Nigger

Rating:
Summary: A strong memoir, a weak ending
Review: A strong memior, lots of touching and interesting detail about his life growing up, his constant struggle to overcome adversity. I totally empathized with his hustling and lying at points to get ahead in a world so poised against him. the main thing I liked about the book was his VERY HUMAN side, his compassion for himself, his pain he suffered at being poor, mostly fatherless, black, dirty, hungry, uneducated. I loved it that he could cry, he could keep his humanity despite the world's cruelty...and not just keep it and feel it, but write about it later.

Weak point: the ending petered out. It went from being a man's internal struggle to "make it" in the world - the place in which I found the book's power lay - to being just another typical civil rights journal. And although I think the civil rights movement has its place, and Dick Gregory his place within it, I think I would have found the book far more satisfying it ended by its author turning further inward and exploring his own motives on his own purely personal journey, rather than outward to the struggle of society. Perhaps he wasn't ready to write on this level when he published his memoir, as he was only 30 or 31 when he wrote it, but to me his lack of wisdom still doesn't let the book off the hook.

Rating:
Summary: Just Buy It -- You Won't Be Sorry
Review: Dick Gregory does four things in "Nigger" that make the book outstanding. First, he is beyond-brutally honest. Secondly, he makes himself vulnerable. Thirdly, even when Gregory tells of his childhood and the tragedies in his life, he does so with humor. (Perhaps he could NOT do so without humor. Gregory seems to be one of those people who is funny, regardless of the situation.) Finally, he asks for no pity.

I highly recommend this book. WARNING: If you do purchase it, you won't be able to put it down.

Rating:
Summary: Book Review on "Nigger" by Dick Gregory
Review: Nigger is a 209 page autobiography by Dick Gregory. It was published by Pocket Books in 1964. This novel was an elaboration of the things Gregory wanted to tell Momma, Lucille Gregory, his deceased mother, but did not have the chance to.

I enjoyed this autobiography. It captured the individual African American's perspective of life as a black in the times of segregation and racism instead of the usual collective view of all African Americans. I admire the way how the narrator, Richard is brutally honest. He portrays his feelings in a way that helps the reader to actually be inside his mind and completely sense what he is feeling. I especially respected how Gregory admitted he cried when he did, not many men would confess to that.

Regarding the story line, I liked the constant change in events. In most novels, the events almost never change, which later gets tedious. Although in this one, the events frequently change from the Christmas that Big Pres came home to Richard Gregory's 31th birthday. One might notice how Gregory's career changed from a record-breaking runner to a talented comedian to an African American activist. These three events are all related to each other.

Although later in the novel, Gregory acquired his own comedy club called the Apex Club. It, for a long period of time, had few customers because of horrid weather. It seemed amazing to me that the people who helped Gregory create this club did not seriously get on him about money until a year later. This seemed quite extraordinary.

In addition, he afterward married a shy woman named Lucille (whom he met in the Esquire Show Lounge, where he first got his actual comedic break). I cannot help but notice that she never complained or became angry when Gregory quickly asked her to marry him, just after finding out she was pregnant with his baby. Also, he was never around to support her and their children. He always was off in Chicago at the Apex club and could not even bring any significant amount of money to her. That does not seem very typical of a woman.

So in conclusion, Nigger is an autobiography describing major aspects of Gregory's life. It is a delight to people who enjoy an individual's perception of the world and everything around him.

Rating:
Summary: Dick Gregory is an american hero.
Review: This book should be required reading. Dick Gregory tells the story of one black man's life from poverty to world-class entertainer and comedian. Most biographies would end here, but Mr. Gregory is not content with his incredibly successful career, but details his desire to make the world a better place for all of the disadvantaged children that will not be as fortunate to be as talented as Mr. Gregory. I found this book at a used bookstore and I am so pleased to see that it is still in print.