Customer Reviews

Why You Crying?: My Long, Hard Look at Life, Love, and Laughter

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

George calls himself, the other Lopez, G-LO, the one you are not tired of. George Lopez, with about 20 years scouring for his place among the great comedians, has arrived!

"Why You Crying" gives a taste of his life, from the sad pathetic upbringing, comedy bits, strong influences, the enduring struggle and of course, the successful TV show.

The title, "Why You Crying" is a phrase developed from his grandmother, a person who with a severe lack of parental knowledge, belittled and shamed him! It is almost incomprehensible that a child can go from the frying pan - unabandoned by parents, to the fire - negative grandparents who didn't know that an expression of love and devotion is critical to life.

With no father, and an extremely pathetic unstable mother, at ten he went to live with his grandparents. And it is this sad life that is the backdrop for the show, except that his TV mother is based on the mental cruelty received from his real-life grandmother.

There are some great funny moments and you don't have to be Hispanic to understand a dysfunctional crazy family. George shares some bits from the comedy show and he painfully recalls his grandmother's mentally abusive behavior.

The two comedic influences were Freddie Prinze, Sr., from the "Chico and the Man" series in the 70s and one of the greatest comedians who told us what life is really about, Richard Pryor. Lopez talks fondly about a Long Beach, CA performance, "Richard Pryor Live" and I agree that it is the funniest live show ever!!

Lopez, like other great comedians, shares the struggle to the top, the comedy clubs, the road, the bombs, the rejection, depression, etc., etc. Any great artist and comedian can tell you the struggle to success and some can just tell you the struggle.

George dutifully and proudly then toots his own horn! We get a clear understanding how the show evolved and what it takes to come into our homes. He also gives us an idea what hosting the Latin Awards is to him, his arrival and how proud he is to be a Hispanic who has succeeded and he is admirable by the respect he lends to the nationality. ....MzRizz

I thought this was the funniest book I have read in along time...I laughed, I cryed...and I related to sooo much. I felt so sorry for him...but he conquered in the end..just like me!!..the book is well worth the price..I cant describe how hilarious alot of this book is..he is a great comedian and story teller!!.

Mary

Maggie Sanchez,Communications,

I thoroughly enjoy a great memoir. 'Why You Cry' is an excellent and thoroughly enjoyable read. It has a mixture of sadness and reality like that of 'Nightmares Echo' and yet it also is comparable to 'Running With Scissors' which adds a light humorous affect in with its details of a hard life. If you like George Lopez, you will love this remarkable book.

First of all I can say that after reading this book I laughed and I cried. It was very touching and I think so many people can relate to George Lopez and his childhood. You have to give George alot of credit where credit is due. He has come along way, just look how far he has come.... That's got to count for something..... I have all his cd's and his dvd's. I can play them over and over again.... But nothing compares to seeing George Lopez live in concert. That was one of the best comedy concert I have ever been to... The book is well worth reading and I don't think if your a true George Lopez fan you won't be disappointed... You will laugh and maybe even cry...

I'm a memoir junkie and a comedy junkie--normally the two don't mix, but I found Lopez's story funny, honest, shocking and hearfelt. I hardly knew Lopez's TV work, but know I'm a fan. Just finished Rodney Dangerfield's book (he's a living god), and the two make a weird bookend--most successful comedians have really terrible childhoods. Oddly, another great memoir is about being a great Dad--the opposite of Lopez's and Dangerfield's parents--in "I Sleep At Red Lights: A True Story of Life After Triplets," by Bruce Stockler, a funny and riveting look at marriage, kids and deciding if success is still important.

George Lopez' autobiography is an inspiring read about his life. It tells how he overcame his childhood to become the success that he is today. I was really moved by his childhood and how he learned to overcome the problems in his childhood. I especially enjoyed reading how he got his television show and the stories he told related to it. The book is very humorous and had me giggling the whole way through.
A humorous and inspiring story of one of TV's best comic actors.

I bought this book as a gift for a George Lopez fan, and they told me how much they loved it! So, I would recommend this book.

I am a big George Lopez fan and, as a result, my daughter gave me this book as a gift. I deeply admired the man for what he has accomplished, but found this book uninspiring. The only "kick" I got out of it was that his biological father might have the same last name as me. Other than that, it is not worth the read, particularly if you have followed his progress over the years. His stand-up comedy video pretty much tells you how hew grew up.

I've been trying to get my hands on this book for months, and I finally did. Long list at the library. Ordering takes too long. The book was definitely in demand, and since it was published in 2004, I'd say that's a good thing. I was hesitant to read it at first. After seeing how troubled Chris Rock's childhood was and trying to get through Kathy Griffin's depressing background, I started wondering, "Does ANY comedian have a positive childhood or are they all making lemons out of lemonade?" But I am such a hardcore viewer of "The George Lopez Show" so I gave it a shot.

Cons: That entire golf chapter bored me to death. I know it was probably interesting for him to write about considering he likes golf and the golf lovers will get it, but I personally didn't care about the tie game or the personalities of guys I've never heard of. I just wanted to read about George and his family. I thought that chapter would never end, and it slowed me down.

Pros: Everything else! Although I do agree with Ann that he comes down on Mexicans too hard and feeds into the stereotypes, I like his humor when he's talking about actual people instead of some stereotype somebody made up (who probably was not Mexican). The story about the pool had me dying laughing though. I laughed again while I typed that last sentence.

I'd never heard of "The George Lopez Show" until it hit syndication, probably because I wasn't interested in "My Wife and Kids." Since I didn't watch one, I didn't know about the other. But when I happened to glance at it on television, that was it. I set my DVR and watched every single episode and even when there's a marathon, I watch all the episodes again. My mother and I will chat it up when we both see the same episode and laugh about the best scenes. I never knew his background with Sandra Bullock until she was on "Lopez Tonight." In the book I kept trying to figure out the timeline from when he dated her until the time he met his wife. I never did get that straightened out, but both women are clearly a vital part in his life. I have major respect for them for helping him learn to love.

Although Bennie is hilarious on the television show, and apparently to Ann before she met the real-life Bennie, I cringed a little reading about his real grandparents. That's tough for a kid, but I'm glad he got through it. From the photos I saw, he was a cute little boy. I can't imagine anybody picking on him, but kids are cruel. Apparently adults are, too. I respect him for being able to overcome all of that and become the success he is today. It was interesting to hear about his progress from being a start-up comedian to finally succeeding at it. I loved the "Other Voices" chapters and laughed all over again at him talking about his "sexy" elderly aunt. That's some funny stuff, and so is he.

Great read. I highly recommend it, especially if you skip the golf chapter.

Funny, funny, funny! I related to him on so many levels. I am so glad he wrote down his story. Thanks, with love.