I Curse You with Joy

by Tiffany Haddish

Overview

Tiffany Haddish is back with her highly anticipated new essay collection, I Curse You With Joy.

It's been a minute. Readers last sat down with Tiffany in her bestselling debut The Last Black Unicorn. Since then, Haddish has catapulted to A-list fame as the breakout star of Girls Trip. She's walked the Oscars red carpet, released a hit stand-up special with Netflix, and made history as the first Black female comedian to host Saturday Night Live and Shark Week. 

But it hasn't been all VIP parties and free diving with apex predators. In these humorous and heartfelt essays, Tiffany gets real about the highs and lows of life. Believe it or not, there was a time when Tiffany didn't totally know who Tiffany was. Before she found her groove, she was on stage dressed like her snobby airline coworkers telling halfhearted dick jokes. She tanked. 

It took a fake penis, some help from friends, and a little encouragement from Bob Saget, but eventually Tiffany figured out Tiffany. I Curse You With Joy celebrates all the lessons she learned along the way—the joy and the pain. Tiffany reckons with the legacy of her childhood trauma, the challenges of being a Black woman in the entertainment industry, and her bittersweet reunion with her estranged father after twenty years apart. Don't worry, she's got plenty of advice to share, too. 

I Curse You With Joy is Tiffany Haddish unfiltered. (We know what you're thinking...how much more unfiltered can she get?) These essays lay it all bare, bringing readers into Tiffany's inner circle where joy, honesty, humor, and heart are the order of the day. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635769531
Publisher:	Diversion Books
Publication date:	05/07/2024
Pages:	248
Sales rank:	30,409
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Tiffany Haddish is a comedian, actress, a New York Times bestselling author, and producer who was the breakout star of the smash comedy Girls Trip. Her additional film and television work includes Apple TV’s The Afterparty, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Lego Movie 2, Night School, and The Carmichael Show among many others. Her debut stand-up special, Tiffany Haddish: She Ready! From the Hood to Hollywood, debuted on Showtime in August 2017, and she has since released Black Mitzvah with Netflix. In November 2017, she made history by becoming the first black female stand-up comedian to host Saturday Night Live. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for I Curse You With Joy by Tiffany Haddish

I Curse You With Joy is a  'journey of self-discovery and celebration'...and incorporates lessons Haddish has learned throughout."

― PEOPLE.com

Praise for The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish

The Last Black Unicorn is an inspiring story that manages to be painful, honest, shocking, bawdy and hilarious.” 

― The New York Times Book Review

"I can't get enough of Tiffany. Whatever God gave her in the energy department needs to be bottled up and sold so everybody can instantly feel good. Once you hear her story and her approach to life you literally feel like you can do anything." 

― Charlamagne Tha God

"Tiffany Haddish is a force as a comedian. My girl demands to be heard and respected. I love you girl! Congratulations on all your success and continue to strive for greatness. You can do it!" 

― Kevin Hart

"As raw and real as her stand-up act." 

― PEOPLE

"[A] harrowing and unforgettable memoir." 

― The New Yorker

"This inspiring memoir will have you crying, laughing and wishing she was your BFF." 

― USA Today

"The book is, no surprise, every bit as rowdy as the movie." 

― The New York Times Book Review

"A bawdy, laugh-out-loud tell-all with a liberal dose of heart." 

― Library Journal

"Juicy, hilarious, and jaw-dropping." 

― Chicago Tribune

"The Last Black Unicorn is a hilarious and observant collection of personal essays, filled with truly jaw-dropping twists and turns on Haddish's road to breakout stardom." 

― Bustle

"A joyful read in which her charismatic voice comes through even if you don’t listen to the audiobook." 

― Vulture

“Tiffany Haddish has always been an open book, but even she has much more to share. Her life story is honest, inspiring, and hilarious, of course.” 

― E! Online

From the Publisher

★ 06/14/2024

Actress and comedian Haddish offers an uproarious, raunchy, and uplifting second memoir (after The Last Black Unicorn), in which her stated goal is to turn her own personal pain into laughs. Episodic in approach, the book jumps from Haddish's tumultuous childhood as the daughter of a mother with mental illness and an absentee father, to her adult success as a stand-up comic and actor. Throughout this book, she discusses her experiences with illiteracy, fractured relationships, and being unhoused. She also describes how she has sustained her career in comedy. The highlight of this memoir is Haddish's recollections of her rekindled relationship with her Eritrean-born father; she portrays him as a flawed but loving man who never doubted her talent and humanity. She also showcases her career highlights, including her breakout role in Girls Trip and becoming the first Black woman stand-up comedian to host Saturday Night Live. VERDICT This memoir is not about Hollywood or gossip; it's about being human and embracing grace and empathy toward family and self. Haddish makes room for jokes about sex and bodily functions and provides plenty of laughs and heart in this ribald, raw, and candid memoir.—Leah K. Huey

Library Journal

2024-05-23
In her long-awaited second book, the award-winning comedian chronicles the personal challenges that have made her “more alive, more human, and…more interesting.”

As Haddish, author ofThe Last Black Unicorn, recounts, her Eritrean-born father left the family when she was 4. Several years later, her mother, diagnosed with head injury–induced schizophrenia, began beating her out of frustration. In foster care by age 13, Haddish eventually became the “cute homeless” girl who lived in her car. Yet she still managed to find unexpected (and sometimes wildly surreal) comedy in almost everything. For example, she recalls how her Jehovah’s Witness mother would tell stories about “enzymes” boys carried that would “eat your face up” after kissing, which Haddish innocently repeated to more sex-savvy friends. When her father suddenly reappeared in her life, the author remembers how she celebrated their tender moment of telephone reconnection by crying into “some marijuana plants I had growing on my kitchen windowsill.” A recurring topic throughout the book is sexuality, which Haddish discusses in refreshingly unfettered ways. When, for example, she started taking Paxil (an antidepressant) in her 20s, she experienced severe vaginal chafing. With the trademark outrageousness that met with rejection from establishment comedy shows likeSaturday Night Live, she remarks, “Do you know how hard it is to walk fast when your coochie is dry?” Nothing is sacred nor forbidden as she jokes about the joys of “riding that D” with fat men and her grandmother’s advice to keep a man: “You gonna have to kiss that banana every day.” Featuring liberal use of slang and profanity, Haddish's book showcases not only her ability to transform the “shit” of tragedy into the “fertilizer” that “makes you grow,” but also her relentless, utterly courageous pursuit of joy.

A frank, fierce, and heartfelt memoir.

Kirkus Reviews

Fans of Tiffany Haddish will delight in her memoir, which she narrates with unapologetic authenticity. Those familiar with her signature blend of sass and sincerity will enjoy every line as she brings her story to life in vivid detail. Each anecdote, even the painful ones, are told with her infectious energy and unflagging sense of humor. Listeners will likely laugh along--and out loud. Whether she's recounting her days as a struggling comedian or sharing behind-the-scenes tales from the set of her breakout film, GIRLS TRIP, Haddish's delivery is as captivating as it is relatable. Her infectious laughter reverberates through every chapter, transforming stories of hardship and heartache into uproarious anecdotes that leave listeners in stitches. M.R. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

MAY 2024 - AudioFile