Call Me Russell

by Russell Peters

Up-close, personal, and yes, funny — this is the must-have celebrity memoir of the year.

This candid, first-person memoir chronicles Russell's life from his humble beginnings in suburbia as a scrawny, brown, bullied kid with ADD all the way to his remarkable rise as one of the world's top-earning comics. This is a shockingly honest book filled with poignant memories of his family, his life and his career. Call Me Russell is a deeply inspirational story for aspiring artists of any culture about having hope, working hard and dreaming big.

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

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 26, 2010

Reviews

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peters' life is much more interesting than I would have thought. It was also personally interesting because he grew up near me in the N section of Brampton about the same time I lived in the G section of Brampton so a lot of the schools and buildings he mentions in the book are known to me.

I think the book started strong and then kind of deteriorated a bit. It seemed to me that he was pretty careful with swearing in the beginning and then after a few chapters the F-bomb was dropped everywhere. I'm not against swearing, but in a book it's distracting when it's being overused as Peters does.

I don't get the chapter on his sex life, either. Peters starts the chapter by saying how he is concerned about talking about it all so he's going to make it as quick and as sanitized as possible. And then he almost immediately goes into telling us that he's had multiple three-somes. Seems kind of disingenuous to claim to not want to talk about his sex life and then go to the other wall and drop something like that. It would have been a better book without this chapter.

The book was just the right length. At the end of it, I was happy to close it. It was a good read, but I don't think I would recommend it to anyone unless they are already a Peters fan.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Russell Peters when he does stand-up. I can honestly say he makes me laugh harder than anyone else currently in the business. That said, this book is a very mixed bag. I really liked the first part, when he explained how he has his name (Anglo-Indian) and his memoir of his father was truly touching. I was not so fond of some of his other chapters, such as the one about his girlfriends. That is not because I'm a prude but because he sounded so callous about the way he treated them. He ended that chapter saying he was now engaged and reformed, and guess what? Two years after the book was published, he was divorced and being indiscreet about his ex-wife. Not cool.

I was bored of the name-dropping after a few chapters, and as the book progressed, my interest flagged. I will still watch him perform and admire his humour, but I am not so wild about him as a person. Oh well.

[Berni · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the disconnected rant of a 30-something dude who has too much money, too much ego, a fair amount of talent and ADD...it went in all directions and in the end I conclude that he should never have written it. Nothing has happened to him yet! For God's sake, he is a 30 something and hasn't really lived yet. Waaaaaayyy too soon for an autobiography. You're cute Russell but not enough substance for a book yet.

[Pipsqueek · Rating 1 out of 5]

Call me Russell started out great. I enjoyed the recollections of life at home in Brampton, his relationship with his family, but it seems like when he hit the big time, he turned into a jerk. A bragging, arrogant, name dropping jerk, that is.

I yawned my way through his accounts of his sexual exploits, was disturbed by all the people around him who murdered and were murdered. The language in this book was also full of expletives, and the part of him being ADD was pretty glossed over. It was more about, look at me, look at me, see how wonderful I am. Sorry, Russell, I wouldn't trade my quiet life for a day in your life. If having money is your quest in life, then you can keep it.

In short, a disappointing read. Perhaps Russell should have waited until his dotage to do his memoir. Perhaps then he might have something more substantial to say.

[Omer Tariq · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a Russell Peters fan so I wanted to read the book. Its interesting, pretty informative actually. He is an Anglo Indian and described who the Anglo Indians are and what kind of lifestyle they have.

I specially liked the parts where he talked about his school days, the racism and bullying he had to face and how he dealt with it.

It a comparatively small book and I would recommend it if you like the guy.

[Ashley Daviau · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried incredibly hard to get into this book. I put it down, read something else and tried to come back to it in hopes that I'd start enjoying it. Sadly that just didn't happen. I constantly found my mind wandering and forgetting what I had just read because it was just that boring and I just had zero interest. I think the main reason for that is that I'm in no way a Russell Peters fan and I couldn't even tell you why I even attempted to read this book in all honesty.

[Ashley Bartlette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not necessarily a funny book but it did dive into his career and how it was being an up and coming comedian. I personally really like Russell peters so I enjoyed the book.

[KyaP_Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love a good Canadian success story...and I love to read inspiring biographies of those who started with a dream, and didn't quit until that dream was fulfilled. The biography of Canadian comedian Russell Peters, "Call Me Russell" (2010) fulfilled both of these interests, with an easy read and a familiar tale.

I miss having a good laugh, sometimes. And not the every day chuckle, giggle with friends, or sitcom humour. I miss like real hearty, eyes-watering, can't-breathe type of laughter. The type that only a true comedian can give you. Russell Peters is one of the few comedians who has been able to provide that type of laughter for me over recent years, and I'm proud that he is one of "our own."

Of course we have Trixx and Jay Martin, Jean Paul, and a few others in Toronto who are definitely consistently hilarious, and provide comforting familiarity as well. Then there are the American greats like Katt Williams and Kevin Hart, also kinda making their come-up as stand-up headliners lately.

One of the best parts about the story of a comedian, is watching it grow from brief performances on stage with a mic in hand, a few dollars compensations, and tiny localized audiences of supporters...and then seeing them explode into multi-millionnaires with international appeal and blockbuster marketability.

We saw it happen with all of our faves: Chris Rock, Martin, Dave Chappelle, and even Eddie Murphy who has just been annouced as the host of the upcoming Academy Awards program. We love to see them succeed, because we watch them develop, we watch them mature, and we owe a great deal of our laughter and entertainment to their creative minds.

I remember back in around 1998 or 19998, I was a student at the University of Windsor, and a "board member" of the ever-political and ever-dedicated Black Youth Taking Action group, founded on the campus by the then-infamous Brother Noel. As a student organization, we did our best to maintain a sense of culture, peer unity, and bring diverse events to our temporary home-away-from home, in an effort to keep the students entertained and socializing.

One of the best BYTA events we had was hosting the F.A.M.E. All-Star Comedy Tour. I can remember voicing the commercial down at CJAM 91.5fm (the campus radio station), and excitedly announcing appearances by Russell Peters, Ron Josol, Jean Paul, and Marc Trinidad. I had no idea who any of them were at the time.

We sold tickets, and we packed the campus Pub that evening. An event of that kind hadn't been around on campus yet, and comedians that so intimately knew our culture and our generation were such a rareity.

I laughed like I had never laughed before. The show was an absolute HIT. And I can remember thinking, this Russell Peters guy does the BEST Bajan accent I've ever heard...that accent is not an easy one to duplicate. I immediatley rated Russell for that. His Jamaican accent, Trini accent, and of course the beloved Indian accent were off the chain. He knew all of the cultures so intimately, and I was so impressed with his ability to recreate and retell stories of things that we were all so closely connected to. As Canadians (of all races) I was impressed with how fluidly he spoke of his cultural experiences.

Everyone LOVED him. And I think we maybe payed the collective group about $250 for what was one of the funniest nights I can ever remember.

Fast forward to 2011. I started and completed this book pretty quickly because I enjoyed reading about how Russell came from the guy we essentially "hired" back as a broke-pocketed student org, to the guy that is selling out Madison Square Garden, and impacting the comedy world on a level few will ever reach.

I don't have much to say about the book itself...it was a good read. I kind of expected some hilarity and punchlines, but it was really just a casual conversation between Russell and his fans, and easily could have been an afternoon conversation.

The book doesn't follow a set chronology, beginning to end, but it does break his life's experiences down into themes, sagas, individuals, and stages of his journey.

You get a good feel for the challenges he faced, both personally and professionally, as well as the sights he has now seen, and the hard work he put in to perfect his craft, develop his identity as a comedian, and sustain a remarkable career spanning around 20 years.

What touched me most with his story was Russell's sense of family. His love and respect for his late father, who passed away in 2004. The deep connection and awesome working relationship he has with his one sibling, his brother Clayton. The pride of his mother, the closeness of his extended family, and the fact that at this stage in his life, he is able to easily provide for all of them.

His parents, Anglo-Indians (which is a demographic I knew nothing about until reading this book), and their journey to Canada marked the beginning of this biography, which immediately made me think of essentially everyone I know...a first-generation Canadian, sons and daughters of immigrants.

The great thing about contemporary Canadian stories, is that we all on some level have the same story. The same ambitions. The same purpose. Our parents arrive in this foreign land, often with only a few dollars and maybe one or two good links that they can call...and they are determined to make a life for their family. To find opportunity, and to open doors and associations to them that they may or may not have had access to "back home."

And that's why I love a good Canadian success story, because we all carry the same emotional baggage...knowing that our parents made great efforts to move to Canada, and that we as their successors have an obligation to take their courage, and take their dreams, and to work hard to fulfil them. We have an obligation to continue the legacy now as "Canadians" for our children, and nieces, and nephews, and neighbours, and do so with a pride that would make our families, and our ancestors proud.

Sounds like a lot of weight to carry, but I do believe that this is the mission of the majority of "us"...to take what we can, our gifts, or talents, or even just our need to work hard and build...and create new legacies. Here.

So Russell's book was a nice tale. A nice story of a humble guy from Brampton giving his all to his craft, and seeing it through to monumental levels. It really just an honest look at his life (porn obsession and all), and a testament to what hard work, family love and support, and wise choices can do.

He's a self-made man, and his lessons in "Call Me Russell" can be implemented by any of us. Russell Peters has done his family, and his country, exceptionally proud.

Written by Stacey Marie Robinson, author, and founder of Kya Publishing.

[Michelle M · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to say it, but this wasn't all that great. I was expecting it to be laugh out loud funny, but it mainly came across as though he were bragging and, oftentimes, lewd and offensive (whether he intended that or not). It was also very all over the place, which he explains is due to his ADHD, but he should have hired an editor to sort it out in chronological order and make it make sense. The writing isn't great either (again, needs an editor to tweak things). I felt as though sometimes his stories weren't fully complete and ended abruptly. Other times, he'd tell stories that I didn't feel were relevant or added much substance. So yeah, overall, this was a very disappointing read for me.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reason for Reading: I don't usually read current celebrity's (who are in the prime of their careers) memoirs but Russell Peters is a bit different. I think he's the best Canadian stand-up comic out there; and he is 100% Canadian born and bred but if you've never heard of him and notice the book cover there you'll notice he is also Indian. His humour is based on race and I thought his story would be interesting.

Russell Peters memoir didn't disappoint my expectations. Some may be expecting a funny book, but this is not an extension of his act. Besides a couple of chapters beginning with a famous routine, the book is a straightforward narrative of Russell's life experience so far. He has some funny stories to tell here and there, like when he was punk'd by the King of Jordan, but this is not a funny book in the way you might expect from a comic.

The most interesting part of this book is Russell's childhood, which is the source of a lot of his material. His experience as a first generation Canadian to his immigrant Indian parents is as entertaining as I had expected. Russell even explains his particular cultural background of Catholic Anglo-Indian which he frequently refers to specifically and how it differs from other Indian heritages. He is proud of his race yet identifies as "Canadian"; he also identifies himself as Catholic but shows no signs of practicing. He recounts the racism he met growing up in the Canada of the 70's and 80's when the word "Paki" was used frequently as derogatory slang for anyone of brown colour from Indian/Arabian countries. (In fact, the word was so much a part of our culture that I admit to using it myself as a child/teenager, though never directed to a real-life person (as opposed to those on TV) as I lived in a completely white little town, with the only non-whites being the three Saudi Arabian doctors. However, personally I just thought the P- word (which is never used anymore in decent company) was a short form for Pakistani and I would correct anyone if they used it for someone I knew was from a different country, ie. our three doctors. I know, I was naive about those things.) The stories of his Dad who had more of a British accent than the Indian accent he uses in his act and his mom, who was a fair skinned Anglo-Indian who never really dealt with racism. People always thought she was what they were: Italian, Filipino, German, etc. I wish Peters had expanded on this part of his book and perhaps ended the book when he finally got his first big break in the US.

The next part of the book that lists the gigs at clubs and improvs, then theatres and eventually moving up to touring on the road, then making it in the US, touring around the world, making DVDs etc. could be educational I expect for other inspiring Canadian comics. But otherwise was quite boring for me, except for the stories Russell threw in that were funny. As Russell describes his lifestyle as an adult and a stand-up comic he is fairly candid, never going into any details, but still letting us know his lifestyle was the typical male star's life of free women wherever he looked and he shows no shame or remorse for this part of his life though he does say he is engaged now (in fact married as of the writing of this review) and wants to settle down. I sure hope the girlfriend knew about all that before she read it in the book! There is language in the book, mostly dropping the f-bomb as if it were a common adjective and the sh- word, but this should be expected from anyone who knows his act which also contains adult language but not to the point of vulgarity, imho.

All in all, an interesting story of how a Canadian kid of immigrant background and a visible minority made it big using his race as the basis of his humour and making a connection with all races in the end. As he says in the book (to paraphrase) he has lots of people from different ethnicities coming up to him and saying they totally relate to his immigrant father, *their* dad was just like him, they too had an "Indian dad". I can relate to this myself, having immigrant parents in the late 60's, even if they only came from England. It was the mindset of those parents to give their children a better life in Canada (not to Australia: too far away, not to the US: the civil rights violence was going on) and they brought their old-world values with them. I can soooo relate to Peters' famous "Beat Your Kids" routine which includes the "Somebody's Gonna Get Hurt Real Bad". I got quite a few of those "just in case" ones myself and my dad's words of choice were "someone's looking for a knuckle sandwich" or "someone's cruisin' for a bruisin'". He added the humour but I knew enough to smarten up! I'm glad to have read the book, but I wish he had stuck to his pre-famous days, expanded on the stories of his childhood and his parents, saving the rest for when he was old & gray and had more to tell.

[Faith Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I became a comedian because I’m too lazy to do anything else” says Russell Peters in his own autobiography. What a great line, however, I think we can all appreciate that success is really not as easy as that!

When I first picked up this book, I thought it would be filled with antidotes from Russell Peter’s standup routines. Instead, I discovered some interesting insights into the man who has become a legend in standup comedy with a down to earth attitude towards life, religion and ethnicity.

In his book, Russell Peters reveals what it’s like to grow up as a first generation immigrant in Canada. Instead of focusing on the racial prejudices he might have noticed, he speaks candidly of a childhood familiar to many of us regardless of our ethnic backgrounds. From strict parents who insisted on respect hard work and love of family above all else to a big brother who protected and mentored him throughout his life. I think often we believe that ‘stars’ have some special breeding that the rest of us don’t have, but Russell speaks frankly of family togetherness that helped him survive financial hardships and early disappointments in his quest for fame.

His book is written conversationally which poses some problems if you happen to be a linear-sequential thinker. Russell Peters clearly suffers from the ‘look something shiny’ distractibility factor. He is constantly off on a tangent throughout the book – jumping from one story to another and often without any perceived relevancy. I imagine if you were in a face to face conversation with this man, he would be equally challenging to keep pace with.

The first half of his book was interesting and an enjoyable read as he talks about his family and his childhood. About the half way mark, Russell seems to be at a loss as to how much (and what) to share with his fans about his transition into a career of comedy. There are some poignant stories revealed (if you keep reading and find a way to read between the lines).

When I finished this book, it became clear to me that Russell Peters displayed a great deal of persistence, courage and individuality as he pursued this highly competitive industry. With the support of a loving family and his own desire for honesty and a fresh approach to comedy, he has achieved a well-earned reputation on stage. None of this notoriety, by the way, had anything to do with being lazy!

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

The publisher claims this book is "... a shockingly honest book filled with poignant memories of his family, his life and his career."

It certainly didn't read that way to me. It felt dishonest and white washed in parts, in other parts it seemed to be just lists of things like who drove him to his gigs, the murderers he knows, people who were murdered, the women he slept with, the women he cheated on...

The first part of the book, which deals mostly with his parents and his childhood, is quite good. That's about the only time I felt anything for or from him emotionally.

The stories he tells of his youth and young adulthood and into the early part of his fame are quite bland and repetitive. The guy seems to keep making the same mistakes over and over, keeps doing the same things over and over, telling the same sort of story over and over...and to no real point. This isn't a story about what he's learned over the years, or how he got to be who he is, it seems like an endless travelogue of boredom.

It seems especially white washed when he writes of being a drug dealer...just for the money. Right.

He begins that tale with "I was always the link between supply and demand." I have a feeling that that story might have been interesting, but he glosses it over and goes into no detail about it, making me wonder what he's hiding.

The last third of the book is an endless list of famous people he's met...name dropping galore. If you're not famous, he won't remember your name.

The most annoying parts of the book were his insistence on mentioning the ethnicity of every single person he writes about, his continual insistence that he's not gay, and the fact that he seems to frequently do exactly what he says he's not going to do, or what he hates, for instance, he states that he's not going to dwell on his sex life, and then devotes an entire chapter to listing the women he's slept with and cheated on. He rants about hating being called a 'Paki', but uses 'gay' as an insult.

All in all, I came away from this book thinking Russell Peters is an arrogant jerk. I think he wrote the book, not to show how he got where he is, and the struggle to survive in comedy, but to make more money before he loses his popularity. Nothing wrong with that, but don't call it anything else.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Mr. Peters’ since I first heard his “Somebody gonna get a hurt” routine. Add to that the fact that he is proudly Canadian and my curiosity got the better of me. This book is filled with his trademark humour as well as some of his well-known lines from his stand-up routines. The humour is definitely expected, but the book also tells some heartbreaking stories of what is was like growing up “brown” in a predominantly white neighbourhood, the trials of being first generation Canadian as well as being the kid in school who did not quite fit in. It was interesting to learn about the process of writing comedy and the winding road travelled to become a top stand up comedian.

Mr. Peters is at the top of his career now, so this book cannot be totally described as a memoir, and he seems a bit young to have written an autobiography. There is a second book, so maybe he is writing his life story in instalments. The language of the book is conversational and the pictures from family albums are interesting. Towards the end of the book I found it became a little bit of a name-dropping who’s who, but still very readable.

[Krys (Krys Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Via Black 'n Write Review
My final thoughts:
Even in his writing you can hear it coming out of the pages. The entire arrangement of the book was like he was doing a whole routine, right there. I'm sure he could've been doing a TEDTalk and I would've been hooked on his every word.

If you haven't seen his stuff, I'd highly recommend you YouTube it. Find out what he's about. He tells stories and twists them into comedy. If you aren't sensitive to slight vulgarity, or un-racist racial jabs, you might actually enjoy him.

I'd like to think this book is a great recommendation for anybody who's looking for biographies with a lighter side to it. It's nothing heavy because this book only covers Russell's first 30 years of his experience. He has a great story to tell. Which is nearly as drama-free as you can get. He's a comedian. Not a rap artist.
- Krys

[Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

From an entertainment perspective, it wasn't as funny as I had expected from a comedian. Russell states that he has ADD and it's reflected in his writing and I appreciated hearing it come straight from the horse's mouth, because I had a difficult time following his train of thought sometimes. Despite all this, I really appreciated reading about Russell's rise to fame, his strong attachment to family and his experience growing up in an immigrant family in Brampton, Ontario. It is always fun to read about places that you are familiar with and it made me a little homesick to be back in Ontario again and to think about my own childhood in the Toronto suburbs. I watched one of Russell's stand-up dvd's and his Christmas special within days of finishing the book and I appreciated watching him so much more, now that I understood much of the back-story behind many of his jokes and sketches. I recommend it.

[Avantika · Rating 5 out of 5]

To begin with the literary quality of the book would not appeal to someone who reads a lot..But he is not a writer after all. This book is meant for Russell Peters fans only.. and only those fans should read this book who would want to be a part of his struggles, and his not so glossy days... yes he ranted a lot... went from this to that... lost track of what he was saying... then came back to the point he had initially started with... Just like he was doing on the stage..so I felt he was right there in my living room and narrating the story of his life to me... the way he talks, swears a lot etc.. I love him even more after reading this book... and the question of loosing respect for him after knowing about his casual sex life and cheating on woman doesn't arise.. because hey who am I? Have I never wronged anyone? at least he was bold enough to make an honest confession...

[Misty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, I need to say that I love his comedy, however his book leaves something to be desired. I did enjoy reading it for the most part but it left me feeling disappointed. I really want to believe him when he says that he is down to earth and still the kid from Brampton, however his bragging about his sex life, cars, homes and money says otherwise. I don't know that most people would be any different
If they achieved the same level of success that he has, so who is he trying to convince? He is not the same as he was before. I did appreciate his honesty (even if there was too much of it) and I found the book pretty interesting.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a lot more sincere and serious than I first expected, so if you're expecting a book full of more material, this isn't it. Actually, if you've ever seen the CBC special on Russell Peters, this is a lot like that. Some of the same stories that he mentioned in the special appear in the book, but in greater detail. He also goes into a lot more detail about his father's illness and death and how that affected him. Other parts are less serious, and more in the style of "these are the crazy things that happen when you become a celebrity". Overall I liked reading it, the language is fairly simple, but the stories still make an impact so it does its job.

[Puja · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started off with a lot of potential, but fell apart pretty fast about halfway through. I really enjoyed the discussion of his roots and explanation of Anglo-Indian culture (which I had no idea even existed), but once he began delving more into his rise to fame, things became less of a narrative, and more of a list of people he knew and things that happened. I don't really know what to rate this, as I'd recommend the first part of the book (which had me in tears at parts), but no so much the other.

[Kaleena Carriere · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was thoroughly disappointed with this book. I had high hopes. I get that comedians aren't funny all the time but it could have at least been entertaining. Ignoring the fact that the book is all over the place, it's basically just Russell complaining about how tough his life was, bragging about how much he's got now, and name dropping throughout.

[Taneeta · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was nice to read about his family/background and where he came from (some of it was quite heart-touching) but otherwise this book was just a long monologue about his life (and not an interesting one), sprinkled with jokes from his shows and some off-colour humour. Not my cup of tea, sorry.

[Adrian Colaco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

An honest and endearing account of the events and people that helped craft the Russell Peters we have come to know and admire.. Also a good read for new immigrants to Canada like myself as an indicator of life here has changed from the 70's and 80's

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this insight into his life and how he made his way in the stand up comedy business. Though i felt the ending was a bit lackluster after the rest of the cotents of the book, hence giving it 4 stars. Maybe a different ending i'd give it 5.

[George · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as funny as his comedy

[Mindy Gough · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a fast read, but unfortunately it didn't endear me much to the author.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan of his comedy or his book. Got it as a gift.

[Indika de Silva · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like Russell Peters's comedy. He is funny and makes valid social observations. I watched most of his specials starting in 2003.

However, his writing is not that great. Most of it is not in a sequential order. He jumps from place to place. Also, the last bit feels like it was written in a hurry.

Read with care...

[Ana Cloutier · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a nice light read and written with a good pace. The stories are interesting and done in his “voice” which really comes through. I would recommend to any fan to pick up or anyone really. A nice glimpse of his history.

[Patricia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Prior to reading this book I enjoyed watching Russell Peters. After reading this book I no longer have any respect for this man. The majority of the book, he spoke about his numerous sexual encounters. I no longer watch Russell Peters.

[Al · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting reads about the life of Russell and who he is and of the people around him. I think him talking about how he wrote the fame and how he went viral was really cool him referring to brother or his brother or my brother got a bit annoying.