Title: The Last Black Unicorn by by Tiffany Haddish
Release Date: December 5, 2017
Format: Audiobook (6 hours and 29 mins)
Genre: Nonfiction; Biography; Memoir
Published By: Simon & Schuster Audio
Purchase Links: Audible • Amazon (US)
Synopsis: From stand-up comedian, actress, and breakout star of Girls Trip, Tiffany Haddish, comes The Last Black Unicorn, a sidesplitting, hysterical, edgy, and unflinching collection of (extremely) personal essays, as fearless as the author herself.
Growing up in one of the poorest neighborhoods of South Central Los Angeles, Tiffany learned to survive by making people laugh. If she could do that, then her classmates would let her copy their homework, the other foster kids she lived with wouldn’t beat her up, and she might even get a boyfriend. Or at least she could make enough money—as the paid school mascot and in-demand Bar Mitzvah hype woman—to get her hair and nails done, so then she might get a boyfriend.
None of that worked (and she’s still single), but it allowed Tiffany to imagine a place for herself where she could do something she loved for a living: comedy.
Tiffany can’t avoid being funny—it’s just who she is, whether she’s plotting shocking, jaw-dropping revenge on an ex-boyfriend or learning how to handle her newfound fame despite still having a broke person’s mind-set. Finally poised to become a household name, she recounts with heart and humor how she came from nothing and nowhere to achieve her dreams by owning, sharing, and using her pain to heal others.
By turns hilarious, filthy, and brutally honest, The Last Black Unicorn shows the world who Tiffany Haddish really is—humble, grateful, down-to-earth, and funny as hell. And now, she’s ready to inspire others through the power of laughter.
Enjoyment: ♥♥½
Narration by Tiffany Haddish: ♥♥½
Plot: ♥♥♥
Writing: ♥♥♥
MY THOUGHTS: ♥♥♥
Thanks to this audiobook, I am more aware of Tiffany Haddish’s journey growing up with a mentally ill parent to her time in foster care to her current status now that she finally achieve stardom with her hit movie Girls Trip.
I can’t say that I liked her book as parts were entertaining, parts made me cringe, but it was clear she was determined to be a comic. I appreciated the authentic feel of listening to Tiffany’s story in her own voice, but I wonder if the audiobook would have been more palatable in a voice of professional narrator. Her recitation wasn’t smooth even though she was reading her own words. Plus, her cheeky and court jester narration style got old on audio even though I surmised that she was trying to use humor to cushion the uncomfortable situations and events.
Tiffany has had many struggles in life. It’s always interesting to see how people can persevere and I am proud that she is finally winning in life. However, I had a hard time with the flow of this story. The transitions were choppy and the narrative just wasn’t well laid. I prefer biographies to go in a linear or chronological timeline and Tiffany jumped around a lot. I would have enjoyed this story if we were hanging out and she was telling me these stories in doses, more like a serial short story than a full out novel. I applaud her for the realness of her struggles like illiteracy, homelessness or her brief stint as a pimp. She was forthright and I respected her for not sugar coating her background. I actually think she is inspiration because she made it with so many odds against her. It took almost twenty years of grinding to realize her current success. I take from this story that we have to keep fighting despite our obstacles to attain our goals. I wish her much success and happiness and I hope that I get to see her live at a comedy show.
