Publisher's summary

Academy Award nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) rocks this mock bedtime story, capturing a hilarious range of emotions as the voice of a father struggling to get his child to sleep.

Go the F--k to Sleep is a bedtime book for parents who live in the real world, where a few snoozing kitties and cutesy rhymes don’t always send a toddler sailing blissfully off to dreamland. California Book Award-winning author Adam Mansbach’s profane, affectionate, and radically honest verses perfectly capture the familiar - and unspoken - tribulations of putting your little angel down for the night. In the process, he opens up a conversation about parenting, granting us permission to admit our frustrations and laugh at their absurdity.

Beautiful, subversive, and pants-wettingly funny, Go the F**k to Sleep is a book for parents new, old, and expectant. Due to its explicit language, you probably should not play it for your children.

Feel free to share the link to this page with tired parents and other people who could use a good swear and a laugh.

©2011 Adam Mansbach. Cover Illustration © 2011 Ricardo Cortes. (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Publisher's summary

Academy Award nominee Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) rocks this mock bedtime story, capturing a hilarious range of emotions as the voice of a father struggling to get his child to sleep.

Go the F--k to Sleep is a bedtime book for parents who live in the real world, where a few snoozing kitties and cutesy rhymes don’t always send a toddler sailing blissfully off to dreamland. California Book Award-winning author Adam Mansbach’s profane, affectionate, and radically honest verses perfectly capture the familiar - and unspoken - tribulations of putting your little angel down for the night. In the process, he opens up a conversation about parenting, granting us permission to admit our frustrations and laugh at their absurdity.

Beautiful, subversive, and pants-wettingly funny, Go the F**k to Sleep is a book for parents new, old, and expectant. Due to its explicit language, you probably should not play it for your children.

Feel free to share the link to this page with tired parents and other people who could use a good swear and a laugh.

©2011 Adam Mansbach. Cover Illustration © 2011 Ricardo Cortes. (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

About the Performer

Appearing in well over 100 films, Samuel L. Jackson is one of the most respected actors in Hollywood. Jackson’s portrayal of Jules, the philosopher hitman, in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction made an indelible mark on American cinema. In addition to unanimous critical acclaim, he received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations as well as a Best Supporting Actor award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
Jackson can most recently be seen starring alongside Maggie Q in Lionsgate’s The Protégé. Jackson can also be seen reunited with Salma Hayek and Ryan Reynolds for Lionsgate’s The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, the sequel to the 2017 film The Hitman’s Bodyguard. Earlier in 2021, Jackson starred in the newest Saw sequel, Spiral, with Chris Rock and Max Minghella.
In 2020, Jackson was seen in the EPIX docuseries Enslaved, which he also executive produced with LaTanya Richardson Jackson. He also starred opposite Anthony Mackie in the Apple drama The Banker.
Jackson’s career began onstage upon his graduation from Morehouse College in Atlanta with a degree in dramatic arts.

Critic reviews

"Total genius." (Jonathan Lethem, author of Motherless Brooklyn, father of two)
"A children's book for grown-ups! I really did laugh out loud - hilarious!" (David Byrne, musician, father of one)
"Finally, someone tells it like it really is. This is no-guilt funny and a godsend!" (Cristina Garcia, author of The Lady Matador's Hotel, mother of one)
"The viral phenomenon comes to audio in this clever adaptation of Mansbach's "children's book for adults." NOT a family-friendly listen, this audio will have you giggling and looking around to see if anyone else heard what just came through the speakers. Samuel L. Jackson, known for his foul-mouthed onscreen characters to begin with, is a perfect choice for such a lovingly irreverent audiobook. The desperation in his voice rises as the child, who is the object of the parental pleading, refuses to cooperate. By the end, both seasoned and expectant parents will be alternating between laughing and cringing at the exasperation in Jackson's tongue-in-cheek narration. The production begins with a casual introduction from Jackson, which appears to act as an apology for what's to come, as if Jackson (and author, producers, etc.) wants to assure the listener not to worry—despite everything, we DO love our children very much. Even when they refuse to go the f--k to sleep." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Go the F--k to Sleep

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • 3 Stars
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Story
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  • 3 Stars
    1,662
  • 2 Stars
    719
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    1,061

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I’ve Never Been A Fan of Audio Books, But Samuel L

Audio books have always had the effect of putting me to sleep, so it seems ironic that a bedtime story for adults introduced me to the joy of an audio book for the first time.


Adam Mansbach has written and Ricardo Cortes has beautifully illustrated a wonderful account of a parent attempting to get his toddler to go to sleep. With the incredible talent of Academy Award nominee, Samuel L. Jackson, added what parent or even grandparent hasn’t been reminded of what a failure they are when challenged by a small child. As the saying goes, I laughed ‘til I cried.


It’s no wonder this simple book has become a best-seller but it took a free download from audible.com to get me to pay attention. (By the way, I don’t know about you, but never before have I associated Samuel L. Jackson with a bedtime story!)

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

F--king Hilarious

If you are a fan of Sam Jackson, this is a MUST HAVE. its short, sweet, and cheap; all the makings of an instant classic. You will listen to this over and over, again, GUARANTEED

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Funny, but...

This faux child story is so funny, especially read by SLJ. His prior career seems to have been designed to read this book. That being said, I felt too guilty to give it five stars.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I said go the F to sleep

By far the most hilarious thing I have heard this yr. I love Samuel L. Jackson's narration. I completely relate to this book. I loved it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I <3<3<3 this book..especially when read by Samuel

Brilliant! And Free, bonus!! I'm not a parent but I can understand how parents can lose their patience every now and again, especially when exhausted. This is a great way to blow off some steam and laugh your ass off in the process.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Hillarious and True

Would you try another book from Adam Mansbach and Ricardo Cortes (cover illustration) and/or Samuel L. Jackson?

I already did

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Impossible. It was fantastic

What three words best describe Samuel L. Jackson’s voice?

Soothing, calm, strong

Could you see Go the F--k to Sleep being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No - this short book is just a long-form joke.

Any additional comments?

As a parent of 6 small kids, this book was very relatable

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Like Samuel L Jackson, Not Crazy About this Book

Samuel L. Jackson is the best. He does provide a small amount of entertainment with this book, but....yeah, I think this one has been overrated. There are mildly amusing parts, nothing what I'd call LOL funny.

To be honest, it would be forgettable if it were not for all the F-bombs it contained. Maybe I am just getting old, but I can't be on board with this. This is a story that is the point of view of a father trying to coax his child to go to sleep. I sincerely doubt Jackson would ever talk like that to his child in reality, but for the sake of reviewing this book, I don't see how anyone can find anything that entertaining about a father stressing every point with the F-bomb.

I don't mean to take it more seriously than I should, but...it's just not believable on any level, really. Few parents would LOL at the idea of their child being so accustomed to hearing and using those words that they'd use them on another children, or at school. Whatever the case, I can only be honest with my own reaction and say six minutes is six minutes more than I am willing to waste on giving this a second listen.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Worth the reading 100%

It is so small but I really need to include this little gem in my collection. Worth the reading 100%!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • kd
  • 12-16-19

Kids' book for parents

I first learned of this book when I picked Akashic books to study in a grad school course about small publishers. It was years before I actually read it, and Samuel L. Jackson reading it is absolutely perfect.

All of us who have raised children have uttered these words.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I think only parents can review this book

Our son is seven. He *still* wakes up at 3am expecting to start the day. As an infant, my husband would have to gently squeeze his legs to calm him down and get him to sleep. His nighttime goal is to sleep in our bed. If there was ever wisdom I didn't follow, it was having him sleep in his own bed. My reasons. My redemption.
I play this book and my husband passes out.
Now go the f*ck to sleep.

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