How to Make White People Laugh

by Negin Farsad Narrated by Negin Farsad

Overview

From the acclaimed writer, director, and star of the hit documentary The Muslims are Coming! comes a memoir in essays about growing up Iranian-American in a post-9/11 world and the power of comedy to combat racism.



Negin Farsad is an Iranian-American-Muslim female stand-up comedian who believes she can change the world through jokes. And yes, sometimes that includes fart jokes. In this candid and uproarious book, Farsad shares her personal experiences growing up as the "other" in an American culture that has no time for nuance. In fact, she longed to be black and/or Mexican at various points of her youth, you know, like normal kids. Right? RIGHT?

Writing bluntly and hilariously about the elements of race we are often too politically correct to discuss, Farsad takes a long hard look at the iconography that still shapes our concepts of "black," "white," and "Muslim" today-and what it means when white culture defines the culture. Farsad asks the important questions like, What does it mean to have a hyphenated identity? How can we actually combat racism, stereotyping, and exclusion? Do Iranians get bunions at a higher rate than other ethnic groups? (She's asking for a friend.)

How to Make White People Laugh tackles these questions with wit, humor, and incisive intellect. And along the way, you might just learn a thing or two about tetherball, Duck Dynasty, and wine slushies.

Editorial Reviews

AUGUST 2017 - AudioFile

Comedian and author Negin Farsad matches her razor-sharp observations of life as “Other” with a fast-paced delivery that grabs listeners at the outset and never loosens its delicious grip. As a Muslim American born to Iranian parents who came of age in the years surrounding 9/11, Farsad is well acquainted with Americans' seeming inability to handle the reality of being neither black nor white. Educated in political science and race relations—she has two master’s degrees from Columbia—she isn't afraid to use footnotes and sidebars in her performance. A stage-worthy chime sounds for the former and a chorus of other voices announces the latter. Listeners should set aside a big chunk of time because they’ll want to hear this audiobook the way through in a single go rather than having to walk away in the middle. F.M.R.G. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

04/11/2016
This collection of nonfiction essays from Farsad, a stand-up comedian and director/producer of the documentary The Muslims Are Coming!, offers a look at the social issues that plague America today, including racism, sexism, and media bias. Farsad tackles these ideas head-on with clear facts and a wit that will keep the liberal reader engaged. Using her own experiences as an Iranian-American, Farsad offers a glimpse at what life is like as a “third thing,” or a group that doesn’t quite fit into one world or another, from her Palm Springs, Fla., childhood, where she tried to identify as Mexican, to her collegiate years at Cornell, where she identified more with black culture. The comic hits her stride when she focuses on the personal rather than polemic. The insight that Farsad offers regarding modern Iranian life is much more nuanced than her quick takes on more general topics, such as Jainism. Farsad’s fresh and funny voice is perfect for presenting tactics to fight anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S., and her work is intriguing and enjoyable to read. Agent: Daniel Kirschen, ICM. (June)

From the Publisher

"This book is more than funny-it's on David Sedaris-level first-class perfect fucking hilarious funny. I laughed so hard, I made a spectacle of myself."—Julia Sweeney, Comedian, Writer, and former SNL cast member

"A hilarious and personal take on the complexities of being non-white in America today. This book makes racial politics a bit easier to swallow."—Reza Aslan, bestselling author of No god but God and Zealot

"Apparently, Negin did not spend her childhood in the Irish countryside. She was never a beat jazz innovator, and her marriage to Douglas Fairbanks was unconsummated. This long overdue book not only 'sets the record straight' but also improves the whole structure of society. I thank Ms. Farsad for that. You should do the same."—Janeane Garofalo, Comedian

"Negin Farsad whips out some smart racial politics . . . with a side of fart jokes and the result is a hilarious and pungent book."—Aasif Mandv, Daily Show correspondent, actor and author of No Land's Man

"Farsad's fresh and funny voice is perfect for presenting tactics to fight anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S., and her work is intriguing and enjoyable to read."—Publisher's Weekly

"How to Make White People Laugh will help answer some of the questions people have been too scared to ask. And get you laughing."—Refinery29

"Well-written [and] disarmingly funny."—New Boston Post

"Hilarious and groundbreaking...Farsad carves out a new space to talk about cultural and political identity."—BookWitty.com

AUGUST 2017 - AudioFile

Comedian and author Negin Farsad matches her razor-sharp observations of life as “Other” with a fast-paced delivery that grabs listeners at the outset and never loosens its delicious grip. As a Muslim American born to Iranian parents who came of age in the years surrounding 9/11, Farsad is well acquainted with Americans' seeming inability to handle the reality of being neither black nor white. Educated in political science and race relations—she has two master’s degrees from Columbia—she isn't afraid to use footnotes and sidebars in her performance. A stage-worthy chime sounds for the former and a chorus of other voices announces the latter. Listeners should set aside a big chunk of time because they’ll want to hear this audiobook the way through in a single go rather than having to walk away in the middle. F.M.R.G. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2016-03-14
A memoir/essay collection from a self-described "hyphenated American…an Iranian-Muslim-female-honey-mustard-enthusiast" who is also a comedian, writer, filmmaker, and TED talker. Such range and accomplishment suggest that Farsad might well have a rich and provocative book in her, but this scattershot debut isn't it. Toward the end, Farsad describes her work as "social justice comedy," though some of the most scathingly funny comedy today could fit that label without wearing it. Unlike plenty of books by stand-up comedians, this isn't simply a series of bits or monologues transferred to the page. The author has some serious points to make about stereotypes and icons and about the many like her who are left in the margins amid "the binary discussion of race." Her book takes its title from one of her TED talks, and it's a title that would seem to suggest a black author—a symptom of the disease that afflicts the nation's concept of diversity. Some of the most engaging sections are those that are closest to memoir, in which Farsad discusses growing up as a minority to other minorities, identifying with Mexicans because they were the closest match for the sole Iranian-American. "Just as I considered myself Mexican in high school," she writes, "in college I began shifting my sights to being black." The author came to realize that wherever she found herself fitting, she has also been marginalized by gender, by the assumption that a woman couldn't be funny enough to be a comedian or smart enough to be a writer. Devoting herself to toppling such stereotypes, she finds strongest resistance to her work from those who, like her, are Muslim women. "My material isn't racier than the average comic's, not by a long shot," she writes. "But to that Muslim minority, in the audience, it was shameful." Farsad combines throwaway laughs with some keeper insights. Readers may sense that she has a smarter, funnier book on the way later in her career.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170349852
Publisher:	Hachette Audio
Publication date:	05/24/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	1,140,845

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