The Last Black Unicorn in The Toast

Apr 12, 2018 Leann rated it liked it

Shelves: listened, memoir, funny, the-south, california, celebrity, african-american, read-by-the-author

Ugh. Torn. Is this funny? Yes, absolutely. Has Tiffany Haddish lived a really interesting, difficult life? For sure. I'm so happy for her that she has overcome significant obstacles to get where she is, and I will continue to be a fan of hers for some time.

But is it also highly offensive and even poorly written in places? Yes. For sure. And more so than I really think comedy requires. It would be great if someone could talk to her a bit about the idea of punching up. Especially on audio (which ...more

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Jun 07, 2018 Rachel Simone rated it liked it

I get that a lot of the style comes from her sense of humor, and that's mostly fine. However, anything having to do with Roscoe was deeply uncomfortable and offensive.

There are times where she is self-reflective and self-analytical and those were some of the stronger parts of the book. I wish she had brought more reflection and nuance across the book. I did this on audio, which is definitely the way to go, but it read too much like a stand-up special. ...more

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Sep 19, 2018 Liz rated it it was ok

I didn’t enjoy this as much as I wanted to. A few of the chapters are funny and/or poignant, but there’s no real narrative throughline. I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was uneven and distracting. But I was particularly put off by the chapter in which she describes a disabled friend/boyfriend, mimicking his voice and making lots of offensive jokes. There are also a lot of fatphobic jokes throughout. I’d pass on the book and just watch her on a video clip from a talk show or standup ...more

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Nov 26, 2018 Saralyn rated it liked it

This might be a bit low but I also struggled with the rating/my feelings. I loved loved the beginning. Haddish's reading of the audiobook is amazing. The editorial choices around allowing her voice to remain are great. I struggled with ableist language and the ways she talked about other women (some of which is definitely me struggling with my own stuff around feminism and class). It's equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking. But, ultimately, it just didn't seem to live up to the promise of its ...more

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Apr 02, 2018 Nicole rated it liked it

A funny, quick read. She’s been through a lot and figured out how to laugh at it. There was some uncomfortable ableism in the form of a condescending story about a physically disabled person that she dated that I could have done without.

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