Welcome to Litsy!

I listened to 3 different & really good audiobooks in January. This one is the first book that is referenced in The World Record Book of Racist Stories. It‘s also hilarious while encouraging us white people to think about our words & actions. It‘s amazing that some people feel comfortable making blatant racist comments or treating people so differently.

Finishing up my April #bookspin books. Listened to this one on audio, which was enjoyable getting to listen to Amber & Lacey tell her/their stories. Amber & Lacey try to provide humorous anecdotes to what are otherwise hard, frustrating, & disturbing incidents that happen in daily life for many people. This book has been on my radar for a while but #auldlangspine @Billypar recommendation I moved it up on my list. As hard as stories of racism

Ruffin and Lamar share stories of racism, mostly those experienced by the latter. They weave in a ton of humor, adding a sense of lightheartedness to an otherwise heavy topic. I appreciated their authenticity. Sometimes the stories were difficult to read, but I think that made them all the more important. Overall, the two authors delivered a hilarious spin on a serious experience. This is definitely a book I think everyone should read!

I didn‘t know Amber Ruffin had a book until @jlhammar posted her review of Amber and Lacey‘s latest book.

This book somehow made a lot of uncomfortable experiences laughable. More than a few stories had me cackling aloud at work. I loved the banter between the sisters and the feeling of solidarity in the face of ridiculously insensitive conversations/questions.

#nonfiction2023
February #doublespin (a new personal best lol) @TheAromaofBooks

This book was 💔🔥 I listened to the audiobook and I would suggest reading the print version. They reference photos in the book that I would have loved to see. True stories of racist experiences that Lacey had while living in Omaha. Honestly, they are horrifying and hilarious, often at the same time. I was flabbergasted by some of these stories. And I wanted to apologize. Thank you to Libby for making this available.

I‘m in literal pain after reading this - I facepalmed so many times 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ I love Amber Ruffin and would listen to her narrate any book.

Ruffin & Lamar share Lamar‘s jaw droppingly horrific experiences with racists/racism/racist comments & WTF moments with brilliant humor.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely do believe what happened to Lacey. It‘s easier to be aghast at the overt acts of racism than the less visible micro aggressions resulting from unexamined racism. Those acts are more critical for perpetuating racism because people see them as benign, so racism festers. It‘s critical behavior for in-group/out-group management (social control) without looking like a bad guy.

I read this immediately after Haunted to cleanse my pallete and it did the trick! A quick fun read, despite the seriousness and sadness of some of the racisim Lacey had to endure. As a Proofreader, I think this could have used some editing. But as a Black woman and an American, I found this to be very relevant, and think a lot of people could benefit from it for both educational and entertaining purposes. Can't wait to read their next book!

Great read and even greater listen. The audiobook was awesome, but I am happy I also had the hardcover handy to see the photos that illustrate some of these stories. A pick!

This being the first book finished this month, here is my #BookSpinBingo card as well. I formatted it so the #Roll100 and #BookSpin picks labels are in color, to jump at me and make me read them to cut down my “debt“.

@TheAromaOfBooks

I am appalled that these things still happen and in an area where I have spent my whole life. It‘s despicable that people still have to go through these struggles and are able to laugh about these events and situations because they happen too often. White people need to do better.

Meh. I enjoy humorous books but at times I thought this one took it a little too far. It did keep me awake during a long drive from the Carolinas to Ohio.

I have to give them credit, they did a great job making some very cringeworthy real life stories funny. I did laugh, sometimes in humor about how crazy people still are, but more often in disbelief that this is still so bad and so often….but that‘s why this book is still so important, because things you want to think could only happen in the distant past or in a badly scripted movie STILL happen every single day to people of color.

Wow, what a ride! Highly recommend this funny yet not-so-funny book. Coincidentally, I chose my bookmark from Omaha‘s children‘s theater for this one. I lived in Omaha from 2015-2018 and enjoyed a lot of things about it. Kiddo was just turning 2-5 during that time. At one point I was tired of the homogeneity and desperate for some diversity in anything, so I asked the librarian we liked for some books with other races in them👇🏻

I…I‘m suffering from joke paralysis. I can‘t decide which sarcastic comment to make and it‘s choking me.
Some dude actually said “clitorises” at a youth group meeting. That in itself is incredible. But I feel like someone needed to point out that at least these supposed gang wannabes could FIND a clitoris…too many choices!

Working on this one today and alternating between laughing and feeling disgust. People, ugh. Hope to finish this today, then catch up with #1619Project and start This Life for #DeadPhilosophersSociety for #WeekendReading - but next it‘s Take Your Kid to the Library Day (which is 2-3 times per week for us, but an actual Day apparently).

I‘ve got to #ThankLitsy (#LitsyAwards ?) for bringing this book to my attention. This is such a worthwhile listen because as crazy awful as these stories are, they are real and they are happening now. The authors have a way of telling these stories that convey their seriousness but also the humor (in a “if you can‘t laugh you‘ll cry” way) also, Amber is very funny as a rule. Loved the audio, but grabbed the print for pictures/evidence!

Continuing to work through audiobooks I started and never finished.

So good!

This is very funny. But I was also a bit embarrassed for humanity. The best part of the #audiobook IMO is when Amber sings Disney songs with her own lyrics.

#BookSpinBingo square 6
@TheAromaofBooks

Another grouping of books that I finished. Some audio; some in print. The Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar was my favorite hands down.

Overall, really good book. It was super funny and also very sad. My only real challenge was the structure of it. Sometimes there was no clear delineation between stories so it could get confusing. Overall a good book about a really triggering topic.

😂😂😂

Amber Ruffin, a comedy writer and cast member on Late Night with Seth Meyers and the host of her own late night Amber Ruffin Show, and her sister Lacey Lamarr relay stories of sometimes funny but always appalling racism that they experience as Black women in America. I laughed out loud a few times, but mostly it was maddening 😡

This book is both hilarious and horrifying. Amber Ruffin is a comedian and host of her own late night show The Amber Ruffin Show on the NBC streaming channel Peacock (which I recommend watching!). She is also a writer for Seth Meyers Late Night. She and her sister Lacey, co-author on this book, grew up in mostly-white Omaha, Nebraska. This collection tells stories from each of their lives about encounters with racist people. ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⬇

Love Amber Ruffin, and I‘m so looking forward to this! 🎧

From June. I love Amber Ruffin for her wit & comedy on Late Night with Seth Meyers so I knew she would be an amazing storyteller & paired with her sister, Lacy Lamar, they both shine⭐️ They‘re hilarious but their stories of everyday racism from big acts to the constant micro aggressions are sobering. The flow is a bit clunky at times & I wanted a downloadable pdf of the photos mentioned throughout, but the audiobook still excellent & eye-opening.

I‘m not really into taking pictures of myself. But I wanted to show you what my face looked like, pretty much every page of this book.

This book is only 215 pages, but it constantly had me saying, “Oh my god. What the fuck? Serious? Why? HOW.” It has you wanting to slap some sense into somebody, has you feeling nauseous. Highly recommended!

Finally making soup again after a couple of weeks of being lazy & #audiosouping to this one. I love Amber Ruffin & am loving her sister. This is by turns funny & also very disturbing but I wish I could see all the photos they are talking about.

The soup is Ina Garten‘s Zucchini Vichyssoise which can be eaten hot or cold—good, because it a humid one today.😓 Finished soup pic coming later.

Fabulous audiobook!!!

review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#youll-never-believe-what-happened-to...

To paraphrase the intro: What happens when you decide to take a look at one person's buttload of racist stories?
I consider myself to be pretty cognizant of our society, but I was still blown away by some of the more audacious stories presented. Goddam, white people are crazy! The author's find humor in these events, but there is some seriously f-ed up stuff in this book.

@Reggie said I would like this. Reggie of course was right. 🙂 Amber and Lacey are so funny (in both their writing and their audiobook performance), but ugh re: the ignorance and stereotyping that proliferate in the Midwest and elsewhere. Also ugh re: the amount of energy Lacey has expended having to call out racism in her everyday life. But this is funny and great and I fully recommend it.

The authors share stories about racist things that have happened to Lacey in Omaha. The sheer number of situations is disturbing though it's a sliver of their everyday experiences. From a cop thinking she's a prostitute to a coworker‘s inability to recognize her if there's another black employee, the stories are ridiculous & sadly true. The book has little structure & felt random at times, but the audio version is fast-paced & read by the sisters.

As funny as this book is in print, and some of the pictures are truly hilarious, I‘m so glad I #reread this as an #audiobook. In general, I thought I was over making tragic things funny, but Amber and Lacey bring a lot of heart and humor to some truly maddening but absolutely believable stories of racism. I know people in my town are being treated like this, and it pisses me off and makes me want to step up my ally game. Thank you Amber & Lacey!

This book is hilarious and full of “cringe” — the stories are crazy but at the same time make you think, yup. What an important podcast this could be! The audiobook was so worth it to hear the sisters jokes/delivery back & forth.

When your Indie Bookstore Day reward was a book you already had on your list (I had to stop watching Seth Myers years ago because the relentless fat jokes and lazy comedy that correlated personal appearance with morality really got to me when I had previously enjoyed his work. But Amber Ruffin was always the highlight when I did watch and I am so excited to be seeing more of her).

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

1. Yes, the tagged being an example.

2. I like listening during work or on road trips. Plus, some things just work better for me when they‘re narrated, especially if the narrator is good.

Thanks for the tag @BlueMoonJ

First, let me say I like Amber Ruffin. However, I didn‘t like this book. I didn‘t find it interesting or humorous and didn‘t finish. Understand what she and her sister were doing, it just didn‘t work for me. To each their own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2 I listened to this on audio and loved it in that format. Both authors narrate and it manages to be hilarious while also sometimes appalling. Very much worth the read/listen. I highly recommend!

Just realized I forgot to post a review of this! So good! Sisters Amber (lives in NYC, works at a late show) and Lacey (lives in Omaha, has worked multiple places) share insane experiences Lacey has had as a black woman. Somehow entertaining and funny with a real chance to learn from the stories. I listened to the authors narrate the #audiobook which was a treat; throughout they mention photos in the print book which I plan to get soon!

Sometimes you either laugh or you‘ll cry and Lacey and Amber manage to find humor in many of the racist encounters Lacey has endured in her lifetime spent in Omaha. Some could never be funny no matter how they are told. Imagining facing this kind of ignorance and hostility every day makes me so sad and so angry. Really appreciated this book and I flew through the audio. #booked2021 #antiracismbook

My #bookspin for the month was so good!! Very funny, but infuriating and sad at the same time. I can't say I was surprised by any of the stories, but I was definitely left shaking my head at times.

@TheAromaofBooks

I guess Amber Ruffin is going to be my new BFF! 😂

#bellbivdevoe #nowyouknow

It feels weird to love a book about the racism that happens to black women in the US. But I do. I love this book. I listened to the audiobook and it was perfect. Amber is as hilarious as always and the stories that happen to Lacey are crazy and told so well I felt part of their (wonderful) family hearing these stories at the table/group chat. READ THIS BOOK!!

Got two books in during my lazy Sunday. The Dessen book is very sweet; the setting at the lake felt vivid and incredibly true to life, and I appreciated that the romance didn't overwhelm the story of a somewhat lost young girl discovering her roots. Amber Ruffin's book is funny and sobering, and while I'm glad to have read it, I hate that it had to be written. Racism is every-damn-where and this book is here to call it on the carpet.

You‘ll Never Believe What Happened Lacey: Crazy Stories about Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar is a great book telling stories about racism in a humorous way.

I loved You‘ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey.

Thank you Grand Central Publishing for You‘ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey.

Full Review: https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com/2021/02/19/book-review-youll-never-believe...

This book emphasizes the importance of Black joy. Black joy is not just a display of happiness; it's a show of resistance against racism. Black joy is an expression of the strength, the tenacity, the utter gall of living despite numerous examples of white people not seeing the diversity of the Black experience, refusing to acknowledge and respect the humanity of Black people and accept that Black lives matter just as much as theirs.

Lacey and Amber are sisters who grew up in Omaha. Amber is now a comedy writer in NYC, and Lacey stayed in Omaha and has worked in management at several companies. These are Lacey‘s outrageous (but totally believable if you‘ve lived in the South or Midwest) stories of everyday racist encounters. Amber writes with a biting wit, and I can see how the only way the sisters have made it through these stories is by laughing.

Really, the title says it all. The authors (sisters) wrote the book to help Black people to know they are not alone, and for white people to DO BETTER.

If you fall into one of those categories you will probably well- enjoy is not the right word- benefit (?) from this book. Ruffin is a comedy writer and while she writes in a breezy way some of the stories had me gasping out loud.