• I Am the New Black

  • By: Tracy Morgan
  • Narrated by: Tracy Morgan
  • Length: 4 hrs and 9 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (214 ratings)

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I Am the New Black  By  cover art

I Am the New Black

By: Tracy Morgan
Narrated by: Tracy Morgan
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Publisher's summary

The outrageously funny, heartbreaking, and surprising story of Tracy Morgan's rise from ghetto wiseass to superstar comedian.

Who is Tracy Morgan? The wildly unpredictable funnyman who rocketed to fame on Saturday Night Live? The Emmy-nominated actor behind the sly and ingenious character Tracy Jordan on the award-winning hit sitcom 30 Rock, whose turbulent personal life often mirrors that of his fictional alter ego? Is he Chico Divine, the life of the party - any party, anytime, anywhere - getting ladies pregnant everywhere he goes? Or is he a soulful, tender family man who emerged from a hardscrabble ghetto upbringing and, against all odds, achieved superstardom, raised a solid family, prevailed over a collection of lethal bad habits, and is still ascending new heights and coming into his own?

The answer is: Tracy Morgan is all that. And a bag of potato chips with a 50-cent soda.

When he was just a boy living in the Tompkins Projects in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, being funny was about survival. With the right snap, Tracy could shut down the playground bullies who picked on him and his physically disabled older brother. And with a wild enough prank, he could exact revenge on whoever stole his Pumas at the community pool. Later, being funny was about escape - from the untouchable sadness of his father's death, from the desperation of the drug dealer's trade, from the life-and-death battles waged on the streets of the South Bronx in the age of crack. But these days, being funny is about living his dream - a dream born in the comedy clubs of Harlem and realized on shows like Martin and Saturday Night Live, where he was a cast member for seven years, and in movies like The Longest Yard and Half-Baked.

With brutal honesty and his trademark take-no-prisoners humor, Tracy tells the story of his rise to fame, with all its highs and its many lows - from the very public battles with alcohol and diabetes that threatened both his career and his life to the private and poignant end of his 20-year marriage. In his singularly warped and brilliant way, he muses on family, love, sex, race, politics, ambition, and what it takes to bring the funny.

Hilarious, inspiring, searing, and touching, I Am the New Black is a fascinating peek inside the minds of one of the most compelling and defining comedians of our time.

©2009 Tracy Morgan (P)2009 Random House

What listeners say about I Am the New Black

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

It's really Tracy...

Listening to this book is not for everybody. It's like you have a slightly "off", kinda goofy dude following you around and just talking in your ear about his life and...WHATEVER. He does go off topic all the time, he launches into song, he mis-pronounces words ("Those plans never came into 'fluition'), he starts talking about the day he found out his dad was diagnosed with AIDS and all of a sudden starts talking about what a "tender-roni" his girlfriend is! It's unlike any audio book I've listened to before, and it definitely may irritate people. But to me, the idea of T.M yapping in my ear is entertaining, no matter what he's yapping about.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

I cant believe it was THIS dull

I love Tracy Morgan. I find him to be REALLY funny and I have been a fan of his for a while. Which is why I was so disappointed with this book. Its really boring and not funny. It more like an acceptance speech than a book. He keeps thanking all of the people in his life that he admires. Over and Over again.
I would have loved to hear more stories, especially how he became a comedian...
I actually couldnt wait for it to end.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Not easy, but real

This is not an easy listen - - it's hard because of where he comes from and who he is. We're meeting a man at a time of change who is obviously still thinking through his hard life. Not everyone's cup of tea and NOT a comedy book. I would recommend for people who have had really easy lives and challenge you to walk a mile in these shoes. I think only then, can you appreciate this hard life and the humor that springs from pain.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Rambling, shocking and almost coherent.

Tracy sounds like a drunken uncle recalling his life. The audio book is conversational and jumps all over the place, I can only hope that the print edition has punctuation, because this version is lacking. Morgan is a genuinely emotional person and is moved to tears when talking about the loss of friends and family to AIDS and violence. The only time he lightens up is when he talks about selling crack and sleeping with $5 crack whores. Not funny, not a memoir but an interesting conversation.

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2 people found this helpful

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

Mind blowingly honest!

I loved it and hated it all at the same time. If you have gone through any of this you’re going to love it and hate because it’s making you laugh at an enormous amount of pain. If you love it with out going through similar struggles, you are an amazing person for dealing with the real talk and foul language. Its about urban life transitioned to wealth and access story. It’s an unorganized, but beautifully crafted testimony with peaks and valleys all wrapped up in a cautionary tale of faith and forgiveness. Well done Tray Mo! And that’s coming from a Bronx-born veteran from the same time and era. #1520sedgewickave
Peace be with you.
IJN,
TonyBennz

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1 person found this helpful

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

Random, Honest, Funny, Heartfelt

Random, Honest, Funny, Heartfelt! He read so well, very personable, you can even hear him tear up and cry when speaking of his childhood! Definitely listen to without kids

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Not Good

Listening to him on the audiobook, I can't imagine that he is actually reading from a book. It sounds like he just sat in front of a microphone and started talking about anything that popped into his head. Not one time did it make me laugh. In fact, it just made me think a whole lot less of him as a person.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Insipid

Awful book. Mr. Morgan reveals himself as a shallow and fairly pathetic person. He insists on sharing the same observations about his life and people in his life over and over. His attempts at atonement are laughable. Do not buy this book thinking it is a comedy...it is decidedly not.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Mother effing fabulous!

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Tracy’s story of his path to success which didn’t come easy. It makes it so much better that he’s reading the book himself. You get the true essence of his life’s ups and downs. Read and enjoy!

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

Very good

I think Tracy was very honest and forthcoming about his experience. I pray he mends fences with his mother. You only get one.

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