I'd Rather We Got Casinos: And Other Black Thoughts [Hardcover]

Larry Wilmore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 20, 2009

Within these pages are the musings, the revelations, the ruminations, and the reflections of the incomparable Larry Wilmore. Here, collected for the first time, all in one place, are his Black Thoughts. From why black weathermen make him feel happy (or sad) and why brothas don't see UFOs to his search for Black Jesus or his quest to replace "African-American" with "chocolate," Wilmore has finally relented, agreeing to share his unique (black) perspective. Soon, you too will have the ability to find racism in everything. Bring back the Shetland Negro and do away with Black History Month! After all, can twenty-eight days of trivia really make up for centuries of oppression? In Wilmore's own words, "I'd rather we got casinos!"

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As "Senior Black Correspondent" on cable TV's The Daily Show, comedian Wilmore provides some of the program's most hilarious moments while turning its satiric edge on his (largely white, middle-class, left-leaning) employers and audience, as well as his own people-retaining the full measure of his cynicism even in the midst of Obama-mania. In this collection (including essays, fake radio show transcripts, letters and wisecracks), readers get a tour of Wilmore's smart, sarcastic approach to race, media and the modern American psyche (perhaps most efficiently captured in back-to-back thought pieces, "Black Weathermen Make Me Feel Happy" and "Black Weathermen Make Me Feel Sad"). Part of Wilmore's appeal is the straight-faced mix of conviction and arch absurdity-more Steve Colbert than Jon Stewart-that's sometimes lacking without his deadpan, vaguely deprecating delivery. Still, fans will find consistent laughs, even if some of his longer, one-note pieces could have been better balanced with more of his goofy one-liners ("Random Black Thoughts"). Several of Wilmore's modest proposals, like his ongoing campaign to replace terms like "African-American" and "Black" with "Chocolate" ("everybody loves chocolate!") display a classic satirist's ability to convince, confound and compel in equal measure.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Wilmore, the “senior black correspondent” with The Daily Show who has made a career out of taking jabs at race relations, offers a faux collection of articles, essays, radio transcripts, and letters exploring the more ludicrous angles on race. He begins by taking issue with racism being presented as an abstract concept rather than as a “problem that could use a concrete solution like a backed-up sink.” Wilmore suggests “rebranding” racial designation from African American to chocolate and includes several pitch letters to the NAACP. He conducts a post-Katrina radio interview with “the Man,” who, it turns out, is very ordinary and not the all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful force but something more random and less pernicious, though just as aggravating. Scoffing at the notion of a Black History Month, Wilmore derides 28 days of trivia and would “rather we got casinos.” With wit and humor, Wilmore skewers the serious and silly aspects of American racial politics. --Vanessa Bush

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (January 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401309550
• ISBN-13: 978-1401309558
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #664,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking, profound...and very, very funny, February 20, 2009

By 

W. C HALL (Newport, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'd Rather We Got Casinos: And Other Black Thoughts (Hardcover)

There are some books that do more than just occupy space on a shelf--there are a precious few--The Wealth of Nations, the Federalist Papers, Uncle Tom's Cabin, among others--that transform the times in which they appear.

This is destined to be one of those books. "I'd Rather We Got Casinos" presents the thoughts of Larry Wilmore. These are not just thoughts. They are profound thoughts. And they are black thoughts--presented by the Senior Black Correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. This book is thought-provoking, joyously politically incorrect...and very, very funny.

No summary can do justice to the contents of this volume, but you may get a flavor for what awaits you between the covers by learning that there are chapters on why black audiences talk back to horror movies, why it's OK to hate black people who work at McDonald's in airports, why fat black weathermen make Wilmore happy (and sad), and Wilmore's extended, ultimately futile correspondence with the NAACP, which attempted to persuade the organization to join his crusade to replace the descriptive phrases black and African-American with the far superior term, "chocolate." There's real humor here, but there are deeper meanings as well.

As a white (or in Wilmore's parlance, vanilla) guy, I may not be able to fully appreciate the profound depth of these thoughts--but I do know that I laughed out loud--many, many times. And this book stimulated thoughts of my own. Maybe not as profound as Mr. Wilmore's, but they were thoughts, nevertheless.--William C. Hall

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Laugh out Loud Book, March 31, 2009

By 

Thomas M. Magee - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'd Rather We Got Casinos: And Other Black Thoughts (Hardcover)

This book is a real enjoyable read. If you like Larry Wilmore on the Daily show you will like this book. Most of it sounds like what he says on TV. Some of the material is laugh out loud funny. Other stuff doesn't seem to translate to well in the book but I am sure it comes off good on a TV skit. Also I think people will be surprised at his perspective. It isn't what most people will expect.

5.0 out of 5 stars I'd Rather We Got Casinos: And Other Black Thoughts, September 24, 2009

By 

tikna (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: I'd Rather We Got Casinos: And Other Black Thoughts (Hardcover)

Good book. If you love Larry Wilmore and the way he presents his point of view, you should definitely buy this book. I can almost hear him talk when I am reading some of his wilder point of views about why chocolate should replace African Americans or why every baby should have a "Nizame". And since he is never politically correct, I love his argument about why Jesus was a black man.