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How to Survive America

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

""Dispels the myth that people of color are somehow predisposed to poor health, blaming systemic injustice in the health care system."" —New York Times Book Review

Legendary comedian D.L. Hughley uses his ""hilarious yet soul-shaking"" (Black Enterprise) humor to confront racism's unjust impact on the health and wellbeing of Blacks and minorities

White people love survival guides. But have you noticed they're always about ridiculous activities in locations far from home, with chapters like "How to Survive an Avalanche"" or ""How to Live on Bugs in the Jungle." Huh?!

You know who really needs a survival guide? Black and brown Americans. For surviving their own damn country! Minority populations wake up every day in a battle for their health and safety. Thankfully, legendary activist-comedian D.L. Hughley offers How to Survive America, a fearless satire that exposes racism's unjust toll on our bodies and minds.

Even before COVID-19 disproportionately impacted minority communities, life expectancy for Blacks was a full three years less than for white Americans. The very air we breathe is more polluted, our water is more contaminated, our local food options are toxic, and our jobs are underpaid. Despite the obvious need, the quality of our health care is tragically inadequate. Our communities are statistically less safe than the average, and yet we're terrorized by the law-enforcement and criminal-justice systems that are supposed to protect us, sending Blacks to prison at five times the rate of whites. Not least, our means of addressing these injustices—voting—is perennially under assault.

It's enough to drive you crazy. Well, guess what? According to Cigna, Blacks are 20 percent more likely to report "psychological distress" yet "50 percent less likely to receive counseling or mental health treatment." It's almost like the entire country has been structured with no regard for our welfare. Hmmm.

Whether you're Black, white, brown, or Asian, don't leave home without arming yourself with How to Survive America!

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      May 10, 2021
      Comedian Hughley and co-writer Moe follow Surrender, White People! with another impassioned, tragicomic treatise on racism in America. Noting that the life expectancy for African Americans is three years less than for white Americans, and that Blacks suffer higher rates of obesity, prostate cancer, and psychological distress, Hughley contends that “Black and brown folks are in a battle for survival every damn day in this country.” He delves into the sterilization of poor Black women in 1960s North Carolina; the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd in 2020; and the spread of Covid-19 in communities of color, finding in these and other examples a tendency to make Black people “the number one suspects in our own demise.” Though Hughley’s punchy tone hits hard, and he finds some galling evidence of discriminatory thinking in action, including Trump administration surgeon general Jerome Adams insinuating that “drinking and drug use and smoking” made people of color more vulnerable to Covid-19, much of the book feels like a rehash of Hughley’s previous outings. His fans will appreciate Hughley’s typically blunt assessments of American history and today’s political and social landscape; others will wish for more original analysis.

    • Kirkus

      May 15, 2021
      In his fifth book, the comedian and activist continues his diatribe against the country's "chronic illness" of systemic racism. Throughout his latest, written in roughly the same blunt, no-nonsense style as How Not To Get Shot and Surrender, White People! Hughley focuses on the preposterous assumption that minority populations are predisposed to--and mostly to blame for--the injustices they're forced to endure. Writing with frequent contributor Moe, Hughley combines his comedic talents with personal history and experience as a political commentator to address glaring discrepancies between White and Black populations regarding overall health, access to health care, toxic environments, educational bias, and violence. The author excoriates much of the former presidential administration, especially Jerome Adams and Ben Carson, for callously placing the blame for rising Covid-19 infections on the minority communities where cases were spiking. The author also shows how even wearing a mask during a pandemic can be dangerous for a Black person: "COVID-19 is deadly, but it doesn't kill you as fast as a suspicious cop." This statement seamlessly leads into discussions of the senseless deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others as well as criticisms of the lack of Black executives at Facebook, Apple, Amazon, and other conglomerates. Naturally and appropriately, Donald Trump bears the brunt of the author's vitriol. "We knew Trump was gonna be a disaster," writes the author, "but I don't think anyone could have predicted that this motherfucker would get so many people killed before we could vote him out." Hughley is palpably exasperated by the ineffectiveness of racial equality movements and the generational trickle-down effects of systemic racism. More darkly humorous, with fewer laugh-out-loud moments than Surrender, this book, saturated with justified anger and frustration, speaks to the fact that persistent racism in the U.S. is no laughing matter. An acerbic and laser-focused demand for restorative racial justice from an ardent advocate.

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