How to Survive America: Fearless Comedy on Race, Health, and Justice by Legendary Activist-Comedian D.L. Hughley

by D.L. Hughley, Doug Moe

"Dispels the myth that people of color are somehow predisposed to poor health, blaming systemic injustice in the health care system." — New York Times Book Review Legendary comedian D.L. Hughley uses his "hilarious yet soul-shaking" ( Black Enterprise ) humor to confront racism's unjust impact on the health and wellbeing of Blacks and minorities  White people love survival guides. But have you noticed they’re always about ridiculous activities in locations far from home, with chapters like “How to Survive an Avalanche" or "How to Live on Bugs in the Jungle.” Huh?! You know who really needs a survival guide? Black and brown Americans. For surviving their own damn country! Minority populations wake up every day in a battle for their health and safety. Thankfully, legendary activist-comedian D.L. Hughley offers How to Survive America, a fearless satire that exposes racism’s unjust toll on our bodies and minds. Even before COVID-19 disproportionately impacted minority communities, life expectancy for Blacks was a full three years less than for white Americans. The very air we breathe is more polluted, our water is more contaminated, our local food options are toxic, and our jobs are underpaid. Despite the obvious need, the quality of our health care is tragically inadequate. Our communities are statistically less safe than the average, and yet we’re terrorized by the law-enforcement and criminal-justice systems that are supposed to protect us, sending Blacks to prison at five times the rate of whites. Not least, our means of addressing these injustices— voting —is perennially under assault. It’s enough to drive you crazy. Well, guess what? According to Cigna, Blacks are 20 percent more likely to report “psychological distress” yet “50 percent less likely to receive counseling or mental health treatment.” It’s almost like the entire country has been structured with no regard for our welfare. Hmmm . Whether you’re Black, white, brown, or Asian, don’t leave home without arming yourself with How to Survive America !

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Social Justice, Race, Audiobook, Essays, Anti Racist

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2021

About the author

Darryl Lynn "D.L." Hughley is an American actor, political commentator and stand-up comedian. He is perhaps best known as the star of the ABC/UPN sitcom The Hughleys, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy. Additionally, he has been the host of CNN's D.L. Hughley Breaks the News, a correspondent for The Jay Leno Show on NBC, and a local radio personality and interviewer in New York City.

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read quite a few D.L. Hughley books at this point and I didn't enjoy his last one as much as I anticipated, but this one definitely was a great exploration of the treatment of the Black body in America.

D.L. Hughley is often known for his comedy and acting skills, but a lot of people don't realize how much commentary he makes about current political and social issues. His works always cover a range of different topics. This specific book How to Survive America covers the difficulties that many Black and Brown individuals face in America in terms of health. There are a couple of things that I took away from this novel, but I really enjoyed the conversations related to the ways in which COVID impacted minority communities. The media talks a lot about the disproportionate numbers in relation to COVID, but Hughley definitely dives deep into factors that would cause the disproportionate numbers to exists. The lack of access to healthcare prior to the pandemic and the ways in which Black and Brown communities were treated by the medical community prior to pandemic are key factors. It is also important to note the ways in which the country responded to the need to "reopen" the country once they figured out that Black and Brown communities were facing more difficult aspects related to COVID. Hughley even goes into conversations related to the vaccine rollout which the country is struggling with right now. There was a specific hesitancy amongst Black Americans because of this history of unethical testing. I know Black people in the community that are still weary of doctors because of the treatment of Black bodies (this is also something that Hughley covers). As per usual, he doesn't fail to keep it real and unlike his last book, this book felt up to date with topics that I could currently relate to. Honestly, if you haven't checked out some of his non-fiction books I highly recommend it and I also recommend listening to them on audio.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fair warning: I won a free ARC of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

I struggled to come up with a summary of this book. In the end, though, I don't think I'll be able to do better than this sentence from the back cover of the ARC (probably it will appear on one of the jacket flaps of the hardcover): "D.L. Hughley does a deep dive into the white lies surrounding Black public health, resulting in a lively work of social commentary that's essential for understanding race relations in America today. "

I don't think I had ever heard of Hughley prior to an appearance he did on the Daily Show. He was either promoting this book or his previous one, How Not to Get Shot. The details escape me, but he definitely impressed me as someone with Something to Say, and possessed of the ability to do so in an entertaining fashion. Anyone can do research, but the ability to grab and hold one's attention while clearly communicating that research? That's a talent.

Much of what's covered in this book are recent events. But even though I lived through them, the impact seems greater here. Over the past couple of years, everything unfolded at the pace of life. But here it's just bam! bam! bam! One thing right after the other.

Did reading this make me uncomfortable at times? Sure, but as a white middle class male, that's not really surprising. I would speculate that, the more uncomfortable and defensive this book makes you, the more likely it is that you need to read it. Recommended!

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is now my third DL Hughley book and although it was hard to listen to because of the content- it reviews the past 4 years (and more) of this country’s racism and effects- it’s still such a good way to get an educated (and at times funny) picture of what it feels like to be Black or Brown in the US today. I listened to this audiobook and although Hughley is an extremely competent reader (and fast!) his voice can be a little harsh so some might find reading the book or ebook a better way to digest this context. There is a lot here and he backs it all up with data. I think Hughley’s books might especially appeal to guys. Again, I think he’s wonderful and this book is definitely worth reading.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well - this was not really at all what I expected. I really thought it was going to follow more along the lines of How Not to Get Shot: And Other Advice From White People - snarky advice and tips with relevant sarcastic social commentary.

But this was actually more along the lines of "What if D.L. Hughley paraphrased Medical Apartheid and The Color of Law and The New Jim Crow?"

This is not a criticism, by the way. I enjoyed the snark and the wit of his approach, but it doesn't really offer anything in the way of "How To" advice like his last How (Not) To book did. I mean, technically, all of the advice in that one boiled down to "Be white" or "Don't be black or brown" or some variation, which is impossible anyway, but that's not really the point. The point is the framing and the format, and his sense of humor is what makes it work.

Anyway, this still was worth the listen. It was FAR easier to read and more concise than the books I mentioned above were, (though I definitely recommend the ones above as well) but obviously he's not presenting a fully researched thesis here - this is a humor book with an agenda. One of which I approve, but still. It was sharp and funny despite the subject matter, which isn't at all funny, and had some real zingers, so definitely scope it out.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

D. L. Hughley is a comedian and his approach to a very serious topic--the violence and viciousness of racism in America--helps keep the material bearable. Not that he is joking about any other this or that the book is in any way funny, but he writes with a wry and bitter tone--comments that are somewhat amusing while simultaneously painful and thought-provoking.

I read the book in one sitting. There was no information I was not already familiar with but then I've read a lot in the past few years on this topic. Hughley covers a lot of ground and presents his information briefly but memorably. I will undoubtedly retain what I read here more easily than other works I have read.

What is unique to this book is Hughley's inclusion of personal material. His own experiences both highlight and make vivid the information provided. I didn't realize how difficult his past was, in terms of the racism he experienced growing up. Hughley makes clear some of the ways his life was formed and informed by the rampant and pervasive racism in this country.

This is an angry book but highly accessible. As a white person, it was painful to read but important. We need to hear the voices of those who are struggling to survive as people of color in a racist country.

[chantel nouseforaname · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most insightful of the Kings of Comedy!

Cat Daddy, D.L. Hughley, is always here teaching us something and making us laugh! This book was a great follow-up to a previous one of his that I read called How Not to Get Shot. Funny yet sobering.

It’s scathing, it’s eviscerating and it’s a fun and sobering read. It’s definitely written to expose, but you know what, some things need exposing and I’m here for it.

More thoughts on this book here and here.

[Lawren M. Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I read from D.L Hughley and I throughly enjoyed it. I got the book in a goodreads giveaway and it was a uncorrected proof. I just got around to reading it and it was very informative. It gave facts with a lot of humor. 

[Angela Juline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love his intelligence - not sure I should have been laughing while he tackles a serious reality - but what can I say, he's funny!

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable read, while also being really informative as well. I really enjoyed Hughley's sense of humor while also getting some really important points across. I wish every textbook was written like Hughley's book!

But seriously, some really good stuff here. Challenged me to put myself in the shoes of people of color in our country. Because of my privilege that I have done nothing to deserve, I will never share some of the fears that people of color in our country heartbreakingly have to experience every day. Some examples that really stood out to me:

- Having to worry about the message that your mask is sending. From pg. 20: "Even the things you're supposed to do to protect yourself, for us are dangerous. COVID-19 is deadly, but it doesn't kill you as fast as a suspicious cop. So some people have started wearing masks that look a little 'safer.' One guy on Twitter said, 'I had the Bane mask. Forgot I'm Black. And big. And ancestrally red-eyed. And of the United States. New mask is floral. Don't shoot. Naw, for real. Don't shoot."' This passage was after a passage detailing the experience of a black state senator who was stopped outside a hardware store in Illinois by a police officer who said "I can't see your face. You look like you might have been up to something."

- Not being able to trust that your doctor is actually listening to you. This one is particularly devastating. People of color die at much higher rates from the same diseases that white people get, but instead of getting access to proper treatment or doctors who actually trust their patients, they just get blamed for their own conditions being sourced by their lifestyle.

- Worrying that your vote will be intercepted/will not be counted. One of our most basic freedoms as citizens of the U.S. is to vote. But the voices of millions continue to be silenced.

Overall a captivating, important read. Would highly recommend to anyone.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

How to Survive America

I Picked Up This Book Because: I can’t resist a celebrity book

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Library
Dates Read: 6/28/21 - 6/28/21
Stars: 4 Stars

The Story:

Observations on living in America while being brown. While we all know there are not fast and hard solutions to racism there are some good points made and a lot to think about presented in this book.

The Random Thoughts:


Challenges:

Birth and Beyond Reading Challenge - Adult:Essays

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was a good listen. It was a stronger book than D.L. Hughley's last one (Surrender, White People!: Our Unconditional Terms for Peace) and less repetitive than How Not to Get Shot: And Other Advice From White People. He gives fantastic examples of social, racial, and environmental injustices and the effects these have on the ability of Black and brown folks to survive in the US. He also addresses the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate effects, how these injustices manifest themselves in our physical and mental health, and why 45* was a terrible president for Black people (and how pretty much all of the others were too).

[Jbussen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually enjoy his snark and wit, but this one seemed different. I wanted humor mixed with social commentary. I got social commentary. Too much angry black man, and F-the MAN! I am not saying he is wrong, just that his social commentary just wore on me. I wasn't looking for the "truth", this is not what I was looking for.

[Audra (ouija.reads)]

Hughley has a true talent and honed eye for piercing right to the center of prickly issues, especially surrounding race and racism, and seeing both the humor and the harsh reality in them.

This book is extremely relevant right now, as its touches on all that ails modern society: medical and healthcare inequalities that, while not new in the slightest, have been highlighted by the pandemic; the state of politics (nuff said) and voting; the criminal legal system; activism and social justice; and of course the ever-present threat of racism hovering over it all and affecting Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color adversely at higher rates than white communities.

While it doesn't offer a deep dive and interested readers should still check out books like The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, and others, Hughley's comedic perspective is a nice supplement. It will challenge you, make you uncomfortable, teach you, and have you laughing, ready to go out into the world and make a more positive impact.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

D. L. Hughley is a black comedian whose last book, How Not to Get Shot: And Other Advice From White People, I really liked and I thought it made sense and had good points. This time he still has good points, but I kept cringing at his use of the "N" word as well as the "F" word and its variations.
He sounds like an angry black man and I think he has reason to sound that way. I will continue to listen to people like Hughley so that I might learn and some day our races may have a meeting of minds and actions.

[Sooz Hutch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is hard to read because it’s blunt but that’s what I liked about it! He paints the picture of what it’s like to survive America as he puts it as a “black or brown persons”. It’s raw, it’s real and it’s eye opening! He touches a lot on the former President which may be touchy for some people but again it’s raw and it’s real. I like how he threw some humor in to make it more light but it’s a subject that needs to be out there more and I like how he approached it.

[Susana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoiler alert: the answer is to be white

[MariWabiSabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m reading this in January 2025. This was written in 2020. It talks about the Trump era as a past tense. Without meaning to, this book points out so much of the naive hope I had that we were on a trajectory for a more unified, awakened America just a few short months ago. Written on the premise that racism impacts people of color disproportionately, I just can’t stand thinking about how far backwards we will slide over the next four years, and whose lives will be impacted the most. Don’t read this until you’re decisively ready to take action, because for me, the book just compounded the despair.

[Tara Shook · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much truth to this book! Also we need an update or epilogue about the current events of 2025!

[Nanci · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a new to me author as well as a new to me comedian. Hughley was able to take the very serious subject of racism and make me laugh, while at the same time feeling frustrated that we still haven't conquered being a racist country. He writes this book in 2020, so right at the peak of COVID. He finishes the book right after Biden comes into office.

It was a good book that I could hardly put down and I'm glad I read his on-point perspective. I would like to read the same book without all the cursing, but it's obvious that's not how Hughley communicates.

[Roueida · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won "how to survive America" through Goodreads. It was a quick read. I was interested in D.L. Hughley's, at times, humorous but sobering take on racism and the impact of COVID in America. He shares some historically and politically relevant facts that support his argument that Black and Brown Americans are only provided the basics of life (adequate education, clean water, adequate housing and medical care), in one of the riches countries in the world, when absolutely necessary, and even then, only while those in positions of power see it as an opportunity to benefit from it by spinning it in their favor. I think what I valued most about "how to survive America" is reading about D.L. Hughley's personal account of what it was like for him growing up in America. He not only survived significant odds, but now has a unique platform to reach others. The only issue I had with it is that he seems to buy into the narrative of the Democrats being on the right side and attributes what is wrong with America to Republicans. This is the same narrative that those in power have used to divide and oppress it's American citizens since the birth of our nation. It pits us against each other for leverage. The Democrats and Republicans are on the same team - team corporate oligarchs. Both parties are equally responsible for where we find our selves as a nation today. As long as profits continue to be valued over people in America and as long as we don't hold the powers that be accountable, the disenfranchised will continue to lose.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Racism is America's chronic illness and white supremacy, not Black inferiority, is the cause.

According to 2018 Census, almost half of Black and Latino workers are employed in service or production jobs that you can't do from home. Only 1 in 4 white workers do similar work.

People of Color:
Supreme Court 2 of 9
Senators: 9 of 100
Governors: 3 of 50
House of Representatives: 112 of 431
Top 25 university leaders: 1 of 25
Top 10 magazine CEO's: 0 of 10
Music Industry Heads: 2 of 14
Professional Baseball/Basketball/Football owners: 6 of 99

Black people are still not in power because white people are still running the show.
They're running all the shows.

[Karina Cortes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a commentary on the 45th President. With facts, humor, and opinions the author talks about serious issues such as environmental racism, Covid, police brutality, the 2020 election, and healthcare inequality.

Reading this book gives an insight into why about 80% of black Americans voted for Biden. The author shows the results of systematic racism in America.

If you are a Trump supporter and choose to read this book I hope it will give you perspective on how Non Trumpers view him.

If you are what a “RINO”, an independent, or lean left- you will love the brutal honesty and wit of this book.

Warning this book has a good dose of profanity.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 🌤 Scathing, uncomfortable, important. A bit of humor sprinkled throughout and usually followed by ‘but I digress’, so that you’ll recognize it. Spoonfuls of sugar, as they sang. But mostly sarcastic, blunt, and backed with facts about racial inequalities existing in health and environmental factors which affect life expectancy. I’ve also read his two latest books before this one, and found this one’s tone less-comedic than those, yet still retaining their same salty, easy readability.

[fc7reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hughley's writing manages to be humorous despite the seriousness of the content. Systemic racism is an incredibly touchy topic in America, at least in part because we've never faced it head on so we're still neck deep in it. We deny and justify and rationalize but we don't acknowledge the brutal truth of it and that has kept us from dismantling it and moving forward. Hughley highlights multiple ways America could start to truly come to grips with this issue. His writing isn't a how-to guide, but healing any of the systems about which he writes would start America on a healing path.

[Sharron · Rating 2 out of 5]

First the frustrating part that isn't a fault of the book - it was written in February 2021 with a bit of hope, everyone thought things would get better, and then it didn't. Covid is not gone, trump isn't even really gone, magats and maskholes are killing us.

What can be blamed on the material - I wanted truths to be delivered with humor. I know comics can do serious topics, but I want a side of funny. There actually wasn't anything new, so the funny would have made it worthwhile. It may be a good source for people that don't know some of the history. It was also just to damn repetitive.

[Paola Talavera · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a book I would call “Black supremacist”. Only blaming white people for their problem and looking at the past instead of actually giving solutions to black communities and look into the future. Let me tell you something Hughley, black people are the only race blaming others for their problems, Latinos don’t blame Spanish or Portuguese about our current situation, we blame ourselves, how corrupted and uneducated we are. That’s the wake up call you need to be doing to your community, push this country to somewhere better and stop spreading hate into it.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw an interview with Hughley where the interviewer said it was incredibly funny. Hughley is a funny man with that sideways vision that makes the ordinary funny. I listened to the audiobook. His delivery is priceless. In this case, the ordinary is racism and the laughter is evoked in his ironic, sarcastic asides. The information, however, is devastating. Systemic racism and classism turns living into a battle for survival for black and brown people.

[Chris Jaffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent at making its points and frequently pretty humorous to boot. The best part I thought was on why black people don't trust the medical community (because they don't get treated well by it). There's also some good stats on the backlash to the George Floyd protests (less than 1% turned violent toward people and less than 4% involved property damage). It's often fairly basic and is more an overview than anything in depth.

[David Pepin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a white middle-aged, middle-class male, I may not necessarily be the target audience for D.L.'s message, but it's one not just for non-Caucasians. It's not as laugh-out-loud funny as his previous two books, but it cuts a little deeper into America of the past five years. (Hey, there's plenty of white people the insurrectionists want gone, too.) D.L. makes one think as well as laugh...this time, the emphasis is on the former.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a funny but fact book. I love the list of Presidents and how they all felt about
the people! He does give the facts about how Blacks are treated and what they are going
through. He covered a lot of facts. This is a quick read and I'm so glad I got to read this
book. Everyone should read this book!