Jokes My Father Never Taught Me: Life, Love, and Loss with Richard Pryor

by Rain Pryor

The loving, witty, yet brutally honest memoir of the daughter of comedy legend Richard Pryor.Rain Pryor was born in the idealistic, free-love 1960s. Her mother was a Jewish go-go dancer who wanted a tribe of rainbow children. Rain’s father was Richard Pryor, perhaps the most compelling and brilliant comedian of his era, a man whose self-destructiveness was as legendary as his groundbreaking comedy.Jokes My Father Never Taught Me is an intimate, harrowing, poignant, and often hilarious memoir that explores the divided heritage and the forces that shaped a wildly schizophrenic childhood. It is the story of a girl who grew up adoring her father even as she feared him—and feared for him, as his drug problems got worse. Both lovingly told and painfully frank, it is an unprecedented look at the life of a comedy icon, told by a daughter who both understood the genius and knew the tortured man within.Praise for Jokes My Father Never Taught Me“Rain Pryor pulls no punches . . . Using the same profanity-laced wit her father perfected, she unspools darkly comic stories . . . but never devolves into self-pity or bitterness.” —Entertainment Weekly“Vital, entertaining and appalling, Pryor has fleshed out a familiar dysfunctional family refrain—”It was a lot easier to love him if you didn’t know him”—with bravery and wit.” —Publishers Weekly

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Comedy, Humor, Autobiography, Womens

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Pryor was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Shelley R. Bonis and American comedian Richard Pryor. Rain Pryor's mother was a Jewish go-go dancer and Rain was largely raised with her Jewish maternal grandparents, who taught her about Jewish culture.Her mother was urged by her family to put Rain up for adoption, rather than deal with bringing up a child "in a world that wasn't ready for biracial children." Rain was rejected by the African Americans and the Jewish Americans in her life, thus creating a unique voice in her award-winning solo show Fried Chicken and Latkes that explores racism in the late 1960s and early '70s. In regard to her background, Pryor has joked that while growing up she felt "proud, but guilty about it."
Pryor graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1987.

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in a weekend. Rain's writing style is so conversational and honest that much of the very shocking details are defused and accepted. She writes as I imagine her daddy's momma would have: this happened, I felt this way and then life kept going. I am so impressed by Rain's strength, especially the strength of her love. Highly recommended to those who love the Pryors, those who came up under difficult circumstances and to the people who love them. I only wish I could hear Rain read it in an audiobook. Hear that, Rain?

[Koren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This girl really went through a lot growing up as the daughter of a celebrity. There is a lot here that would be considered abuse today. Not physical abuse, but just having parents that were self-absorbed and selfish. Even though her father was not the best parent in the world, he comes across as a likeable person. If you are sensitive to crass language this would not be the book for you.

[Juliette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is heartbreaking on a lot of levels. It's also very fascinating. The way Rain Pryor grew up among fame, drugs, prostitutes, celebrities, and hangers-on is really interesting. I love reading memoirs and books about the 1970's, and this fit the bill. Richard Pryor was a complex person, and as much as he hurt people, he also had his moments of sweetness. The bond between Rain and her dad at the end of his life was really touching. I met Rain and her daughter at a conference last fall, and she was quite great. This isn't a complex book and didn't go as deep as I would have liked it to, but it was engaging and totally interesting.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy ready. Good, but you definetly get the feeling that she's trying to heard and have a respected voice...I assume it's the byproduct of having a selfish hippy mom and destructive father who only wished to be in her life when she was 6 years old. It sceams, "listen to me, I'm intelligent". I love Richard Pryor so it was great to get more insights on the man.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ever said to someone, "Wow, you should write a book about your life. It would sell." This was one of those books. It was interesting, but poorly-written, and slightly disorganized. Towards the end, it sort of took on an air of, "By the way, these are the projects I'm working on now...hint, hint..." An interesting read, but not one I'll read again, or recommend to others.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok

[Heather Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things I Never Knew

I very much enjoyed this book. The only reason I give it a 4 out of 5 is because for me the flow was disjointed. I find the book to be interesting, and I didn't realize how very little I knew about Richard Pryor. I'm grateful for the chance to get ro know hom better, through his daughter's eyes. The digital version doesn't have all the pictures, but I liked getting to see the ones I did.

[Kimberly Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember watching Rain Pryor in Head of the Class and before I saw her name in the credits, I knew she had to be Richard Pryor's daughter because she is a spitting image of him. I grew up listening to Richard's comic albums and watched all of his movies and loved him for giving me comic relief, but it's one thing to be a comedian, and a whole other ball of wax to be related to the man.

Rain gives explicit detail of the physical abuse she and her siblings received from their famous father. From his drug induced violent fits, he would often beat his children, and Rain, unfortunately, received some of that. The title of this book is so fitting because the things Richard did teach his daughter should have landed him in prison, but having a Jewish mother and a crazy, somewhat violent, comedic father, I'm surprised Rain turned out as well as she did. Lucky for her, she has wonderful grandparents who gave her stability.

This was an outstanding read and I appreciated Rain's honesty and truth. In a lot of ways, she's a great deal like her father, in that she tells it like it is and didn't sugar coat her upbringing. I'm glad she's found peace and identity, which she struggled with throughout most of her life--from not being black enough or Jewish enough. It was a battle to find a common ground. She finally has found her place in the world. I give this biography five stars.

READER BEWARE: The Kindle version jipped me on some pictures, which I didn't appreciate for the $10.99 download price. If I'm going to pay that for an ebook, I want ALL the pictures the book had to offer. Luckily, most were there, but a few weren't available! So the five stars is for the story itself, and not the lack of some photos.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knowing already about the late Richard Pryor's destructive lifestyle, I thought an account from somebody close to him would be interesting. I wasn't wrong. Rain Pryor's account of the time spent with her father reveals his life was just as raunchy off stage as it was in his act. Even with his children around the drugs and whores were part of Pryor's daily life. Some parts of the book might have benefited from a bit more research. She references Critical Condition as a Pryor / Wilder film and Gene Wilder was not in the movie. She also bemoans her failure to launch an acting career, even with her father's help. She claims her dad could not even get her a part of an extra in Bingo Long and the Travelling All Stars. However at the time of the film, she would not have even been ten years old and her attempts at acting seemed to come much later in life. Her regular role on Head of the Class would come years later and not open many doors to an acting career. Her life as a celebrity's child seems to have led to many of the same problems as those written about by others but with a superstar father like Pryor, Rain Pryor's story makes for an engaging read.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, but interesting, look at the life of Rain Pryor who is the daughter of comedian Richard Pryor. While Rain isn't the best writer I've ever seen, she does write so honestly that I had to give this four stars. She doesn't shy away from the truth in this short little memoir, and that makes me appreciate her. The use of language is incredibly raw and even hurtful, but that's also what makes this so powerful. You can imagine Richard Pryor saying and doing all of the things Rain talks about, and while he will forever be a treasured comedian...he wasn't always necessarily a very good person.

Most comedians have a lot of demons, and Richard Pryor was no different. He struggled with drugs, depression, and then illness later in his life. He entertained a lot of us though, he still does, and it's hard to imagine growing up with someone like that. I feel for Rain, especially since her life with her mother wasn't sunshine and roses either, and while I know she loved her father having to deal with all of that has to have taken a toll on her.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one day. Think of Richard Pryor's raunchy wild stand-up routines and that is exactly the life that Rain and her half siblings were raised in. With all the craziness in her life when she spent time with her father, her mother was not always a nurturing parent either. It is amazing how well adjusted she became as an adult, with the screwed up parents she was raised by. Even through all of Richard's faults, Rain still loved her father and knew he was doing the best he was able to do. She does not down play his faults, but also show his caring side. It was very hard to read of his struggles with MS and how quickly he deteriorated. The book also includes some wonderful pictures of Richard and Rain as she grew up. The pictures of Richard stricken with MS are very sad to see. All in all, this was a loving tribute to her father and the amazing entertainer that he was.

[Tony Banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book captivated me...

[Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutly LOVED this book. I went into this exspecting it not to be an easy to stick with book. I could not put it down! I have always been a fan of Rain and Richard Pryor ( the reason for wanting to read in the first place) so I knew I would find something interesting in it. But this book made me laugh and cry the subject matter most people knew about but to see it from a child's point of veiw was very interesting. I do think he must have some kind of Bi-Polar or other mental deficiancy to act the way he did..You do not grow up in a whore house and come out unscaved. Reading this book and learning of each of their troubles growing up just made me a bigger fan!! Great read!

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really admired Rain's optimism and courage to withstand so much at such a young age. She did a wonderful job interpreting her experiences as a half Jewish, half Afro American child. There were many memorable good times and opportunities that were derived by the means of her father’s money and fame. However, the price was high, as her relationship with both of her parents seemed far too detrimental for a small child to have to endure. Glad she had her grandparents to provide a constant positive in her life. She is a remarkable person who despite everything she went through, was able to stay positive and grew up able to give and accept love unconditionally.

[Nancy Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I work with MS patient, I read this for work. While Rain definitely writes about Richard's struggle with MS, the bulk of the book is about the unique family dynamic created by Richard's many addictions and celebrity status. If you're bothered by profanity, definitely don't read this book...Rain picked up her father's affinity for curse words. I don't think it detracts from the story; it actually makes it more "real".

[Sowande Tichawonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rain writes with a refreshing honesty and courage that's thoroughly instructive and outright hilarious. I can't wait for the follow-up now that she's a parent!Jokes My Father Never Taught Me: Life, Love, and Loss with Richard Pryor

[Ilse Pravina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and lifting
Easy read and definitely recommended. Richard Pryor was & is one of my favorite comedians of all time. And to hear his story through the eyes of one his daughters was very touching... Especially with the fact that she forgave him for such a rough/dysfunctional upbringing. He wasn't a warm gentle man and the shit he did was not exactly healthy parenting skills but man was he an interesting/outrageous character to learn about.

[Slo Moemoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Touching... A tough life mentally for a daughter of the most famous comedian!
Here I was thinking wow... The daughter of a Jewish mom and not just a black father but Richard Pryor; Her life must be pristine. Unfortunately it was far from the truth... Her battle to find belonging in a world that is so focused on outward attributes such as skin tone shaped her into a chameleon.... Either Black..... Jewish..... Other...

[Christopher McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've heard a great deal about this legendary comedian, but it was good to finally hear about him from his daughter's perspective. Since she didn't quite grow up in his household, she got to view him as an outsider. But as a daughter, she got close enough to offer us both a objective and a subjective view of this faltered funnyman. I highly recommend this. Some great stories in this book.

[Sy · Rating 5 out of 5]

what i liked about this book is her honesty - be it good, bad, or downright ugly, she tells her tale. i had some problems with her perspective on some things, but i can't really ridicule an autobiographical book on that basis now can i? i am still, however, confused about the whole renee business. lol.

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally updated this. I finished it a while ago, it's a really quick read! I feel like it had more insight on human relationships than anything. Kind of typical learning to be yourself and OK with you stuff, but in a humorous and thoughtful light. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it and will probably reread it in the future.

[Cari King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite book I read in 2012. I buzzed through this book in record time. Loved that she was very "real" about her dad's imperfections. I cried hysterically when she described losing him. In fairness, my dad was a HUGE Pryor fan and he passed away when I was 19, so I'm sure that had something to do with my hysteria...

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very slim. On the one hand, I wish it was longer, but on the other hand, it was pretty brutal and a longer story would have been really hard. Rain has been through a lot, at the hands of both her parents, as well as others - there's sexual abuse that's pretty glossed over - and she still seems to be trying to wrap her brain around it a bit.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've liked Richard Pryor the comedian since I saw him on the Ed Sullivan Show and knew he would be a star. This book told the story of Richard Pryor the person with all his characteristics by his daughter Rain who knew him as well as anyone. I still like Richard Pryor but have much more appreciation for his life and that of his families. Excellent read .. I read it in one day.

[Lorri Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Rain!!

Wow, super good read!! What an amazing young woman to become who she is from the start and life she lived with her mom and dad!! I would love to know her as a friend. I hope she is still married and living a wonderful life with kevin. What an awesome, crazy., Historical man Richard Pryor was and what an amazing person she became.

[Michal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked reading about the life of Rain Pryor. It reminded me of some of the news or shows I watched in 80s and 90s. My favorite movie by Richard Pryor gets no mention which surprised me. Rain talks about life with a dysfunctional family and how she loved her parents through it all. It is a glimpse into her life and the struggles and challenges she went through.

[Jon Samuelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book. Not great, but very informative to the life of Richard Pryor. He is one of the greatest comedians ever, and I liked the peek behind the curtain to see what he was like from one of his daughters.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, I never realized what a bastard Richard Pryor was. Or course, her mom wasn't much better. It's amazing she made it to adulthood at all. I suppose a lot of children of celebrities fit into that category. No real surprises here, I guess.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The language was way too strong for me, but aside from that, the story was a fascinating, troubling, legit look into the life of Richard Pryor, and it held my attention from the start. I enjoyed the writing style and the stories.

[Rhina M. Finley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lately I've been in mood to read biographies. I've had this one in my book collection for sometime now. On the first couple of chapters, I was thinking wow. In order to tell Rain Pryor's story you have to tell Richard Pryor's story. And Oh Man What a story!!!