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 âą 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 wouldnât beat her up, and she might even get a boyfriend. Or at least she could make enough moneyâas the paid school mascot and in-demand Bar Mitzvah hype womanâto get her hair and nails done, so then she might get a boyfriend.
None of that worked (and sheâs still single), but it allowed Tiffany to imagine a place for herself where she could do something she loved for a living: comedy.
Tiffany canât avoid being funnyâitâs just who she is, whether sheâs plotting shocking, jaw-dropping revenge on an ex-boyfriend or learning how to handle her newfound fame despite still having a broke personâs 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 isâhumble, grateful, down-to-earth, and funny as hell. And now, sheâs ready to inspire others through the power of laughter.
Enjoyment: â„â„Âœ
Narration by Tiffany Haddish: â„â„Âœ
Plot: â„â„â„
Writing: â„â„â„
MY THOUGHTS: â„â„â„
Thanks to this audiobook, I am more aware of Tiffany Haddishâs 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 canât 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 Tiffanyâs story in her own voice, but I wonder if the audiobook would have been more palatable in a voice of professional narrator. Her recitation wasnât 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. Itâs 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 wasnât 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.
