You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Jan 05, 2017 Ana rated it really liked it

Shelves: women-list, non-fiction, library, humor, feminism

I came upon this book in a bit of a circuitous route - a Buzzfeed list. Except when I went and googled that just now, to make sure I was right, I can't find said list...which means my brain is a little fried and/or this book just came to me in a revelation brought forth by wee publishing putti.

Anywho...

I searched out this book in my local library system - Edinburgh, Scotland - and found that (gasp!) it was actually available. I was slightly surprised since I've been a little disappointed since I I came upon this book in a bit of a circuitous route - a Buzzfeed list. Except when I went and googled that just now, to make sure I was right, I can't find said list...which means my brain is a little fried and/or this book just came to me in a revelation brought forth by wee publishing putti.

Anywho...

I searched out this book in my local library system - Edinburgh, Scotland - and found that (gasp!) it was actually available. I was slightly surprised since I've been a little disappointed since I moved from the US at the sometimes gap between books I'd like to get and actual available new books. I reserved it and picked it up a few days later and immediately felt a kinship, solely from looking at the cover- that's right i judged a book by its' cover. Ooh, hiss, shame on me ;)

But back to our kinship...

I too have often been treated to manifold folk wanting to touch my hair. I do not look like Phoebe - ethnically Portuguese with shades varying from milky white to "are you sure you're not somehow secretly Native American" in my family tree - but we're both bottle reds and we've got poufy hair that people just yearn to touch. Because it's so "cute and fluffy!". Yes. Great.

Oh and we both love U2, though Phoebe - i can call her Phoebe 'cause we're best friends now ;) - has taken it a step further and (spoiler ahead :D ) rated the members in order of fuckability. Well that's just silly because everyone knows it's Bono or nothing, but I'm going to let that slide as to not perturb our burgeoning friendship.

Some of her stories should be recognizable to any sentient woman who's ever tried to do anything in life, like have a job, go to school, or you know, exist, and some would definitely be recognizable to WOC who have to manage all the previous stuff plus racism.

I enjoyed her stories - loved her letters to Olivia, even the x-rated one :D - and "The Angry Black Woman Myth" made me get all angry, like I haven't since I left the environs of NYC.

Ms. Robinson's book is a great view, a perspective of what it's like for a young black comedian to transverse this sometimes shitty world of ours and do it all while being funny and being fab.

Very much recommend :)
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Mar 18, 2017 Cari rated it really liked it

Shelves: funny, audiobooks, nonfiction

Timely, honest, all that jazz, but also pretty hilarious. Great audiobook.

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Nov 20, 2016 Melissa rated it really liked it

Shelves: badass-ladies

A laugh-out-loud book of essays about race and culture from the wonderfully funny Phoebe Robinson (of 2 Dope Queens and Sooo Many White Guys and other comedy/stand-up places). The opening chapters about hair are a draw, but the chapter "Uppity", about the stereotype of the Angry Black Woman, is worth the purchase of the book for those 20-ish pages alone. And then she ends with an excellent series of letters for her little niece, Olivia (we benefit from those letters, too). ...more

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Jan 04, 2017 Laura rated it liked it

Shelves: 2017

Audio

(Reader beware! I got the book from the library and got about two pages in before I decided it was, like most comedians' books, not going to be a great read. It is a really good listen though--funny and thought-provoking. She's able to dig a little deeper politically than on 2DQ, which I appreciated.) ...more

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Mar 10, 2019 Chris Burd rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

Maybe I'm a little too old (at 41) to fully appreciate this book. The content was interesting and often very funny, but the delivery was just a little too hyper cutesy for me. There's an audience for this book, but that audience isn't me. ...more

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Jan 22, 2017 Emily rated it it was amazing

Black essays can be so hard. There was a lot of laughter but the tears nearly killed me, and i really appreciated the chapter on biracial babies cause you know (ok you really dont) but its hard not being one or the other.

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