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
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    16,072
  • 4 Stars
    3,012
  • 3 Stars
    1,698
  • 2 Stars
    782
  • 1 Stars
    1,292
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    14,354
  • 4 Stars
    1,359
  • 3 Stars
    662
  • 2 Stars
    327
  • 1 Stars
    541
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    11,277
  • 4 Stars
    2,345
  • 3 Stars
    1,664
  • 2 Stars
    720
  • 1 Stars
    1,062

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Hilariously accurate.

Samuel L. Jackson is perfect for this audiobook! This story brings a very accurate voice of what I feel sometimes while putting my two boys to sleep. Must listen to it at least once but NOT when the children are around.

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

DO NOT listen to this while driving

Would you listen to Go the F--k to Sleep again? Why?

Yes, but only at home, it is too damn funny.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sam Jackson's naration was the best.

Which scene was your favorite?

All of them

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, at the end when you thought the child had gone to sleep but they hadn't.

Any additional comments?

Whoever thought to get Sam Jackson to make the audio book for this should get a BONUS!

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

Only thing better than the story is Sam Jackson!

Thank you, Sam Jackson and thank you Adam Mansbach. Finaally a bedtime story for our generation.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Funny, because it's true

Okay, I never actually said EXACTLY that, but like many fathers, I wanted to keep the bedtime ritual short and sweet, emphasis on "short." Samuel L. Jackson provides a brief intro that is clearly spoken by a dad that has read his child Seuss' WACKY WEDNESDAY many too many times. Me, personally, I tried skipping a few pages here and there, but kids notice that kind of thing after the 100th reading. Jackson then delivers the reading without undue vocal theatrics, and his every-dad delivery is funnier than the words alone because of that simple approach. If you don't like cursing under any circumstance, and you consciously avoid off-color humor, don't get this one. However, if you enjoy finding your laughs through an unexpected contradiction between language and circumstance (e.g., repeatedly uttering the word f--k in a children's bedtime story) this is worth hearing at least once. An added bonus feature is the anonymously voiced intro and credits (starting at about 5:36) that are hilariously deadpan. I gave this a rating of 5 out of 5. I can't guarantee that it will be that good the 100th time you hear it, but I guarantee it will be that funny the first time.

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

Funny

If you want a good laugh this is the book. It summarizes how just about every parent has felt at one point or another. Samuel L. Jackson is the ONLY person who could have done this book justice. If you're at all familiar with his work you can guess why. Think "Pulp Fiction" meets bedtime story. However, this is obviously NOT a book for your kids to hear... unless you live in a home where the F word is used freely and happily by all. When your kids are driving you nuts & you just want them to lay down, fall asleep & give you some peace for a while just pop in your headphones, poor a glass of wine, & enjoy. :)

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

RELATABLE AS F!! :D

Samuel L. Jackson being the narrator just made this relatable story even better and more enjoyable to listen :D

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

I'd like Mr Jackson to read all my bedtime stories

Best. Performance, Ever.. Of how I always wanted to read Goodnight Moon. Alarm clock my ass. I WILL be awake .

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

Oh god I needed this this morning!

This is just perfect for those mornings after the awful nights.
It made me laugh; it made me weep. If only it made her sleep.

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

Freaking Hilarious

I listen to this book and made my co worker listen to this book. All the while, I was thinking, I don’t feel bad because this is exactly what I want to tell my kids when they won’t go to sleep. It really is a laugh out loud, crying, funny story. I laughed so hard, my supervisor came to make sure I was ok. Every parent should listen this book it’s only 6 minutes. Trust me; it’s worth your time.

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

Excellent, Funny, Perfectly Narrated

If you could sum up Go the F--k to Sleep in three words, what would they be?

Fucking Sleep Baby

What did you like best about this story?

The narration is perfect! This is a funny children's book more geared to the parents. I can definitely relate to the sentiment. Everything about this book is wonderful.

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