The outrageously funny, heartbreaking, and surprising story of Tracy Morgan's rise from ghetto wiseass to superstar comedian.
Who is Tracy Morg... read full description
Who is Tracy Morg... read full description
reviews
Sep 28, 2011
Renee
rated it: 
I listened to the audio version of this book, and although Morgan’s story of rags to riches is somewhat interesting and inspiring, that is about all this book has.
Listening to him orate and his inability to talk in complete sentences with some mode of fifth-grade articulation was downright pitiful. If one knew nothing of Tracy Morgan, one would never know he was a comedian. Other than Morgan shouting “I am BIG funny” numerous times throughout the book, and comparing himself to comedy More...
Listening to him orate and his inability to talk in complete sentences with some mode of fifth-grade articulation was downright pitiful. If one knew nothing of Tracy Morgan, one would never know he was a comedian. Other than Morgan shouting “I am BIG funny” numerous times throughout the book, and comparing himself to comedy More...
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Dec 19, 2009
Vannessagrace
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Tracey Morgan’s I Am The New Black is one of the most honest and telling memoirs I’ve read this year!
Mr. Morgan takes us through a life of peril to a life of luxury never knowing how good his life had become until he lost his family to booze and partying. It took his hitting rock bottom to realize until he changed his former neighborhood mentality, mindset, to one of a successful businessman who made it out of the world of drugs, gangs, hopelessness, and people who blamed their defe More...
Mr. Morgan takes us through a life of peril to a life of luxury never knowing how good his life had become until he lost his family to booze and partying. It took his hitting rock bottom to realize until he changed his former neighborhood mentality, mindset, to one of a successful businessman who made it out of the world of drugs, gangs, hopelessness, and people who blamed their defe More...
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Jan 23, 2010
Dora
rated it: 
This book probably gets so many stars because I expected very little of it, and instead I was really moved and drawn in. Morgan's bio is much more thought-provoking than it seems on the surface. He (or possibly his ghostwriter) is able to tell a compelling story about his childhood and his life as a performer, creating a story arc weaving them together. Things mentioned in the very beginning become a part of his professional life.
In particular I was moved by the parallels between his More...
In particular I was moved by the parallels between his More...
Oct 22, 2009
Lee Anne
rated it: 
This book was co(ghost)written by Anthony Bozza, who also co(ghost)wrote Artie Lange's Too Fat to Fish, and it has more than a few similarities. Both men had fathers who died young; both men have overcome (or tried to, in Artie's case) addictions; both books are written by comedians, but are sentimental more than they are funny.
Tracy Morgan is one of the funniest people out there right now, but this book made me laugh out loud exactly once. That isn't to say it's a bad book, but More...
Tracy Morgan is one of the funniest people out there right now, but this book made me laugh out loud exactly once. That isn't to say it's a bad book, but More...
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Sep 12, 2011
Daniel
rated it:
I was totally blindsided by Tracy Morgan's I Am the New Black. I took a look at his goofy face and exposed belly on the cover, dressed in an expensive suit jacket and tie with bunny ears, with the ridiculous title and the name written enormous in golden lights above, and thought: This is going to be hilarious. Maybe he'd even write it in character as Tracy Jordan from 30 Rock!
I feel bad for saying that I was disappointed to see that this was not the case. Why not have a serious autobi More...
I feel bad for saying that I was disappointed to see that this was not the case. Why not have a serious autobi More...
Aug 24, 2010
John
rated it:
I have a feeling this would be three or even two stars, had I read this instead of listing to it as an audio CD. Tracy Morgan is a rambler, and he jumps all over the place in time. He repeats himself and goes on and on sometimes when he should be getting back to some kind of narrative structure. But listening to it, I could always be doing something else too, so I would just tune it out when he was rambling and then pay attention again when he was back to a good story or being funny. And he is p
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Jul 26, 2010
Benjamin
rated it: 
The good: Tracy Morgan is undeniably hilarious, and I liked him before he was cool. Brian Fellow? Hysterical. Astronaut Jones? Classic. Tracy Jordan? Marvelous. This book was a great insight into the background of what he calls 'the funny'. Most of the anecdotes from his childhood in the ghettos of New York are disturbing, some are funny, but they are all captivating. A should-read for any fan of Morgans.
The not-so-good: I always thought that a co-writer's job on a celebrity autobiogra More...
The not-so-good: I always thought that a co-writer's job on a celebrity autobiogra More...
Jan 05, 2010
Heather
rated it:
Tracy does A LOT of over-sharing, but if you imagine it as him actually reading it to you, it is far more enjoyable.
One big problem I have, is that it seems a little pre-mature for him to do a book like this. 30 Rock is only a few seasons in and his first headlining movie with Bruce Willis is about to drop. That said, there really isn't much to this story (thus the wide spacing and larger font).
Another problem is the flow of the story. Tracy has had a hell of a life, bu More...
One big problem I have, is that it seems a little pre-mature for him to do a book like this. 30 Rock is only a few seasons in and his first headlining movie with Bruce Willis is about to drop. That said, there really isn't much to this story (thus the wide spacing and larger font).
Another problem is the flow of the story. Tracy has had a hell of a life, bu More...
Dec 07, 2009
Stephen
rated it:
I've read quite a few celebrity autobiographies and this is one of the better ones. Here's why.
Look at Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis. Kiedis spends most of his book detailing EVERY SINGLE drug deal he ever took part in. And if that's not enough, he, for some reason, feels the need to tell us whenever he got laid. The whole book, the guy's doing drugs, buying drugs and having sex. It's over 400 pages long and he barely gets in anything about the Red Hot Chili Peppers' music. That's wh More...
Look at Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis. Kiedis spends most of his book detailing EVERY SINGLE drug deal he ever took part in. And if that's not enough, he, for some reason, feels the need to tell us whenever he got laid. The whole book, the guy's doing drugs, buying drugs and having sex. It's over 400 pages long and he barely gets in anything about the Red Hot Chili Peppers' music. That's wh More...
Nov 25, 2010
Natalie
rated it:
This is a review of the audiobook version, which is read by Tracy Morgan. It sounds like he does quite a bit of ad-libbing in it, so I'm not sure what was in the written version and what wasn't. Anyway, overall I liked this. It was a bit disorganized and rambly, but that's also what made it endearing and more touching than it might have been otherwise; it really felt like Tracy Morgan was just having a conversation with the listener. The audiobook, I think, is probably funnier than the writt
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Jan 05, 2011
Kate
rated it:
Can't imagine picking up the hard copy - Tracy was made for audiobook.
I would kind of like to know if the book has anything the CDs don't. Because certainly you don't get the same hauntingly cool experience of listening to Tracy's late father's original recorded songs by reading the book. Are there like, family photos?
Yes, there has been a lot of oversharing and stories of hard times. I'm 1/2 the way through and he has already identified his personal hero as three differe More...
I would kind of like to know if the book has anything the CDs don't. Because certainly you don't get the same hauntingly cool experience of listening to Tracy's late father's original recorded songs by reading the book. Are there like, family photos?
Yes, there has been a lot of oversharing and stories of hard times. I'm 1/2 the way through and he has already identified his personal hero as three differe More...
May 07, 2010
Marjorie
rated it:
Well, it was interesting to a degree.
Not the most well written book, but he is a comedian by profession, not a writer.
He repeats himself a lot and this makes the book exasperating. Just as in a conversation where a person keeps telling you the same story over and over, makes you want to excuse yourself.....but again, maybe the drugs and alcohol have addled his brain a bit.
The running theme of, "I was married to the road and drugs were my coping mecha More...
Not the most well written book, but he is a comedian by profession, not a writer.
He repeats himself a lot and this makes the book exasperating. Just as in a conversation where a person keeps telling you the same story over and over, makes you want to excuse yourself.....but again, maybe the drugs and alcohol have addled his brain a bit.
The running theme of, "I was married to the road and drugs were my coping mecha More...
Apr 27, 2010
Walter
rated it:
I rarely give up on books, but halfway through this one, I decided to stop wasting my time. Absent from this book is Morgan's usual wit and humor. In it's place is a hard story of a broken family and growing up as a poor black kid in NYC. But the way Morgan tells it is like watching home movies of someone else's childhood, and no one wants to do that. Morgan is probably banking on cashing in on the success of 30 rock and relied on that rather than writing a compelling book.
As f More...
As f More...
Dec 01, 2009
nicole
rated it:
my first book read on the kindle software for iphone. i can't tell if i didn't like the book because it was terribly written (true) or i hated the experience of reading on such a tiny screen (also true).
the voice of the book didn't seem to be either morgan's or the ghostwriter and there was a lot of repeating statements. i really hated that i constantly had to press the screen to move forward after every few paragraphs and found myself zoning off a bit more often than i normally do. More...
the voice of the book didn't seem to be either morgan's or the ghostwriter and there was a lot of repeating statements. i really hated that i constantly had to press the screen to move forward after every few paragraphs and found myself zoning off a bit more often than i normally do. More...
Jan 08, 2010
Morgan
rated it:
I thought this book was going to be humorous and in some respects it was but that was not the main focus of the book. This is an autobiography of Tracy Morgan's life. It's interesting to see the processes that he has gone through. His descriptions of his childhood and time at SNL are inspiring. What comes off as surprising but refreshing is how self-aware he is of everything that has happend to him. He seems to be at peace with his past and looking forward to his future even though he had a
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Dec 31, 2009
Brian
rated it:
This book is a PG-13 version of Artie Lange's "Too Fat to Fish". Incidentally, Morgan had the same co-author so the books are very similar in style, pacing, etc. It was not as funny as I had hoped and prompted only a few chuckles here and there. More disappointing though was that the best material (behind the scenes 30 Rock talk, drug/alcohol stories, etc.) was meager at best. It is mostly Tracy Morgan thanking God for his comedy talent and sharing 2 cent advice about life. Not horribl
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Oct 20, 2010
Nancy
rated it:
This book was interesting.
At times it was inspiring (he definitely worked his way from ghetto to stage) and other times just annoying (all the "praise God" stuff at the end).
I often times found myself reading along to Tracy's actual voice in my head - that made parts of it more readable. I'm not a literary snob by any stretch of the imagination, but this book was very poorly written. His use of the word "motherfucker" was really out of my comfort zone (he would More...
At times it was inspiring (he definitely worked his way from ghetto to stage) and other times just annoying (all the "praise God" stuff at the end).
I often times found myself reading along to Tracy's actual voice in my head - that made parts of it more readable. I'm not a literary snob by any stretch of the imagination, but this book was very poorly written. His use of the word "motherfucker" was really out of my comfort zone (he would More...
Jan 02, 2010
Michael
rated it:
Tracy Morgan has led an extremely difficult and interesting life, but the trouble is finding the truly moving segments in the book. Morgan's book goes in circles with the same stories and themes repeated ad nauseum to the point where they're nearly meaningless. I'd cut him more slack if it weren't for Anthony Bozza's name on the cover as well. At some point Bozza should have put the breaks on or found a way to streamline Morgan's story.
If you've ever seen the 30 Rock episode where t More...
If you've ever seen the 30 Rock episode where t More...
Sep 11, 2011
Holley
rated it:
I cried and laughed and was completely riveted throughout. By the end I felt like I was friends with Tracy. He comes across as so relatable and humble. Listened to this book in my car on a long drive and it kept me thoroughly entertained. FYI, I have heard that the audio version is different from the book-book. I recommend the audio version 100%. Tracy just kind of riffs on the book, and it really feels like he is there just talking to you.
Aug 05, 2011
Cyndie
rated it:
Tracy Morgan cracks me up, but what really surprised me by reading his memoir is how charming he is. This book is so refreshingly honest and chatty, you can practically hear his voice as you read the words. Reading it only made me like him more. That's not always the case when I read a memoir or autobiography. But I read this, then Russel Brand's My Booky-Wook back-to-back, and had to take a break from the heroin addict memoirs for a while.
Mar 24, 2010
Dan
rated it:
My rating is based on what the book was trying to do. I don't think that this is a classic, but it is an interesting and easy read.
If it wasn't for the language I would actively suggest this book to my students. As it is I will probably just leave it around the classroom for them to find.
It is not necessarily inspirational, but it does have some good common sense advice that my students need to hear.
If it wasn't for the language I would actively suggest this book to my students. As it is I will probably just leave it around the classroom for them to find.
It is not necessarily inspirational, but it does have some good common sense advice that my students need to hear.
May 31, 2011
Jocelyn
rated it:
Just like Tina Fey's Bossypants, I wish I got the audiobook version! I hear Tracy in my head when I'm reading. (Aside: why am I obsessed with 30 Rock memoirs? I guess Alec Baldwin's is next. But somehow I'm thinking that one is less funny. Jack McBrayer, where is yours?!)
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Oct 25, 2009
Jeff
rated it:
A surprisingly serious look back at Morgan's childhood, rise to fame, and personal difficulties after finding fame as a member of the cast of "Saturday Night Live." He wrote it with the guy who co-wrote Artie Lange's memoir, and this isn't as entertaining as that book, but it has many of the same dark undertones. Still eminently readable, and worth checking out for any fan of Morgan's work.
Aug 10, 2011
Owen
rated it:
I listened to this on my iPhone while painting my house. It was thoroughly entertaining.
Tracy Morgan grew up hard, and lives to tell, laugh and cry about it. He read his own words; his delivery is unique to say the least. Funny, man, but a bittersweet sense of humor. I plan on starting to watch "30 Rock" after listening to Tracy's story.
Tracy Morgan grew up hard, and lives to tell, laugh and cry about it. He read his own words; his delivery is unique to say the least. Funny, man, but a bittersweet sense of humor. I plan on starting to watch "30 Rock" after listening to Tracy's story.
May 13, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
What a waste of $12.99, a few hours, and several brain cells... Sadly, I can never get any of the forementioned back. If you care to read about how much "p*$$y" Tracy Morgan has acquired in his lifetime, then this is the book for you!!! If, however, you are like the other 98.9% of the population then skip the book! I know I wish I had...
Oct 21, 2009
Mike
rated it:
If you are a Tracy Morgan fan, you will enjoy this sometimes silly, sometimes tragic, and yes, loopy account of where he came from and what he believes in. In particular, I recommend the audio book which he narrates with all of the passion and all of the joy that come with his somewhat sideways way of looking at the world.
Aug 02, 2011
Tracy Morgan - funny man who has survived and thrived in spite of setbacks & tragedies. This was an entertaining read written by and about a comedian I happen to like. This book is definitely not for everyone's taste. I have always liked Tracy Morgan, and after reading his book, like him even more.
Jun 07, 2010
Melissa
rated it:
I love Tracy Morgan. I really do. But his autobiography is poorly organized. I got a lot of his voice from it but there was nothing really surprising. It's awesome to see that he's a completely self-made man against all odds but I was a little disappointed that it wasn't a story I hadn't heard many times before.
Oct 30, 2009
Meghan
rated it:
Unfortunately, this wasn't as funny as I had hoped and definitely didn't offer much in the way of "behind the scenes" SNL information. Morgan and his ghostwriter put forth a positive tale of hard work and hardship, but there is so much repetition and so many tired analogies that it got old. Despite the mediocrity of the writing, I can see a lot of teens and young adults, especially in the African American community wanting to pick this title up at the library.
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Mar 31, 2011
Ethanganot
rated it:
Written in the style of Tracy Morgan speaking, which is definitely amusing. But he goes off on tangents at some points and also seems to circle back to the same topics over and over. If he hadn't, this book probably would have only been 85 pages, which would have been fine because they would have been funny.
