Absolutely hits the funny bone while also pointing out the real-life things that need calling out. Several LOL moments within. Written honestly from the heart of a true comedian.

Hughley tackles some huge issues with laugh-out-loud humor. Anti-racist reading lists have been widely shared over the last year, and this is a good addition to add a teaspoon of sugar to the bitter brew. The humor here is a delivery vehicle for truths about reparations, racial violence, and the far-flung damage wreaked by white supremacy. Read it and laugh, and then stand up for justice.

I recently finished D.L. Hughley's latest book. This is their plan to get some racial peace and reconciliation in the United States. Here is what Hughley means in a nutshell:


"Peace and reconciliation will only happen, I believe, when white people surrender their unjust privileges and their delusions of 'supremacy.' Look your history in the face, put aside all your visions of superiority, open up your institutions so they benefit everyone in this nation, and join the rest of us as equals. That's what I mean by surrender" (9).


That's a seriously tall order, but Hughley perseveres and presents a peace treaty to show it can be done. In six articles of surrender, Hughley details the plan with a blend of serious, evidence support argument and humor. A strength of the book is in the evidence presented. The author looks to history and current events to illustrate his points. Much of that history is left out of mainstream (read here mainly white) history books. By the way, that also illustrates the need for blacks and whites to align the history books, which is Article II of the surrender terms. I will note that I have taken courses in African American history, at the graduate school level even. I thought I was relatively well read and informed. I found myself learning some new things and wondering why I was not taught those things in those courses. If nothing else, this book has encouraged me to go out, do a bit more research, and read some more. I hope this book does that for others as well.


Like his previous book, How Not To Get Shot, this book is a relatively easy read. It is not some academic treatise on race or such. Language is straightforward and accessible, which is another strength of the book. Some people might complain other books on race are too abstract or have too much academic theory. They cannot use that excuse here. This is an accessible and easy to read text. It raises points of discussion that may not be easy to talk about but are necessary to discuss. To be honest, and I said this about his previous book, perhaps this is the kind of book to read in some campus book groups instead of yet another dry academic treatise that no one outside of academia really reads. Hughley succeeds in taking a complex and sensitive topic and making it clear and accessible for all readers. I know not many white people want to read on race, but if you get to hand them one book to read this may be it.


Overall, I think this is essential reading. I highly recommend it for libraries to include along other books on the topic. I do wish he offered a list of references or suggested further readings, but otherwise this is a very good book. Well worth reading.

Wowp, talk about topical! Or rather, these are things that people of color have been justifiably screaming about forever. D.L. Hughley challenges all readers in both serious and comic tones to really see the world, surrender those misconceptions and be a little uncomfortable. Plus, it is a good read, entertaining, and engaging.