Customer Reviews

Nothing's Sacred

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

To be honest, this book is not what I expected. Having become familiar with Mr. Black through his segments on The Daily Show with John Stewart, I thought this book would be a collection of rants on current events much like he does on the show. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Basically, this book is a memoir of Mr. Black's formative years: growing up outside of Washington DC, attending UNC in the fabulous sixties and heading out for a few years to Colorado to run a theater after a brief stint working for the government. It is in the immediate aftermath of his Colorado experience that the book winds down. Apart from a few brief forays into political commentary in asides, what you've got is a person telling there life story.

That said, Mr. Black is a funny man and he tells his story with humor. I wouldn't say this is the best thing I've ever read but I did find myself laughing out loud a few times. To me, for that alone, the book is worth reading. Still, be aware of what you're getting when you get this book.

Being a Lewis Black fan, one just short of a restraining order most of my friends would say, I've been anxiously awaiting the release of this book for many months. Lewis Black's comedy has always struck a chord with me. Even though my formative years came in the 70's and 80's, our viewpoints are similar, what winds us up the same. So I expected a book of his usual mordant observations that would make me laugh until I couldn't breathe. But this book greatly exceeded that expectation. Not only is it hilarious, the kind of hilarious where you have to put it down for a moment to recover, but it is also an intensely personal and often poignant account of the genesis of his anti-authoritarian point of view. Best of all, Nothing's Sacred isn't just a written version of his stage act. His concise storytelling and ability to convey emotion without being maudlin allows the reader to relate on a very personal level. Throughout the book Lewis is funny, sarcastic, enraged, incredulous and heartbreaking, sometimes within the same paragraph. The overall effect makes for an extremely satisfying read. Add to that you can rip through it in an afternoon and you've got your self a hit!

And don't think you have to be a fan of my caliber to enjoy this book. Lewis' talent for putting together a story readers can identify with is superb. For anyone with a slightly torqued view of authority and an intolerance of stupidity, you have a kindred spirit in Lewis Black and will enjoy the hell out of his story.

Couldn't put this book down! If you have been lucky enough to see any of Lew's live shows, a lot of what is in the book is also in his act, but, that's ok! Lewis Black is a lone voice screaming at us, telling us what is wrong, and how to laugh at it. I am a BIG Fan, and he fills the void caused by Bill Hicks' death.

Lew tells us about growing up, gives us stories and images of his father, mother, brother and friends who helped him mold into the observational humorist he is. Great stories, I was peeing in my pants reading the introduction!

If you love Lew, get this book! if you like Lew, get this book!

I like Lewis Black's work, I must have seen that special on HBO over a dozen times and listened to his bits as they are now being played on Sirius Radios comedy channel. The man is dead on in his skewering of whatever target he sees fit to aim his wit at.

But I was expecting more humor and less autobiography. I learned a bit about what kind of upbringing gives life to an amazing comic, but that wasn't why I got this book....I wanted to laugh.

OK, maybe my title is a bit harsh, but most of the funny parts were taken from his stand up special he did for HBO. I was hoping for more new laughs, not the same jokes reworded and in print.

If an autobiography is what you are looking for, this is your book. Looking for comedy on every page? Not so much....

Having been a fan of Lewis Black's stand-up comedy and television segment on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" I had high expectations of this book. I was relatively pleased with the result.

While some of the material found in the book heralds back to stand up material of Black's that has been around awhile, the additional material was both funny and insightful. This book provides a better picture of the early life and college experience of the young Lewis Black that has formed who we know today. It is particularly interesting to see how he more or less stumbled into the career he finds himself in, especially when one considers how (admittedly) terrible he once was as a comic.

While not an autobiography in the truest sense, Black's retelling of his own experience in a humorous manner makes this a nice read. And it's funny. Very funny.

Then read this book in "his" voice. You'll enjoy it more.

Lewis Black is known for his unique comedic delivery. PUNCTU-ating EVERY other WORD as if he were STABBING the sentence. And as if to drive the words a little deeper into the gut, he shoves 'em in hard with his index fingers while he's talking.

The upside of "Nothing's Sacred" is that I could "hear" Black's voice as I read. I could "see" him jamming his digits in the air. The downside is that I absolutely love his act... and this isn't a book of his eloquent, albeit apoplectic rants. Rather, it's more of an autobiography, which, while interesting, is only laugh-out-loud funny occasionally throughout the book.

At just over 200 pages though, with a fair amount of white space on the page, it can be read in one or two sittings, so even though I didn't LOVE the book, I didn't feel ripped off regarding the time spent reading it.

Good. Not great. And certainly not SUPERB. It was better than OK. Thus the 3 out of 5 rating.

Now *GO* out and *PICK* up a *COPY* and *READ* it your*SELF!*

- Jonathan Sabin

Excellent, and hysterical. I love Lewis Black. Might not be for everyone, but an excellent choice for any fan of his.

Lewis Black is a hilarious stand up comedian. He is one of the few comedians that I have laughed so hard at, I thought I would wet my pants. I had high expectations from his book.

Apparently, I shouldn't have.

The first chapter or two had a couple mildly funny things in them. From then on out, it was simply a boring autobigraphical story. I really didn't care about his theater interests. They aren't funny. The other topics he chose weren't funny either. Towards the end he included a good portion of his stand up routine in writing.... already heard that.

I definitely wouldn't buy this book. Thank goodness the library is free. This book really was a waste of time. I'll look forward, instead, to future stand up routines ( and be near a bathroom).

It is great to see that he can write just like he speaks. His sarcasm and anger translated very well in to writing. The book is big but everything is broken up in to sections so you can easily read just a few pages if you don't have a lot of time every day to sit down. I'm really glad I read this book and I plan on not selling it back so that I can read it again.

This is a memoir of Lewis Black's life. Some of it is really funny, some of it isn't. A lot of it is very informative and interesting historical facts that Lewis Black experienced growing up and going to college in the 60s. Although I found the college years portion of this audiobook least interesting, I did enjoy the whole thing.