You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey

December 1, 2020
Comedy writer Ruffin recounts the endless indignities involved in being a Black woman in America, with her older sister as foil. The Ruffin sisters grew up with a mother who "has a bad case of the smarts...and...isn't fond of people messing with her children"--messing that comes daily from the White residents of Omaha, Nebraska, a city, Ruffin reminds us, that may sound like Hicksville, USA, but is larger than New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and Minneapolis. Those White citizens think nothing of using the N-word, nor of touching Black women's hair, nor of assuming that the Black residents of Omaha are violent and thievish. The latter assumptions build in ways that the sisters find sometimes amusing, sometimes hurtful, always astonishingly awful. Lamar--who remained in Omaha while Ruffin moved to New York, where she writes for Late Night With Seth Meyers--recounts a trip to a store when a friend asked about the cost of a Rolex on display. Told "expensive," her friend replied, "Bitch, I'll take two." Lamar got the same response when she asked about a coffee table and then was floored when the manager informed her of the hardly shattering price tag of $200. Some indignities are nearly inexplicable: One man tried an online come-on with a Confederate flag as backdrop; an elementary school teacher attributed slavery to keeping-up-with-the-Joneses peer pressure. "The reaction always varies because you can only put up with what you can put up with when you can put up with it," writes Ruffin. "And here's a little reminder that we shouldn't have to put up with this shit AT ALL!" Most of the time, the sisters' reactions are a kind of knowing exasperation. "We are not into trying to educate white America, but maybe we accidentally did," they conclude. The education is no accident, and White readers can certainly use the wake-up call. Both maddening and funny, an eye-opening look at how its daily targets cope with racism.

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December 15, 2020
Before becoming a comedy writer for Late Night with Seth Meyers, before starring in her own sketch series, Amber Ruffin was Lacey Lamar's little sister growing up in Omaha, Nebraska. In this book, the charming and hilarious sister duo outlines some of the most memorable instances of racism they've experienced as Black women in America. Ruffin acknowledges that she lives and works in a relative bubble, in progressive New York City, and on the set of a television show that aims to call out racist behavior whenever possible. Meanwhile, in her office jobs and in various public settings around Omaha, Lamar has seen it all: she's been mistaken for countless Black celebrities and for her few Black coworkers. She's had to explain the problematic nature of too many Halloween costumes. She's been targeted by JC Penney security, even had someone get their whole hand stuck in her hair when they touched it without her permission. Ruffin and Lamar offer a dual commentary on each story, their perspectives an endearing portrait of sibling psychology and friendship. They present the content of the stories as is: pervasive and horrifying. Featuring the authors' razor-sharp wit and limitless brilliance, these true tales of injustice are a gift to readers.Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020

COPYRIGHT(2020) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from January 11, 2021
Late Night with Seth Meyers writer Ruffin and her sister, Lamar, recount the racism Lamar has experienced growing up and living in Omaha, Neb., expertly balancing laugh-out-loud humor and descriptions of deplorable actions. The authors chronicle the “constant flow of racism one must endure to live in the Midwest,” with stories of Lamar getting consistently followed by security at JC Penney as a child, being publicly humiliated by a teacher who made her move to the back of the classroom, getting fired for calling out racist mistreatment from her boss, and being mistaken for Whoopi Goldberg and Harriet Tubman. While the writing is consistently funny, the severity of the racism is never downplayed; Ruffin and Lamar show the necessity of embracing humor as a coping mechanism. As Ruffin states at the book’s close, “This is not every experience and it is not a lifetime’s worth of stories. And, with that said, isn’t it waaaay more than you expected?” This is an excellently executed account, rich with vivid insight. Agent: Anthony Mattero, CAA.

January 22, 2021

With frank humor, Amber Ruffin, a writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers, collaborates with sister Lacey Lamar to tell a series of stories describing life as a Black woman in the United States. The authors complement each other, and succeed in drawing readers into the setting of their military family and childhood in Omaha. Black women will relate to many of the situations Lamar has experienced throughout her life, such as being mistaken for another coworker or a random Black celebrity as well as being followed in department stores or accused of shoplifting. What sets the book apart is Lamar's firsthand recollections along with Ruffin's commentary on the ongoing emotional toll of racism. The inclusion of photographs of the sisters throughout adds to the personal perspective. Black women will find themselves nodding along as Lamar navigates the workplace, dealing with the emotions of coworkers who have never worked with a Black woman before or people who don't recognize her after she changes a hairstyle. As Ruffin plainly states, "white vulnerability is valuable and Black vulnerability puts the Black person in danger." VERDICT A must-read that will have Black women feeling seen and heard, and will allow others to better understand the effects of racism. With YA crossover appeal, this is also an excellent choice for book clubs.--Stephanie Sendaula, Library Journal

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