audio-version, Haddish used a VOICE when quoting Roscoe and pokes fun at his "little limp arm" for an entire chapter. WHYYYY. I waited for some kind of redemptive acknowledgement of her erroneous judgments or how she learned from these experiences, but it just didn't happen.
March 29, 2018
If you looked up the word Authentic on the internet, a giant picture of Tiffany Haddish should be next to it.
A lot of people had never heard of Tiffany Haddish until her star making role in last years Girls Trip, but Tiffany has been on her grind for decades. Tiffany is an overnight sensation that was 20 plus years in the making. Tiffany like most great comedians has had a rough life. Abandoned by her father, raised by a mentally ill and abusive mother, she spent years in foster care, was molested(even if she didn't realize it), married an abusive and controlling man twice( 2 marriages to the same man)and was homeless. Had most people experienced even one of these things, it would have broken their spirit, but not Tiffany. I don't think its possible to break Tiffany's spirit. She is so filled with happiness and joy, its contagious.
I love Tiffany Haddish and I love that she doesn't tone down personality for anyone. I will warn you, this book is written the same way Tiffany talks and it took me a minute to get used to, but other than that I absolutely loved this book.
2018 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge: A Celebrity Memoir.
2018 Badass Books Reading Challenge: A Funny Book.
Around the Year in 52 Books: A book you expect to make you laugh.
A lot of people had never heard of Tiffany Haddish until her star making role in last years Girls Trip, but Tiffany has been on her grind for decades. Tiffany is an overnight sensation that was 20 plus years in the making. Tiffany like most great comedians has had a rough life. Abandoned by her father, raised by a mentally ill and abusive mother, she spent years in foster care, was molested(even if she didn't realize it), married an abusive and controlling man twice( 2 marriages to the same man)and was homeless. Had most people experienced even one of these things, it would have broken their spirit, but not Tiffany. I don't think its possible to break Tiffany's spirit. She is so filled with happiness and joy, its contagious.
I love Tiffany Haddish and I love that she doesn't tone down personality for anyone. I will warn you, this book is written the same way Tiffany talks and it took me a minute to get used to, but other than that I absolutely loved this book.
2018 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge: A Celebrity Memoir.
2018 Badass Books Reading Challenge: A Funny Book.
Around the Year in 52 Books: A book you expect to make you laugh.
September 3, 2018
Run, don't walk to the audio version of this. The song!!!!!!!!!
O-m-g!!!! How did I not know about Tiffany Haddish?! She is smoking hot!!! For the beginning, I wanted to give her an enormous hug -- by the end, I realized that she doesn't need anyone's hugs -- she does a-m-a-z-i-n-g on her own!
"In my life, and I hope and yours, I want us to grow roses out of the poop."
My absolute fave parts:
a) The ending crescendo of how she's made tools of everything!!
b) The song!!!!!!!!!
❤️ The entire book is generosity incarnate -- her goal is to help us -- fortunately for all, she gets helped in the process ❤️
O-m-g!!!! How did I not know about Tiffany Haddish?! She is smoking hot!!! For the beginning, I wanted to give her an enormous hug -- by the end, I realized that she doesn't need anyone's hugs -- she does a-m-a-z-i-n-g on her own!
"In my life, and I hope and yours, I want us to grow roses out of the poop."
My absolute fave parts:
a) The ending crescendo of how she's made tools of everything!!
b) The song!!!!!!!!!
❤️ The entire book is generosity incarnate -- her goal is to help us -- fortunately for all, she gets helped in the process ❤️
December 21, 2018
When my Overdrive library iPhone app showed this Audiobook readily available to download ... I thought....
“I’ve seen this book popping on Goodreads this past year”.
It took this long to move me to action!
But......
*Perfect timing*!!!
I enjoyed Tiffany - for many of the same reasons I’m guessing thousands of people before me have... but another part of my enjoyment was ‘buddy-listening’ with Paul ....( part of our 40 year anniversary celebration-vacation in Cancun).
The last Audiobook Paul and I enjoyed together was “Small Fry”, by Lisa Brennan-Jobs.
With this, we shared my Apple wireless AirPods on the plane together part of the time.
I took the right wireless AirPod. Paul the left, ( it’s his best ‘hearing’ ear).
It’s amazing to get enough ‘1-ear-sound’ for us both. It works fine!
When in our resort room - of course - no ear phones were needed.
Like me, Paul didn’t know who Tiffany was either.
His comments were always added pleasure.
Anyone ‘else’ care to share their experience of reading with their partner? Or listening to a book? I’d love to hear others stories.
It’s very different than watching a movie together.
Paul absolutely loved Tiffany. He kept saying things like...
“My God, the poor girl couldn’t catch a break”...
I’d say... “well she eventually did...I think she is very successful today”.
We both thought Tiffany was sweet, humble, funny, warm, bright, tenacious, courageous, likable, inspiring.....
with a knock out unguarded personality. ....
Tiffany’s story is really sad - gut-wrenching sad!
Sooo many obstacles she had to survive.
I tried to imagine ‘HER MOTHER’.
If ‘mom’ had ‘full awareness’ of how much she was hurting her children from her brain injury/car accident... OMG... wouldn’t she want to just kill herself? Instead, she was an unstable parent, to say the least, a victim from her head injury. Tiffany understood this - but she still suffered insurmountable unfair abuse. She was only a child ....
.....beaten down by people who were suppose to love her the most.
***Nobody else can possibly hurt you more than when your own parents have***
Paul & I talked about Tiffany’s development...
of how she came from where she did to where she is now...being all-of-who she is.....
being fully herself....
...sharing freely with the world.
It’s her gift... her strength.
“Becoming” ?/! Michelle Obama might say???
Perhaps!!
“Was her book without flaws?”
“Of course not... but... her life wasn’t either”.
5 stars from both Paul and I. Tiffany touched our hearts!
“I’ve seen this book popping on Goodreads this past year”.
It took this long to move me to action!
But......
*Perfect timing*!!!
I enjoyed Tiffany - for many of the same reasons I’m guessing thousands of people before me have... but another part of my enjoyment was ‘buddy-listening’ with Paul ....( part of our 40 year anniversary celebration-vacation in Cancun).
The last Audiobook Paul and I enjoyed together was “Small Fry”, by Lisa Brennan-Jobs.
With this, we shared my Apple wireless AirPods on the plane together part of the time.
I took the right wireless AirPod. Paul the left, ( it’s his best ‘hearing’ ear).
It’s amazing to get enough ‘1-ear-sound’ for us both. It works fine!
When in our resort room - of course - no ear phones were needed.
Like me, Paul didn’t know who Tiffany was either.
His comments were always added pleasure.
Anyone ‘else’ care to share their experience of reading with their partner? Or listening to a book? I’d love to hear others stories.
It’s very different than watching a movie together.
Paul absolutely loved Tiffany. He kept saying things like...
“My God, the poor girl couldn’t catch a break”...
I’d say... “well she eventually did...I think she is very successful today”.
We both thought Tiffany was sweet, humble, funny, warm, bright, tenacious, courageous, likable, inspiring.....
with a knock out unguarded personality. ....
Tiffany’s story is really sad - gut-wrenching sad!
Sooo many obstacles she had to survive.
I tried to imagine ‘HER MOTHER’.
If ‘mom’ had ‘full awareness’ of how much she was hurting her children from her brain injury/car accident... OMG... wouldn’t she want to just kill herself? Instead, she was an unstable parent, to say the least, a victim from her head injury. Tiffany understood this - but she still suffered insurmountable unfair abuse. She was only a child ....
.....beaten down by people who were suppose to love her the most.
***Nobody else can possibly hurt you more than when your own parents have***
Paul & I talked about Tiffany’s development...
of how she came from where she did to where she is now...being all-of-who she is.....
being fully herself....
...sharing freely with the world.
It’s her gift... her strength.
“Becoming” ?/! Michelle Obama might say???
Perhaps!!
“Was her book without flaws?”
“Of course not... but... her life wasn’t either”.
5 stars from both Paul and I. Tiffany touched our hearts!
January 16, 2018
I definitely recommend listening to The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish. Firstly she's hysterical and can definitely tell a joke and/or a story. The memoir traces her life from her youth to current her success. Each story reveals something about her character and her growth into the woman she is today. Some of the stories are draw dropping and snatched my edges, but as a whole it's very interesting. The only real complaints I had with The Last Black Unicorn is that the story is told very quickly and in broken up short stories. It would have been nice if she had taken the time to go deeper on her thoughts about some of the things that had and have happened to her. We speed from one story to the next and barely have time to digest it to the fullest. Allyn from YupIReadIt on Booktube described it as hilariously depressing and that is the most accurate description. I wouldn't bother getting the book the audio is excellent because it's read by Tiffany Haddish herself.
May 13, 2018
I read this book because I love Tiffany Haddish, and I think she's hilarious, but this book is so disappointing. When I saw Tiffany in Girls Trip last year, she had me laughing until I was crying, and I was eager to get my hands on a copy of this audiobook. I finally listened to it, and unfortunately I was just not impressed. Not only is most of this book unfunny, but some of this book is extremely offensive to handicapped people and overweight people.
This memoir started off with stories from her childhood, when she was put into foster care and her Mother was in a terrible car accident. Tiffany had a very tragic childhood, and it was incredibly sad to read about. But then, we get to this chapter about when she dated this handicapped man named Roscoe, and in the audiobook she mocks the sound of his voice, which is really fucked up and inappropriate. It just felt to me like she didn't have any respect for this handicapped man or handicapped people in general. There's a fine line between something being funny, and going too far and she definitely went too far. And then, the way she talks about overweight people is horrible too. She constantly makes comments like: "I didn't want to fuck that guy because his titties were bigger than mine" and shit like that. A lot of this book just felt very superficial and shallow and she judges so many people based on their appearance. She also says: "My comedy that night was terrible, but at least I was pretty" and a lot of statements like that that make it seem like 'being pretty' is the only thing that matters. So much of her narration is her talking about who she wants to fuck, and who she doesn't want to fuck, and a lot of other shallow things that I couldn't care less about.
Maybe I'm just being too sensitive but a lot of the stories in this book just rubbed me the wrong way and it's not cool. I loved and adored Tiffany Haddish before reading this, but after reading this I feel like she's kind of mean and judgmental and has poor decision making skills. I honestly can't believe this book is getting such high reviews with all the problematic material in it. I am beyond disappointed, I was expecting to love this and I thought I would be dying of laughter, but I mostly felt uncomfortable.
This memoir started off with stories from her childhood, when she was put into foster care and her Mother was in a terrible car accident. Tiffany had a very tragic childhood, and it was incredibly sad to read about. But then, we get to this chapter about when she dated this handicapped man named Roscoe, and in the audiobook she mocks the sound of his voice, which is really fucked up and inappropriate. It just felt to me like she didn't have any respect for this handicapped man or handicapped people in general. There's a fine line between something being funny, and going too far and she definitely went too far. And then, the way she talks about overweight people is horrible too. She constantly makes comments like: "I didn't want to fuck that guy because his titties were bigger than mine" and shit like that. A lot of this book just felt very superficial and shallow and she judges so many people based on their appearance. She also says: "My comedy that night was terrible, but at least I was pretty" and a lot of statements like that that make it seem like 'being pretty' is the only thing that matters. So much of her narration is her talking about who she wants to fuck, and who she doesn't want to fuck, and a lot of other shallow things that I couldn't care less about.
Maybe I'm just being too sensitive but a lot of the stories in this book just rubbed me the wrong way and it's not cool. I loved and adored Tiffany Haddish before reading this, but after reading this I feel like she's kind of mean and judgmental and has poor decision making skills. I honestly can't believe this book is getting such high reviews with all the problematic material in it. I am beyond disappointed, I was expecting to love this and I thought I would be dying of laughter, but I mostly felt uncomfortable.
April 26, 2023
Tiffany Haddish
Tiffany Haddish is an American comedian and actress. She's a stand-up comic, was on the television shows 'If Loving You is Wrong' and 'The Carmichael Show', and was featured in the film 'Keanu.' Haddish's breakout film was 'Girls Trip' (very funny) and she was named one of Time's 100 most influential people for 2018.
*****
Tiffany Haddish overcame a good deal to become the successful woman she is today. Though some of Haddish's stories are dispiriting, she relates them all with a sense of humor, and it's clear that she's an optimist at heart.
Tiffany's father left when she was small and the man she calls 'the stepfather' was a philanderer 'who sucked', but her mother was devoted to him. Tiffany was convinced her mom preferred her younger half-siblings because she loved their father.....and hated hers. Things got even worse when Tiffany was eight, and her mother was in a car accident that left her brain damaged. The injured woman was hospitalized for months, and had to learn to walk, talk, and eat again.
When Tiffany's mother finally came home from the hospital she was 'crazy.' Mom would punch and hit Tiffany relentlessly and say things like "You look like your ugly-ass daddy. I hate him. You're ugly and stupid. I hate you." After that Tiffany's mother was frequently in and out of mental institutions.
What makes this tale even worse is that, when the stepfather took Tiffany out for her 21st birthday, he told her a shocking story. They were both tipsy, and Tiffany mentioned that she'd been feeling sick and depressed (more about this below). The stepfather told her "You're fine. You're gonna make it. God has a purpose for you because you're supposed to be dead along with your brothers and sisters." The stepfather went on to explain that Tiffany and her siblings (his children) were intended to be in the car on the night of his wife's accident. He had taken out insurance policies on all of them, then cut the brakes.
Tiffany didn't know whether she was supposed to believe him or if it was some kind of shock therapy, but she tried to get proof....without success.
*****
Tiffany entered the foster care system at 13, and at 14 was taken in by her grandmother, who stayed with foster care for financial reasons. While young Tiffany was in foster homes, she was beat up by bigger girls and molested by an old man who 'sucked her titties to make them grow.' Tiffany was so naïve that she didn't even realize this was wrong until years later!
When Tiffany aged out of foster care at 18 her grandmother could no longer afford to keep her, and put her out.
*****
During Tiffany's stay with grandma, she was in high school, which was - on the whole - a positive experience. One problem, though, was that Tiffany couldn't read until the 9th grade. Tiffany managed to fake it by getting people to read to her and using other ruses, but was finally exposed by her drama teacher. Tiffany took drama class to be near her crush, Audie, whom she doggedly pursued.
By the end of 9th grade, the drama teacher had figured out Tiffany's hustle and gave her a script to read - a role opposite Audie.
- Tiffany: "Let me take the script home and work on it. I'll do it tomorrow."
- Teacher: "No."
- Tiffany: "I don't feel well."
- Teacher: "You felt fine just a few minutes ago."
- Tiffany (wheedling): "Teacher.....you have such pretty hair."
- Teacher: "Tiffany, can you read?"
With the instructor's help, Tiffany learned to read and "felt like she had a superpower." Tiffany finally realized she was actually smart!
*****
Tiffany lived in the Los Angeles area and was bussed to El Camino Real High School, which was mostly white and Asian. Tiffany was well-liked at school because she was "poor as f**k chic." Tiffany - who was a good talker, had great style, and was funny - stood out.
She became the mascot for the football team and her routine was "dope" - running up and down the field with a megaphone; passing out candy; dancing with people in the stands; etc.
Tiffany caught the eye of an 18-year-old entrepreneur named Tim ('DJ Timbo'), who emceed Bar Mitzvahs. DJ Timbo hired Tiffany to work at his events, and she made $40 a party....getting people on their feet; dancing with the guests; performing her football field routines; doing the wave; and so on. After a couple of years Tiffany became one of the emcees and made $200 to $300 per event. Spicing up Bar Mitzvahs was Tiffany's 'weekend work' for ten years.
Tiffany started doing stand-up comedy at 15, and - during one summer break - went to "Laugh Factory Comedy Camp." At camp Tiffany met the biggest influence in her life, Richard Pryor. Pryor told Tiffany she needed to have fun for the audience to have fun, and this advice affected Tiffany's performances and her life.
Richard Pryor
*****
After Tiffany left her grandmother's house at 18, she quit comedy (temporarily) to get a job and provide for herself. Tiffany worked at the airport, manning a ticket counter, and dated a couple of baggage handlers.....neither of whom worked out. Over the years Tiffany met a lot of 'wrong men', and her stories about them are simultaneously funny and sad. I'll give a brief example.
Titus
At 21, Tiffany was dating Titus, a baggage handler who wanted to be a pimp. Titus lost his job, started disappearing for days, and was exposed as a cheater by his 8-year-old sister - but Tiffany refused to believe anything bad about him. Then Tiffany found a sex tape that PROVED Titus was seeing a stripper named Bertha....and pimping her out. Angry and hurt, Tiffany broke up with the liar.
Titus got his mama, grandma, and aunties to call Tiffany, saying she was destroying him.....and trying to make her feel like it was all her fault. Tiffany was convinced they ALL knew what Titus was doing, so she had a movie bootlegger splice Titus's sex tape into 15 copies of 'Charlie's Angels', and sent them to Titus's relatives for Christmas. She also pooped in his shoes.
On Christmas day, the shit hit the fan. Titus's mother and grandmother called Tiffany in a fury: "What is wrong with you. Everyone saw that....kids, grandkids, the whole family. Titus f**king Bertha." To add insult to injury, Tiffany then 'stole' Bertha from Titus and became the woman's pimp (agent) for porn movies....which was quite profitable for both of them.
After the Titus-Bertha hubbub, Tiffany became depressed - with frequent bouts of crying, stomach pain, and torrential menstrual bleeding. Tiffany went to a therapist, who helped her realize that she missed doing comedy. So Tiffany started doing open mikes.....improved over time.....and became very popular. Tiffany's illness receded, she began to score paid gigs, and she never looked back.
When Tiffany was back in show business, she married a man (twice) that she refers to as 'the ex-husband.' The ex-husband was jealous, possessive, and abusive, but Tiffany thought he loved her and wanted to take care of her. This cautionary tale is related in detail in the book.
Tiffany Haddish and her ex-husband
*****
Tiffany became very successful, but it was a long hard road, dotted with lecherous men who tried to take advantage of her. For instance, Tiffany wanted to open for a comic she calls 'Rumpelstiltskin', but he said she'd have to "open her legs for him".....which was a no go. After Tiffany got a TV show and a movie, Rumpelstiltskin's manager called to ask her if she'd open for him and she said "F**k that."
Another comic, after being turned down for sex, told people Tiffany had f**ked him in his car. She called the comic out in public - yelling and screaming - and forbid him to ever say her name again.....OR ELSE. (You gotta admire the girl!)
This kind of thing happened again and again, until Tiffany became a headliner and earned their respect. Now, Rumpelstiltskin has apologized and - once again - asked Tiffany to work with him. Tiffany responded: "I used to get a dollar a minute, now I get a thousand dollars a minute." They're negotiating a possible deal. Tiffany feels blessed for her success, and would like to see other female comics succeed. Her word of advice:"Keep your legs closed and earn your comedy stripes on your feet."
Tiffany has lots more engaging tales in the book, including: her short stint with Scientology; an attempt to take her mother shopping at Target; a brief reunion with her biological father; her status as a 'Princess' in Eritrea; a New Orleans swamp tour with Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith; and many more. I'd highly recommend the book to fans of celebrity memoirs....and to anyone else who likes a good story.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
December 23, 2017
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🌟 I read this for the Yule Bingo Challenge, for the category of Tonks: strong heroine. For more info on this challenge, click here. 🌟
I knew I wanted to read this book the moment I watched her interview with Trevor Noah. She seemed like such a fun, wonderful, crazy person. I watched Girls Trip recently, you know, for "research," and in that movie, I feel like Tiffany Haddish is channeling a lot of her own self for that character.
THE LAST BLACK UNICORN is a celebrity memoir that actually lives up to the hype. It's one of those raw, honest memoirs that have become so rare these days, because I think the quick access to the internet makes it all easy for people - readers - to spread the dirt, and the outrage, and be all, "Oh my God, you'll never guess what Tiffany said in her memoir! #boycott"
These days, it's like we require celebrities to be saints in order to win our admiration. They have to be larger than life and elegant, but also play by all the rules we set for them. If they don't, they get torn apart in gossip magazines or called things like "tacky," "skanky," or "ungrateful." It really isn't fair to expect people to live like this, since most people don't live like this, and I'm glad that's changing at last. It certainly results in much more candid memoirs... like this one!
In Tiffany's memoir, she portrays her authentic self and talks in the book the way she talks in real life. While reading the book, I could actually imagine her voice in my head. It added an extra level of enjoyment for me, because it made the book so personal. Most of the book is laugh out loud funny, either because she's laying out the scenes the way she does in her comedy routines, or because she's been through so many ridiculous situations that you can't help but let out a horrified giggle as you clutch your metaphorical pearls. My favorite example of this is when Tiffany decides to get back at a cheating ex (whose sex tape she scavenged out of a dumpster) by pooping in his shoes and then splicing a scene from the tape into bootlegged copies of Charlie's Angels and sending them all to his family for Christmas. Which they watched. And called her about. Angrily. She was not sorry. She also became a pimp just to undercut his own amateur attempts at pimping - and succeeded!
But the book has a darker side too, with abuse in many different kinds of forms, ranging from neglect from her mom and foster mom, to abusive boyfriends and husbands, to molestation (from her foster grandparent), to the sexism that occurs from being a woman in comedy, and how people try to take advantage of women who are just starting out the same way they try to take advantage of starlets.
THE LAST BLACK UNICORN is a really funny memoir, and if you don't mind darker scenarios being written about irreverently, and with a lot of cursing to boot, I think you'll probably enjoy this book, if not for the honesty, then for the way she has managed to channel a seemingly limitless amount of positivity for the negatives in her life and used humor as a way of coping.
Thank you, Trevor Noah, for mentioning this book on your channel and bumping it up my to-read list.
4 to 4.5 stars
April 3, 2018
5 stars
This book gets 5 stars because it made me LAUGH! Not just chuckle laugh while reading, I mean tears down my face I was dying kind of laugh. Tiffany Haddish is someone I only found out about because one of my Facebook friends shared a video of her. I haven't seen Girls Trip yet (despite one of my good friends loaning it to me on DVD. I'm sorry! I'll watch it asap!). You bet your ass I am going to be looking up her backlist and watching everything this woman is in!
First off, this book isn't super PC and I am convinced Tiffany is all kinds of crazy. But you can feel her genuine self in this book, her struggles and her comedy. This woman has lived quite the life and I am sure she's going to keep living on even better throughout the years.
This book is a memoir/series of essays, some about funny points in her life and others, much less funny parts. But everything in this book shows how Tiffany came to be herself and what an amazing woman she is. I have so much respect for her and I admire her hard work.
If you want a book that will make you laugh your ass off and pull at your heart at the same time, you need to read this book. Plus people have told me the audio is amazing, so you can also listen to it!
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This book gets 5 stars because it made me LAUGH! Not just chuckle laugh while reading, I mean tears down my face I was dying kind of laugh. Tiffany Haddish is someone I only found out about because one of my Facebook friends shared a video of her. I haven't seen Girls Trip yet (despite one of my good friends loaning it to me on DVD. I'm sorry! I'll watch it asap!). You bet your ass I am going to be looking up her backlist and watching everything this woman is in!
First off, this book isn't super PC and I am convinced Tiffany is all kinds of crazy. But you can feel her genuine self in this book, her struggles and her comedy. This woman has lived quite the life and I am sure she's going to keep living on even better throughout the years.
This book is a memoir/series of essays, some about funny points in her life and others, much less funny parts. But everything in this book shows how Tiffany came to be herself and what an amazing woman she is. I have so much respect for her and I admire her hard work.
If you want a book that will make you laugh your ass off and pull at your heart at the same time, you need to read this book. Plus people have told me the audio is amazing, so you can also listen to it!
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December 21, 2017
So good it's not even funny.
Well, actually, it is really, really funny.
Listen to the audiobook if you can. I didn't know Tiffany Haddish's work before, but I try to listen to a variety of genres and this book had a great rating. I'm not surprised. This woman's story is inspiring and heartbreaking. She is hilarious and so, so real.
5 stars.
Well, actually, it is really, really funny.
Listen to the audiobook if you can. I didn't know Tiffany Haddish's work before, but I try to listen to a variety of genres and this book had a great rating. I'm not surprised. This woman's story is inspiring and heartbreaking. She is hilarious and so, so real.
5 stars.
Read
May 19, 2018Quick review of the audio. I’m leaving this unrated for now. There were parts of this that were easily five plus stars. Tiffany Haddish is strong and has overcome many hard times in her life. I typically adore her humor, even in all its brusqueness, and I did for the most part; however, the low point for me included her making fun of a man with whom she had a relationship who happened to have a physical disability that also impacted how he spoke. Comedians can make fun of anyone as fair game. That’s what they do, but making fun of someone who is different and cannot change it (which applies to many types of differences) is not something I will ever enjoy.
This was overall a worthwhile read, and I still love Tiffany.
This was overall a worthwhile read, and I still love Tiffany.
April 16, 2019
THE ALPHA AND OMEGA OF COMEDIC AUTOBIOGRAPHIES!
No kidding, don't go elsewhere to get your fill of laughs, boos, & ugly-cries. A life that's made up of hardship, strife... this is absolutely harrowing and also jubilant. That the two opposites can cohabitate so snugly in one Hollywood-ready book--you and I have never experienced something quite like this. Bless her. She is a new voice in comedy, books, the world!
I wanna thank Erik, my personal stand up guy, for this amazing recommendation. A true must!
No kidding, don't go elsewhere to get your fill of laughs, boos, & ugly-cries. A life that's made up of hardship, strife... this is absolutely harrowing and also jubilant. That the two opposites can cohabitate so snugly in one Hollywood-ready book--you and I have never experienced something quite like this. Bless her. She is a new voice in comedy, books, the world!
I wanna thank Erik, my personal stand up guy, for this amazing recommendation. A true must!
November 24, 2017
I was nervous that a Tiffany Haddish book wouldn't feel like Tiffany Haddish, but happily no one has tried to change her. This book is so clearly 100% Tiffany, which is wise. If you've seen her on screen you would know if there was any attempt to dress her up or change her voice.
A lot of this book is funny, but a lot of it really isn't. A rough childhood, troubled relationships with men, and plenty of encounters with misogyny in comedy. What you get here is joy and pain, but always through Tiffany's lens.
Note: there's one chapter mostly about a co-worker who may have cognitive disabilities or another type of neurodiversity and while Tiffany clearly views him positively some readers may find it problematic. You may want to skip that chapter all together.
A lot of this book is funny, but a lot of it really isn't. A rough childhood, troubled relationships with men, and plenty of encounters with misogyny in comedy. What you get here is joy and pain, but always through Tiffany's lens.
Note: there's one chapter mostly about a co-worker who may have cognitive disabilities or another type of neurodiversity and while Tiffany clearly views him positively some readers may find it problematic. You may want to skip that chapter all together.
February 1, 2018
I spent the whole time I listened to this audiobook thinking about how to explain why I didn't like it. Haddish is smart, hilarious, and has undeniable presence. I bought this because I saw her on with Trevor Noah and laughed until I cried. Haddish has a lot to say and quite a life story to tell, but it didn't work in a book format for me.
I've seen her tell most of the main anecdotes in the second half of the book, but her delivery on stage was markedly different, more engaging, and the bits tighter. It didn't translate well: the book didn't work and the audiobook performance didn't work. Content and delivery were choppy, and it felt like the bits (which, again, are great on stage!) were dragged out and diluted just to fill up the book.
On one hand I'm glad I read this and that her voice—the voice of a woman of color who has 100% made herself from a childhood of foster care and a mentally ill mother and then adulthood partially spent living in her car—is out there and being heard.
But then here's the thing that really drove it home for me: the ableism and sizeism in the book weren't sitting well with me, and then I got to the end and listened to the credits and learned that Tucker Max wrote the book with her. No thank you, please. Such a disappointment.
I've seen her tell most of the main anecdotes in the second half of the book, but her delivery on stage was markedly different, more engaging, and the bits tighter. It didn't translate well: the book didn't work and the audiobook performance didn't work. Content and delivery were choppy, and it felt like the bits (which, again, are great on stage!) were dragged out and diluted just to fill up the book.
On one hand I'm glad I read this and that her voice—the voice of a woman of color who has 100% made herself from a childhood of foster care and a mentally ill mother and then adulthood partially spent living in her car—is out there and being heard.
But then here's the thing that really drove it home for me: the ableism and sizeism in the book weren't sitting well with me, and then I got to the end and listened to the credits and learned that Tucker Max wrote the book with her. No thank you, please. Such a disappointment.
January 6, 2018
Awwwh...Hell Yeah..Tiffany!!!
..This book was funny as shit!!.. IMO..get the audiobook..listening to her tell this story is priceless!!!
..This book was funny as shit!!.. IMO..get the audiobook..listening to her tell this story is priceless!!!
February 16, 2023
This is one of the most awful and ableist things I’ve ever read in my life and Haddish should be ashamed of herself. I discuss it here: https://youtu.be/zST9SCH1He0
June 20, 2019
Honestly I don’t know how some people survive their childhood. Just when you think you had it bad, along comes a story like Tiffany‘s and you realise what a strong fierce woman she is to overcome such a turbulent beginning. Not once does Tiffany think she’s better that anyone else she just backs herself and runs with it. I can’t help but admire someone with that kind of determination. She’s the defintion of a hustler I mean that in the best kind of way. She overcame obstacles that would stop most in their tracks. The book reads just how she speaks in real life, she’s crass, she’s bold and it’s raw and unpolished but it’s also kind of refreshing. She won’t be to everyone’s taste. I get that. But I admire her brutal honesty.
Even though she made it to to the top of her game she hasn’t let it change her completely she’s still the same old Tiffany just richer and more well known now, I love that she had many people to prove wrong and she’s done it her way, in her style. Her fighting spirit is infectious and she shows you’ve got to push away all the haters, work hard and believe in yourself. You go girl!
Even though she made it to to the top of her game she hasn’t let it change her completely she’s still the same old Tiffany just richer and more well known now, I love that she had many people to prove wrong and she’s done it her way, in her style. Her fighting spirit is infectious and she shows you’ve got to push away all the haters, work hard and believe in yourself. You go girl!
June 9, 2019
Tiffany Haddish is funny. I listened to her book on audio, performed by Tiffany herself, and it was very entertaining.
I was interested in reading Tiffany's memoir after seeing her interview with David Letterman on Netflix. Tiffany had an incredibly difficult childhood, which included an abusive and neglectful mother, bullies at school, and time spent in foster care. In both the Letterman interview and the book, you can see Tiffany's spirit and resilience, and how she used comedy and positivity to overcome her struggles.
If you're a fan of Tiffany's movies or comedy, you will enjoy this book. Recommended.
I was interested in reading Tiffany's memoir after seeing her interview with David Letterman on Netflix. Tiffany had an incredibly difficult childhood, which included an abusive and neglectful mother, bullies at school, and time spent in foster care. In both the Letterman interview and the book, you can see Tiffany's spirit and resilience, and how she used comedy and positivity to overcome her struggles.
If you're a fan of Tiffany's movies or comedy, you will enjoy this book. Recommended.
February 8, 2018
"Growing roses out of poop"
Other than reading, I really love comedy. Really great stand up can be an art form. I love to wallow in it from time to time. My top faves include Pryor and Murphy (old leather wearing Eddie Murphy) (though his brother Charlie Murphy is a fucking riot (may he RIP) and surpassed Eddie's jokes at times)
Oh and Chris Rock! AHHHH! I could go on for days about him. So funny.
I still watch old comedy specials of these guys and I laugh like it's my first time watching.
I digress.
Comedians are a dime a dozen. But great comedians can be special.
Tiffany Haddish is someone I've watched for years. *cough*Def Comedy Jam*cough* And then it seemed she disappeared. After listening to "The Last Black Unicorn", I see why.
I know 2017 was her year after the movie Girls Trip (funny as fuck-highly recommended) But what surprised me more was her interview with The Breakfast Club last year: Link for those who're curious
She opened up about a lot of surprising things in her. Some of it sounded unbelievable. She's experienced so much: abuse, family with mental illness, living foster care, being bullied, being homeless just to name a few.
The way she told her story hooked me. I thought she should write a book after listening to this and a few months later, The Last Black Unicorn was out.
No matter what I had to have my hands on it. And I wasn't disappointed.
Tiffany narrates the entire thing. She's not the best writer in the world (nor do I expect her to be) I listened as a fan. She shares her joy, her pain and somehow it didn't get depressing. Some subjects might be trigger. Abuse, intimate relationships with a person with intellectual disabilities
I don't think anyone else could narrate this story but Tiffany. She's effervescent and her delivery came across sincere.
I am proud of her. Her path was rough to get to where she was today, some of her choices were questionable. But she owns up to it.
To be as successful as she is with her background is a miracle. Hell, something like a majestic unicorn.
Haddish, keep being you. I'm sure you'll never ever read this, but you made it on your own terms and I'm proud of you. You're proof you might have been dealt a shitty hand from life, but it doesn't need to define you.
You're still a work in progress and you never try to be something you're not. Stay true to yourself. Always.
This was my last read of 2017 and I'm happy it ended on a (mostly) positive note.
I'd recommend the audio route if you do choose to try this out.
March 11, 2019
Tiffany Haddish is a one of a kind, and a strong, beautiful, hilarious woman. What she has gone through in her life has truly carried her to where she is today, but it’s still heartbreaking that she had to go through it. The first half of her book was about her childhood, her family, her introduction to comedy, and her relationships. I found myself laughing aloud so hard that I had tears running down my face. I couldn’t believe what was coming out of her mouth. It wasn’t just about the story either – it was how she delivered it. I would strongly suggest listening to the audio if you can – because her delivery is flawless AND there is a special SONG at the very end that will kill you dead.
My issues with this book:
About halfway through this book you will come to a chapter titled Roscoe the Handicapped Angel. This chapter should be skipped over at all costs. Not only did I not laugh once – I sat there with a pit in my stomach just wishing that it would be over. I felt uncomfortable. I felt disappointed.
Roscoe is a man with disabilities that Tiffany goes into great detail about... including imitating him and how he speaks. She also does this with other people she encounters that have down syndrome. This isn’t ok. If Tiffany feels like she absolutely needs to tell this story, then she needs to do it in a more respectful way, without imitating someone’s hardship. She also nonchalantly slips in the word retarded. Not cool. It seemed like this was Roscoe’s story to tell, not hers. The second half was more disjointed, and unorganized and it needed better direction.
I like Tiffany Haddish – I don’t think that she is as “woke” as I thought she would be. That’s on me though.
My issues with this book:
About halfway through this book you will come to a chapter titled Roscoe the Handicapped Angel. This chapter should be skipped over at all costs. Not only did I not laugh once – I sat there with a pit in my stomach just wishing that it would be over. I felt uncomfortable. I felt disappointed.
Roscoe is a man with disabilities that Tiffany goes into great detail about... including imitating him and how he speaks. She also does this with other people she encounters that have down syndrome. This isn’t ok. If Tiffany feels like she absolutely needs to tell this story, then she needs to do it in a more respectful way, without imitating someone’s hardship. She also nonchalantly slips in the word retarded. Not cool. It seemed like this was Roscoe’s story to tell, not hers. The second half was more disjointed, and unorganized and it needed better direction.
I like Tiffany Haddish – I don’t think that she is as “woke” as I thought she would be. That’s on me though.
February 12, 2018
I love Tiffany Haddish! She seems like the kind of celebrity who would be very down to earth, and fun to be friends with. And she's had a helluva life. I identify with that in a big way. The whole time I was reading it, it was like listening to her tell the stories. She writes the way she talks. I legitimately ordered this book immediately after watching her interview with Trevor Noah, and I'm so glad I did! Even though I had to wait a whole month to get it because Amazon was sold out! Which is awesome for her! :D I highly recommend this book.
November 18, 2020
Comedian memoirs as audiobooks read by comedians are the best.
Tiffany Haddish's is no exception. But don't think The Last Black Unicorn is just an extended stand-up set, because it's certainly more than that. It's a true memoir, talking about the extremely messed up struggles she has experienced. She speaks in a very direct and relatable way, expressing the complexities of an entire life in simple fashion. And, of course, very funny.
She had a terrible childhood, no doubt about that. Not to mention her abusive marriage (apparently her ex is suing... but come on. We all know her side of the story is true). She jumps around from topic to topic, not listing experiences in chronological order. A bit jarring to go from foster care to a mentally ill mother, but it works in the end.
Her dating stories are fun, very self-deprecating, like with poor handicapped Roscoe. Extremely explicit, as is expected. She is brutally honest about sex, abortion, all kinds of subjects. The hardship of sexism in the club circuit. Towards the end of the book it becomes more about the funny celebrity stories with Will Smith and others, as she achieves success post-Girls Trip, which is definitely more upbeat.
Even before the fame, her stories of being an up-and-coming comic struggling in Hollywood from the bottom are excellent lessons for anyone curious about the inner workings of the business. Her perspective is her own, I wouldn't say it's an advice book, but still valuable to learn if one is interested.
It is so inspiring how she knew what she wanted to do when she was young, and pushed her way to the top after so many years and intense struggles, even when stopping and starting. From an illiterate self-hating kid from South Central going to comedy camp, to working at LAX and embarrassing herself at Lesbian open mic nights. A unicorn story if ever there was one!
Any fan of African-American comedy, and just American comedy, would do well to listen to The Last Black Unicorn.
Tiffany Haddish's is no exception. But don't think The Last Black Unicorn is just an extended stand-up set, because it's certainly more than that. It's a true memoir, talking about the extremely messed up struggles she has experienced. She speaks in a very direct and relatable way, expressing the complexities of an entire life in simple fashion. And, of course, very funny.
She had a terrible childhood, no doubt about that. Not to mention her abusive marriage (apparently her ex is suing... but come on. We all know her side of the story is true). She jumps around from topic to topic, not listing experiences in chronological order. A bit jarring to go from foster care to a mentally ill mother, but it works in the end.
Her dating stories are fun, very self-deprecating, like with poor handicapped Roscoe. Extremely explicit, as is expected. She is brutally honest about sex, abortion, all kinds of subjects. The hardship of sexism in the club circuit. Towards the end of the book it becomes more about the funny celebrity stories with Will Smith and others, as she achieves success post-Girls Trip, which is definitely more upbeat.
Even before the fame, her stories of being an up-and-coming comic struggling in Hollywood from the bottom are excellent lessons for anyone curious about the inner workings of the business. Her perspective is her own, I wouldn't say it's an advice book, but still valuable to learn if one is interested.
It is so inspiring how she knew what she wanted to do when she was young, and pushed her way to the top after so many years and intense struggles, even when stopping and starting. From an illiterate self-hating kid from South Central going to comedy camp, to working at LAX and embarrassing herself at Lesbian open mic nights. A unicorn story if ever there was one!
Any fan of African-American comedy, and just American comedy, would do well to listen to The Last Black Unicorn.
December 11, 2017
Tiffany Hadish memoir about her life is hilarious,inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time. I discovered her watching the movie Girls Trip, that movie had me laughing so hard. Usually I am not a fan of comedies but she is one of the rare people that I made an exception for. While the movie had a talented and ensemble cast, she was the one that stood out the most. Back to the book, this book will make you laugh, cry and motivate you simultaneously. Prior to reading this book, I was familiar with some parts about her childhood, but this book opened up so many things. I had no idea that she experienced so much turmoil at a young age.
It is hard to pick out what chapter stood out the most,but if I had to pick it would be the chapter when she discovered comedy. It was full of wit and sadness, it made you sympathize with her because she only wanted to make people laugh and feel accepted. I really liked how the book was written, it was like she was sitting next to you while she told her biography.
Highly recommended to everyone, whether you know a lot or little about her, trust me after reading this,you will want to know about her!
The best memoir I read this year,and so glad that this book is the last book I finish for my reading challenge!
It is hard to pick out what chapter stood out the most,but if I had to pick it would be the chapter when she discovered comedy. It was full of wit and sadness, it made you sympathize with her because she only wanted to make people laugh and feel accepted. I really liked how the book was written, it was like she was sitting next to you while she told her biography.
Highly recommended to everyone, whether you know a lot or little about her, trust me after reading this,you will want to know about her!
The best memoir I read this year,and so glad that this book is the last book I finish for my reading challenge!
April 23, 2018
4 Stars!
First off, I want to say that I love Tiffany Haddish. I think she's someone who is famous that is always authentically themselves and she always will be. She's a newer breakout star, so I didn't know much about her but this really shed some light into her past life and it was incredibly real and raw.
This book starts out with Tiffany's family and jobs as she was growing up. She didn't have the best life - her mom was (still kinda is) crazy and Tiffany never quite felt accepted in the family that she was in. She wants to desperately find a way to 1. Live and 2. Make a name for herself and be accepted by some kind of community. This also crossed over into her dating life. She dated some really rough and not so great men. Unfortunately she was abandoned by her Dad at a young age and her step father never stepped into that role so she was searching for companionship...just with the wrong guys.
Nevertheless, Tiffany always prevails. We know her as this hilarious comedy star who was in Girls' Trip. But reading this book makes you realize how she, along with a lot of people in the US and world, struggle just to pursue their passion. Nevertheless, she had a few people who had confidence in her and that kept her going. By the end she really realizes her worth and it's simply amazing when people in her past that blew her off/disrespected her hard now want to desperately work with her...Karma is funny isn't it?
I have to say the writing was so spot on. This wasn't some super polished novel, it was really how Tiffany speaks and I could read the whole thing in her voice the whole time. There is A LOT of swearing...the girl likes to swear. So if that's not your thing, well you probably don't like Tiffany Haddish in the first place haha
At times this is laugh out loud funny. If you love her - pick it up. You won't be disappointed!
First off, I want to say that I love Tiffany Haddish. I think she's someone who is famous that is always authentically themselves and she always will be. She's a newer breakout star, so I didn't know much about her but this really shed some light into her past life and it was incredibly real and raw.
This book starts out with Tiffany's family and jobs as she was growing up. She didn't have the best life - her mom was (still kinda is) crazy and Tiffany never quite felt accepted in the family that she was in. She wants to desperately find a way to 1. Live and 2. Make a name for herself and be accepted by some kind of community. This also crossed over into her dating life. She dated some really rough and not so great men. Unfortunately she was abandoned by her Dad at a young age and her step father never stepped into that role so she was searching for companionship...just with the wrong guys.
Nevertheless, Tiffany always prevails. We know her as this hilarious comedy star who was in Girls' Trip. But reading this book makes you realize how she, along with a lot of people in the US and world, struggle just to pursue their passion. Nevertheless, she had a few people who had confidence in her and that kept her going. By the end she really realizes her worth and it's simply amazing when people in her past that blew her off/disrespected her hard now want to desperately work with her...Karma is funny isn't it?
I have to say the writing was so spot on. This wasn't some super polished novel, it was really how Tiffany speaks and I could read the whole thing in her voice the whole time. There is A LOT of swearing...the girl likes to swear. So if that's not your thing, well you probably don't like Tiffany Haddish in the first place haha
At times this is laugh out loud funny. If you love her - pick it up. You won't be disappointed!
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