3 Comments for Barack Like Me: The Chocolate-Covered Truth

• 1. Ieuan  |  December 31st, 2009 at 2:36 am

  In “Barack Like Me: The Chocolate-Covered Truth,” comedian David Alan Grier takes a comic look at last year’s historical election, interspersing it with personal stories from his own life. The book itself is thus half memoir and half political commentary switching between the chapters. Through his own unique and hilarious perspective, Grier recounts the evening he hosted the election party, shares his attitude toward the political mood sweeping the nation, and details his subsequent efforts to secure a ticket to Obama’s inauguration. At the same time, Grier recounts growing up in Detroit, the adolescent period during which he was fascinated with drugs and rock concerts, dropping out of college to move to New York, as well as backstage anecdotes from his celebrity life on shows like “In Living Color” and “Dancing with the Stars.” Through it all, Grier is not afraid to acknowledge his mistakes and share some behind-the-scenes gossip. Grier’s humor tends to stay charmingly self-deprecating as he laughs at his own big ego, anger management issues, and child-like adulation for Barack. The frequent re-appearance of his sarcastic wife Christine also adds to the overall humor. The writing itself is witty and conversational, light and informal. There are constant flashbacks between Grier’s past and present, with the stories themselves reminiscent of anecdotes told to friends at a dinner party or shared with viewers during an evening of stand-up comedy. Overall, this book was a quick and entertaining read.

• 2. Tadewi  |  December 31st, 2009 at 5:10 am

  David Alan Grier (DAG) tells his life story, framed by Barack Obama’s inauguration. Part fantasy, part memoir, and mainly funny, this quick read shows another side of DAG. Tales of his Detroit youth – singing in the car with his friends – blend with glimpses of his career. It’s too bad that “Chocolate News” is gone, because what the world needs now is DAG, more DAG.

• 3. Oralee  |  December 31st, 2009 at 7:47 am

  I’ve loved David Alan Grier since his In Living Color days and was sad to see the Chocolate News canceled. I really thought it would be his big break–a long overdue break. Very happy to see this book at the store. The read was fantastic. It’s definitely an interesting mix of his life story and also his views on society and American politics and celebrity culture. I had no idea he was a Yale graduate. I loved reading about how DAG felt when the Chocolate News was canceled by Comedy Central, that he turned down the initial offer to be on In Living Color (wait till you read about what happened when Mike Tyson was upset that he’d been made fun of on the show), and gives us quite possibly the first-ever behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like to be on Dancing With the Stars (DAG was on steroids! Basically all of the contestants are!) I remember seeing the meltdown on youtube. DAG took his dancing very seriously. Ha! Reliving Obama’s ascent to the presidency through DAG’s eyes was also really great and kind of brought tears to my eyes which was a surprise. All in all, a great book. And I love the cover, looks great on my shelf. Everyone asks about it. Definitely worth the money.

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