Paper & Glam Book Club discussion

Happy May beautiful Glam Readers!

"May, more than any other month of the year, wants us to feel most alive. "

Fennel Hudson

Our world is insane, even more so now than ever before. But there is and will always be a light at the end of it. One day it will be like Miss Ashton said in The Gurnsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, "It is as if we've emerged from a long dark tunnel into a carnival."

In the meantime, join us this month in reading The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish. I have it on excellent authority that the audiobook is fantastic though there may be a little (or a lot) of f-bombs dropped so make sure to listen with headphones if you're worried about little ears.

No matter how you read along with us, we look forward to chatting with you here and the Facebook group during the month and don't forget to join our live chat on Thursday, May 28th at 6 p.m. PST!

If you love The Last Black Unicorn; check these out!

Furious Cool by David Henry
The Mother of Black Hollywoodby Jenifer Lewis
by Cupcake Brown (P&G June 2018)
You can't touch my hair and other things I still have to explain by Phoebe Robinson
We're Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union
So Close to Being the Sh*t Ya'll Don't Even Know by Retta
Rabbit by Patricia Williams

Happy reading lovelies!

Love that quote!!

I found the language so awful that I probably won’t even finish it! I think it shows a lack of intelligence if you need that many F-bombs. (My opinion) I don’t know why so many comedians talk this way. I wish I could get my money refunded! Yes, I know I’m a prude ❤️

I respect your comfort level with profanity, Paula, but studies have shown that cursing indicates a higher level of intelligence and honesty, not less.

Haha! That hasn’t been my experience! But you’re entitled to your opinion. I just think you could get your thoughts across without every other word being F**k.

Sarah wrote: "I respect your comfort level with profanity, Paula, but studies have shown that cursing indicates a higher level of intelligence and honesty, not less."

Paula wrote: "Haha! That hasn’t been my experience! But you’re entitled to your opinion. I just think you could get your thoughts across without every other word being F**k."

While I definitely agree with Sarah and believe that used correctly, swearing can be utilized to effectively get across a point.

But regarding this book, I'm leaning more with Paula. The explicitness of this book makes me very uncomfortable. The profanity is one thing but then just how she talks about sex and how every single person in this book is incredibly disrespectful to everyone else is difficult to read and honestly I'm wishing I had the e-book instead of the audiobook.

I wanted to weigh in here on the use of so many f-bombs. First off if you have ever seen Tiffany Haddish in anything she has been in this is who she is and how she talks. This book is her life and honestly it was a rough one. And growing up where she did this is the language that was around her all the time. While I didn’t grown up in the same environment I did group up in a house where the f-bomb was and is still dropped quite often. Does this mean my family is unintelligent absolutely not. There are two masters degrees and a PhD within my household. It is just where we grew up and are from. And it is known as “The Hood”. Second point is that I truly don’t think some of the things she is talking about would have the same effect if the f-bomb wasn’t used. I do not want to give away any spoilers so I won’t put the examples here.
While I do get this book is not for everyone, but remember writers write what they know and this is what she knows and who she is.

Marisa wrote: "I wanted to weigh in here on the use of so many f-bombs. First off if you have ever seen Tiffany Haddish in anything she has been in this is who she is and how she talks. This book is her life and ..."

Thanks for weighing in on this Marisa! I definitely respect that! I actually don't know anything about Tiffany Haddish and I'm kind of sad that this is my first experience with her - but it does make me want to check out her acting and comedy! I can respect that this was the language that she grew up around and I don't necessarily think that it makes her seem less intelligent with all of the swearing and I can definitely agree that some scenes wouldn't have the same impact without the swearing. But on the flip side (at least for me) because of how much swearing is throughout the book it can make certain scenes not as impactful you know? But that's also could just be me. Everyone has writing styles they like and comfort levels with profanity/explicit content in books.

Most of my issues so far with the book have more to do with other content than just the swearing but I do really appreciate how much Haddish has gone through and that she's been able to turn it around and make her dream of being a comedian come true!

I love your last statement that reminds us that writers write what they know and that the book is not for everyone and that is okay! This book is definitely not for me and I wish that I knew more about Tiffany Haddish before I jumped into this book. That said, I am glad that I'm reading it because reading outside of my comfort zone is super important

I could not read this book. I threw it in the trash. I am not naive and I know that in her world this is the way people talk and what they talk about. I respect her for the achievements she has made after such an incredible beginning. More power to her, but I just couldn't keep reading and filling my mind with what offends me so.

I feel like there’s lots to unpack with this one so while I will save some for our live discussion, I still want to share.

In the beginning one of my biggest complaints was how she jumps back and forth between kid, teen and adult years. I think I would’ve like it better if there was a clearer timeline or better transitions like “A Piece of Cake”. There wasn’t really any structure.

Her style of writing and the slang and profanity didn’t bother me to the point where I was offended, didn’t finish it or threw the book out, but I know it’s not for everyone. “A Piece of Cake” kind of desensitized me in that way and I try to look at the big picture. I didn’t know a whole lot about Tiffany Haddish going into this book but I knew enough to not have high expectations when it came to the quality of writing or language. Some parts DEFINITELY me cringe but I honestly think she was going for a lighter approach (she mentions she doesn’t like to get too deep and had set out to write a funny book but still wanted to talk about the harder times) and I think her way of lightening the tone was to make it seem like she was telling a story to a friend. I think the slang, profanity, cringey parts and lack of perfect grammar was her way to accomplish this. She put a lot of herself into this book and part of who she is is using language that not everyone is comfortable with.

I should mention that I listened to the audiobook. I think her narrating is great because I just think she’s a great storyteller from what little I’ve seen of her comedy and her acting. It does get choppy in some parts but I attribute that to editing and the fact that she’s reading text and it doesn’t come as natural to her.

Again, I know that this book and style of writing isn’t for everyone but there’s always a bigger picture in books like these. Whether it be a message about overcoming obstacles or helping us figure out that this type of writing really isn’t for us, we can learn something from everything.

Can’t wait to discuss more with you all!

-Desiree

I loved the book! Tiffany is hilarious and she has made it from rags to riches for sure! I love how she keeps it real, whether hanging out with celebrities or writing a book, she is who she is, shamelessly and unapologetically!

Christen wrote: "I loved the book! Tiffany is hilarious and she has made it from rags to riches for sure! I love how she keeps it real, whether hanging out with celebrities or writing a book, she is who she is, sha..."

Yes! I love that she lives her life apologetically and isn't easily embarrassed. I wish I had her kind of brevity in that respect. Most celebrities wouldn't be caught dead in cheaper clothes or with knockoff handbags. Jada was trying to give her lessons on how to be an A-List celebrity and she was like "Nope! I need my fake bags" lol

Jane wrote: "I could not read this book. I threw it in the trash. I am not naive and I know that in her world this is the way people talk and what they talk about. I respect her for the achievements she has mad..."

Jane, that makes sense and you are fully entitled to those feelings and opinions! Not every book is for everyone and I've gone years where I've stopped book club picks (The Nest) or just refused to pick it up (All the Ugly and Wonderful Things) but overall there have been more books that have been super helpful or just beautiful reads so I hope that you'll join us for the live chat on May 28th and read along with us next month!

Desi wrote: "I feel like there’s lots to unpack with this one so while I will save some for our live discussion, I still want to share.

In the beginning one of my biggest complaints was how she jumps back and..."

Desiree I love your comment! A Piece of Cake was a hard read and showed some of the ugliest parts of society and definitely agree that the set up and the transitions are really choppy which makes it difficult to read. For me it's the combination of the style and that things that I feel should have been handled with more seriousness weren't that pulls me out of this book. I hope the last 40% that I have to read has a redemption arc that talks about her launch into fame and who she is today and if not that's okay too~

Hey gals, I love seeing all the dialogue. This can be a rough one, and I myself tend to be quite prudish. However, I teach to the demographic of Tiffany’s childhood and have a student or two who may themselves be the next Tiffany Haddish comedically speaking. Additionally, some of the areas where she talks about are areas I am familiar with, so that added to my reading experience my first go around. This is my reread.

I understand if you DNF this one. I had to do the same thing with PUSH. It was just too much, no matter how authentic. I know that there will be some deep discussions coming up in Book Chat this month.

This had me cracking up.. but then some parts I was like, ewww what? WAIT WHAT? Some stuff was triggers for me which made it a hard read for me.. but dang, she has been through some crazy crazy stuff.. like my brain cant even fathom her life.. Im like is this for real... people really do all that kinda stuff?? lol I must be naive and live in my bubble world. But if you can get past all the crude stuff.. its really interesting the life shes lived and the way she told it was just hysterical to me.. like I shouldn't have been laughing but I was.. kinda like how she mentioned her therapist did lol.

Happy Book Club Eve, Glam Readers!

Can’t wait to see you tomorrow night at 6 PM PST/9 PM EST live on YouTube.

Here are our discussion questions for The Last Black Unicorn:

Ice Breaker - Are there any new releases you’re excited to read this spring?

What was your experience reading The Last Black Unicorn? How many 🦄  would you rate it?

Were you familiar with Tiffany Haddish's work prior to this work? Or, if you hadn't heard of her before this pick, did this make you want to check out any of her comedy/movies?

What was your favorite quote or laugh out loud moment?

Tiffany Haddish is an artist who is unapologetically candid about her life experiences in both her comedy and in this first foray into memoir writing. What was your impression about the tone of her style and how relevant was this tone to her overall storytelling?

In the chapter "The Ex-Husband" Tiffany says that even though she was hurt and messed up, she couldn't ask for help or give up on her marriage because it would feel like she had failed. What do you think about her statement? Have you ever felt this way regarding a decision you had made or experience you went through?

In many ways this is a "rags to riches" story and even after becoming an A-List Celebrity, Tiffany Haddish holds on to some of her "poor" mindsets such as not owning a purse that she can't put the cost of the purse into or looking to pawn a 1,200 bag in order to pay her electric bill a year in advance. Do you relate at all with the "rags to riches" storyline or Tiffany's rationale after becoming rich and famous?

Another thing to think about is her relationship to her religion vs. her relationship to men. Her devotion to her religion made it a difficult decision to leave her husband, who was physically abusing her. Given the views of her church, what does it say that an elder was willing to buck the church doctrine in order to make her safe?

Krisanne wrote: "Another thing to think about is her relationship to her religion vs. her relationship to men. Her devotion to her religion made it a difficult decision to leave her husband, who was physically abus..."

Thisi s such a great point Krisanne!!