I Ain't Scared of You: Bernie Mac on How Life Is [Hardcover]

Bernie Mac (Author), Darrell Dawsey (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2001

"My granddaddy would get mad at all of us. He couldn't just get mad at one of us. 'Ain't nobody got...
You know what? Go to bed! All y'all, go to bed!'
It'd be like two o'clock in the afternoon. 'Go to bed!'"

Bernie Mac, the royal king of the Original Kings of Comedy, is salty and pissed off. The Chicago-bred performer has issues to get off his chest, and he doesn't mince words when he lets loose. No surprise, his live appearances have earned him a reputation as perhaps the truest voice of modern humor. Now, Mac has captured his comedic genius in print with his hilarious debut book.

Tearing through a wide range of topics with equal parts insight and irreverence, Bernie Mac shares views that may not sit well with everyone -- especially if you're caught in the crosshairs of his rants ("Kids today don't get the kind of injuries we used to get as children -- cut, bruised. Now, these lil' muh'fuckas just continuously get shot"). Still, his way of looking at the world will probably make you think and it's all but guaranteed to make you laugh. Taking on superstar athletes, the movie business, his fellow comedians, his marriage, and his friends and family ("You always knew when your grandmother was at home because her wig was on that little Styrofoam stand"), Mac unleashes side-splitting riffs on sex, religion, hygiene, money, and more.

Nobody is safe; nothing is sacred. Not even Bernie himself. Throughout "I Ain't Scared Of You, Mac turns his humor inward, firing off self-deprecating salvos about his golf game, his own personal hypocrisies, even his sexual prowess -- "Women got toys...You can't compete with no dildo."

Mac's insights have earned him critical acclaim andinternational popularity. Now, "I Ain't Scared Of You captures Bernie Mac's humor whole -- unadorned, unpretentious, and unafraid.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Whether he is heir to Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx as his publicists claim may be debatable, but Mac is unquestionably a funny man. He has strong opinions and fires in every direction, revealing nuggets of humanity that make this debut volume, for the most part, a worthwhile read. While Mac has starred in a handful of television shows and movies (most notably Spike Lee's The Original Kings of Comedy), his name remains obscured particularly among white audiences by figures like Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Chris Tucker and the Wayans brothers. Here Mac tackles such well-worn topics as professional athletes, sex, religion, marriage, child-rearing and (of course) flatulence, but his most poignant material stems from his inner-city childhood. He writes of sharing not only bathwater with his siblings but cereal milk, poured from bowl to bowl. He laments the erosion of communal structures, the disappearance of the strong maternal figure, for example ("Your grandmama, now what 34?"). Co-written by journalist Dawsey (Living to Tell About It: Black Men in America Speak Their Piece), this book skillfully captures the rhythm and color of street vernacular. But the structure is loose and jumpy, fattened up with verbal chest puffing and relentless swearing. There are some perhaps overly confessional moments (e.g., physical fights with his wife), but Mac shows on more than one occasion that he can reach deep into the pockets of human distress and bring forth a smile. "That's what inspires my humor," he writes. "I don't want nobody to cry." B & w photos. (Oct.)Forecast: Mac's audience is primarily urban, working class and minority, and white kids struggling to be hip. They will know Mac from Spike Lee's movie and from Mac's 1995 HBO variety show, Midnight Mac. Mac will make appearances in New York, L.A. and his hometown, Chicago.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Bernie Mac came to prominence in the film The Original Kings of Comedy and has gone on to star in an eponymous TV show. His onscreen character earthy and tough but lovable seems consonant with his comedic self-portrait here. While this is an abridged version of the book, it may be superior. Listeners get the benefit of Mac's delivery, which is often at variance more colloquial and digressive, not to mention profane with the printed text. And while he's not performing before a crowd, he can still generate laughs. "Like a lot of black people, I grew up straight po'," he declares, establishing at the outset that he's old-school and not to be messed with. He tells stories about his upbringing, his drive to succeed, religion, and the importance of self-reliance. He also riffs on sports and on his comedy career. Some of his topics are predictable, drawing on well-worn stereotypes of black and white (and gay) folk, but you can forgive a guy who says, "I grew up hard, so all the money and fame that I've achieved is all gravy." For libraries wherever Kings struck a chord. Norman Oder, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: MTV (October 2, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743428218
• ISBN-13: 978-0743428217
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,020,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is hilarious, November 27, 2003

By 

T West - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Ain't Scared of You: Bernie Mac on How Life Is (Audio Cassette)

If you love to laugh you must get this tape! To hear Bernie read this audio tape is just downright hilarity. Bernie is the best comedian out there today. He tells it like it is. People dont like when people tell it like it is. I guess thats why this tape has not got a 5 star review all the way around.

Now,if you have the book thats cool. But you must get the audio tape or cd. Bernie is hilarious. He covers everything from growing up in the hood. Why he wont go back to the hood-or should I say remember were you came from. He comments on his family,funerals,sex,relstionships-I had tears running down my eyes with the THOR story and every time Bernie yells out "Down goes Frazier!" He also comments on other comedians-why he would kill Moe from the three stooges. Lending money,and on and on and on.
If you like to laugh,you have to have this tape. I will buy the book also,just to have around,but I will listen to this tape until it wears out then I will go get another one. Bernie is the funniest man on the market right now. He will be around for a long time.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Living out loud, November 18, 2001

By 

"kcwhitefeather" (Dallas, Tx) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Ain't Scared of You: Bernie Mac on How Life Is (Audio CD)

I listened to this item on audio cd and it was great.
There is nothing better than hearing the story of his life as it is told by the author himself. Bernie tells it like it is and the reader can't help but get caught up in the experiences as the story unfolds into a tell of "The world accourding to Bernie Mac". As you listen to this audio you will feel as if you are at the dining table talking story with your good friend. Bernie talks about his life as a child, his marriage, sex, money, his friends, and it extends all the way up into his career in comedy. There is much humor and you will be laughing from beginning to end of this audio.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sparkling!!!, March 1, 2002

By 

Barbara White (Hempstead, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Ain't Scared of You: Bernie Mac on How Life Is (Hardcover)

WOW, what a breath of fresh air and what a laugh. From the moment I opened this book my eyes lite up. How delightful. Bernie Mac is hilarious, he starts this book with a sparkle and ends with a blast. I laughed so much, people on the train wondered what in the heck could she be reading. I is quite refreshing to book up a book and enjoy it from cover to cover. I promise you, if you like to laugh and have a great sense of humor you will not be disappointed. This book deserves 10 STARS.

Sincerely

Barbara White