Books: "I Curse You With Joy" By Tiffany Haddish

 

I Curse You With Joy

By Tiffany Haddish

Diversion Books; hardcover, 248 pages; $28.99

Tiffany Haddish is one of the freshest voices in comedy, with her meteoric rise starting with her first book, The Last Black Unicorn. Then, she was the breakout star of the smash hit "Girls Trip," which she co-starred with Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah, and Regina Hall. The actress, producer, and comedian's additional credits include "The Last O.G.," with Tracy Morgan; "Night School," and as host of the 2018 MTV Movie and TV Awards.

In the new, entertaining book, I Curse You With Joy, Haddish has written humorous and heartfelt essays that let her get real with the highs and lows of life. It's hard to believe, but there was a time she didn't completely know who she was, and she tanked on stage.

With a bit of encouragement from Bob Saget, help from her friends, and a fake penis, Tiffany found herself, and in this book, she celebrates all the lessons she learned along the way.

Haddish reckons with the legacy of he childhood trauma, the challenges of being a black woman in Hollywood, and the bittersweet reunion she had with her estranged father after they were apart for nearly twenty years.

The one thing that's refreshing about this book is that Tiffany brings the readers in, as they experience the joy, honesty, humor, and heart that are key to who she is.

In this excerpt, Haddish writes of a moment when she knew she made it: "People tell me I'm a celebrity, but I don't always feel like one. If I'm a celebrity, where was my celebration? Did I miss it? Did y'all have a party without me? For the most part, I feel like I'm a regular person. I buy my own maxi pads. I walk my dog and pick up her poo in a plastic bag. And I do my own laundry because I don't need anyone sniffing my panties. But there was one thing that happened that made me think I must be pretty famous after all, and that was when Madame Tussauds wax museum asked if they could do a statue of me.

Let me tell you, it is a process to get a wax figure made of your body. They don't just push the model of you out on a mold, pop a wig on top, and you good. It takes almost as long as it does to make a real human, but with less f**King at the beginning. I had to go to this office building in LA to pose for the staff while they measured my eyebrows, my chin, my forehead, my eyes, my elbows, my belly, and my feet. They got my corns, bunions, everything. They got so intimate with my nooks and crannies, I thought they were going to take me out to breakfast the next day.

A few months later, when it was time for me to see the result, I showed up for the unveiling a little early so I could sneak a peek one-on-one. I made my way past Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Drake, Rihanna, Gwen Stefani, and Big Poppa. Nicki Minaj was in there, too. Muhammad Ali, Shaq. Like the best party you've never been to. 

When I got past Biggie Smalls, I stopped. There she was. There I was. Damn, she looked just like me.

Girlfriend looked good. They'd put her in my white Alexander McQueen dress that I'd worn to the Girls Trip premiere (and then again to the Academy Awards, and to the MTV Movie Awards, and to like six other places because that gown was expensive). She had one hand on her hip and she was serving with the other. The nose was right. The mouth was right. The legs, the arms, the hairline - it was all on point. They had used real human hair for everything - on the scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows. I didn't check what was under the hood, so I dunno what they did for the lady bits. Probably had some curly hairs in their tool kits. Even the creases in the hand matched the ones in my hand. I thought, I don't need to have children now. If I had a baby with myself, this is what it would look like.

And yet...

I don't even know how to describe what was bothering me. Even though that statue was perfect - and I mean perfect - it wasn't. It was partly me, but not all the way me. I stared at her a minute before I realized what was giving me the heebie-jeebies.

That statue didn't have any hurt in her eyes. Well, yeah, I know she's a mannequin, so I guess that made sense, but her life looked like it had been real good. She was just standing there, being pretty, enjoying her success. What made her look different from me is that I've had my share of pain in my life. Maybe more than my share.

I have always wanted to be a person who brought joy and laughter to other people because I know what it feels like to be sad. I know what it feels like to hurt and what it feels like to see other people hurt. One of the worst things in life is when you feel like you're the only one who is hurting 'cause it feels like God has it in for you. But y'all, it doesn't matter what kind of s**t you're going through; you are not the only one hurting...

I used to hide a lot of the hard parts about my life because I didn't want people to feel sorry for me or give me any pity. But then, as I got more successful, people started asking me, 'How did you do it, Tiffany? How is your life so great?' I realized if I hide the mistakes I've made, I'm going to give people the wrong idea. There's going to be some little girl out there thinking that if she messes up, that's it. Game over. No chance of having a good life.

For more information about I Curse You With Joy by Tiffany Haddish, please check it out on Amazon.