I Am the New Black
Selected Book Details
- Hardcover
- Author: Tracy Morgan, Anthony Bozza
- Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
- Release Date: October 2009
- ISBN-10: 0385527772
- ISBN-13: 9780385527774
- List Price: $25.00
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryThe outrageously funny, heartbreaking, and surprising story of Tracy Morgan's rise from ghetto wiseass to superstar comedian. Who is Tracy Morgan? The wildly unpredictable funnyman who rocketed to fame on Saturday Night Live? The Emmy-nominated actor behind the sly and ingenious character Tracy Jordan on the award-winning hit sitcom 30 Rock, whose turbulent personal life often mirrors that of his fictional alter ego? Is he Chico Divine, the life of the party--any party, anytime, anywhere, getting ladies pregnant everywhere he goes? Or is he a soulful, tender family man who emerged from a hardscrabble ghetto upbringing and against all odds achieved superstardom, raised a solid family, prevailed over a collection of lethal bad habits, and is still ascending new heights and coming into his own? The answer is: Tracy Morgan is all that. And then some. When he was just a boy living in the Coney Island projects, being funny was about survival. With the right snap, Tracy could shut down the playground bullies who beat up on him and his physically disabled older brother. And with a wild enough prank, he could exact revenge on whoever stole his Pumas at the community pool. Later, being funny was about escape--from the untouchable sadness of his father’s death, from the desperation of the drug dealer’s trade, from the life and death battles waged on the streets of the South Bronx in the age of crack. But these days being funny is about living his dream--a dream born in the comedy clubs of Harlem and realized on shows like Martin and Saturday Night Live, where he was a cast member for seven years, and in movies like The Longest Yard and Half-Baked. With brutal honesty and his trademark take-no-prisoners humor, Tracy tells the story of his rise to fame, with all its highs and its many lows--from the very public battles with alcohol and diabetes that threatened his career and his life to the private and poignant end of his twenty-year marriage. In his singularly warped and brilliant way he muses on family, love, sex, race, politics, ambition, and what it takes to bring the funny. Howlingly funny, inspiring, searing, and touching, I Am the New Black is a fascinating peek inside the mind of one of the most compelling and defining comedians of our time. |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Ghettodog Millionaire (or Bronx Brown Bomber?)
Rating:
This autobiographical expose is both strong and funny and the strong parts are funny and the funny parts are very strong indeed. However as told here, there is a tragic comic aspect running along in the subtext of Mr. Morgan's life. Precisely in the way he has continued throughout it to dig holes for himself, only to then find uncommon ways to crawl out of them (high school dropout, drug dealer, ticket scalper at Yankee Stadium, serial impregnator, etc. turned successful comic, movie and TV star.)
As a result, there has been no rhyme or reason to his life or his life story. And since there is no rhyme or reason to them, there also is little left for the reader to hold on to here. His life lessons, though at times seemingly very wise and hard-earned, in the end ring hollow because his actions throughout his life have invariably countermand them: even at forty, he remains a random variable, bouncing like a pinball from one side of life to another, on his way back to the inevitable black hole waiting for us all. We know that just around the corner, there will be more trouble for Tracy Morgan, the black man with a lot of bass in his voice, and the comedian, father, and actor extraordinaire.
In this self-absorbed tabloid like expose, Morgan gives us way more than we bargained for, or needed to hear from him (His brown bomb in the swimming pool for instance. Or that his brother may have contracted meningitis by playing in the toilet bowl?). His unvarnished honesty is used like a Samurai sword, as he commits Harikari by swishing his way through the first forty years of a "rags to riches" success story. And although he unmistakably is one of only a handful of our most talented comedians, this book reveals that his bright shining star is rapidly burning out and that despite this, he still remains full of himself and self-absorbed in an immature way that leaves the reader saying as my Uncle Nath used to say: "He's slick, but he still needs another greasing."
Morgan has been lucky in love, in life and in his chosen profession, which he remains committed to; and that is all to the good. However, he himself admits that he has already burned up eight of his nine lives and with many complications of advanced diabetes, he cannot fail to realize that he is undoubtedly living on borrowed time. At a time when he needs to be taking stock and getting his house in order for the final existential ride, Hollywood has so gotten into his bloodstream that I fear there is no cure for this very bright black man who has a lot to say, and has a lot left to do. Still it is a very good read. Four Stars
Wildly honest, somewhat controversial
Rating:
I am so impressed when celebrities are actually honest about anything - their lives, careers, relationships, the business, Hollywood. So much of what they all do and say and write is spin, that it sometimes sickens me to watch talk shows and be witness to all of the hype (aka lies). That's why I appreciate Tracy Morgan's honesty.
Morgan starts from the beginning and runs through to present day without spending too much time on any one time period or subject. His childhood was not fun, and he lets us know that fact without coming across as bitter. This book is not for the faint of heart; Morgan talks openly about what life was like growing up in the ghetto. He includes plenty of information you never wanted to know! Refreshingly, there is little about race issues. I don't know if that was intentionally edited out, but it's a good thing, as no one needs to be bopped over the head with this very tired issue.
I don't want to share too much information and spoil things for the reader, but he mentions a few people in a negative light (he deems one very famous young woman an undeserving star and calls her pathetic).
It's funny in isolated spots, but this is no laugh fest. It is a factual, honest autobiography. And just like everyone else's life, he has his ups and downs. Don't expect to laugh your butt off. Maybe someday Morgan will right a comedic book, but this is not it!
Anthony Bozza is the "helper" here. He seems to be the go-to writer when a celeb with little or no writing abilities needs to be reined in. Bozza is successful because he allows Morgan to sound like himself; there is little sanitization here. I am sure that when Bozza gets all of this information collected from his authors, it is not in any kind of order. It's his job to take people who are all over the place with their stream of consciousness and get it in some semblance of order. He succeeds here.
Not at all funny
Rating:
I like Tracy Morgan, I think he's really funny. His book is not. I still think he's hilarious but his book was a waste of time and money. It was supposed to come off as inspirational but really came off as pathetic. He contradicted himself throughout the whole book like when he talked about drinking to get ready before every appearance, then a few pages later claiming he never drank before performing. That's how the whole book was. He kept trying to impart his "wisdom" and life lessons, but he is the last guy that should be giving life advice. Even when he does this, there is no humor involved. I still laugh at him on 30 Rock and still consider myself a big fan of his work, just not his book.
Good life story.
Rating:
Good quick read. I like this guy because I think he cares about making a difference. He uses humor to get some real stuff said.
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