From Publishers Weekly
Humor books by popular comedians are a tricky proposition—reading the routines can rarely compete with watching the performance—and Sykes's gathering of jokes and rants suffers from its medium. Her introduction, in which she claims that she's only writing the book for the money, could be either clever sarcasm or amusing defiance ("let's face it, right now, I'm on fire; did you see Pooty Tang?"), for example—but it's funnier as the former. The rest of the material—short takes on Clinton's affair, vanity license plates, Martha Stewart, love, and professional sports—is mixed. Good lines can get lost on stale topics: there are jokes about last year's California recall election and complaints (recently rendered moot) that no one had seen the 9/11 Commission's findings. Time-tested race relations jokes include suggestions that a black man could never steal as much money as a white executive, because "[t]here are just not that many liquor stores in the country," while observational humor includes the likes of "[a]n ugly man with a six-figure salary becomes 'kinda cute' to most women," and "[t]o some women, marriage is really the wedding." Sykes's irreverence can be refreshing, but some of her jokes need that same energy. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Sykes, Emmy Award-winning standup comic, brings her irreverent humor to a variety of issues and topics, including sex, politics, war, homeland security, the death penalty, and family. She begins by poking fun at celebrities' writing books and having little of substance to say, parodying her own creative process in producing this book. She goes on to take jabs at celebrities from Michael Jackson to Kobe Bryant to Tiger Woods. Like her stand-up routine, much of her material centers on sexual politics: women being judged primarily on their looks, attractive actresses even getting the roles to play unattractive women, cheap dates being good for a few laughs. Crime, guns, and race are also among the topics she considers in these brief essays. Fans will find the book amusing, but the occasional profanity will limit its appeal. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
The Artist Formerly Known as Dave Chappelle Throughout my career I've heard comedians say, in one fashion or another, that "chicks ain't funny."...But then there's Wanda. I've seen her since she started in '89 shatter that myth on a nightly basis. As a matter of fact, not only did we male comics respect her, many feared following her. No man wants to get beat by a girl. She's an anomaly, and one of my favorite practitioners of stand-up comedy from any gender. Every time I watch her work I smile, because she makes me remember why I wanted to do comedy in the first place. For pussy. Do your thing, Wanda.
Tavis Smiley author, television and radio host And I'm glad you said it, Wanda! Keep on entertaining and empowering us.
Bob Costas broadcaster, NBC and HBO Considering all the endless nights Wanda and I have spent clubbing 'til dawn, I have no earthly idea how she had time to complete this book, but all fans of great literature are thankful she did.
Review
Jane Fonda I laughed out loud all the way through.
Book Description
Wanda Sykes reduces people to tears -- tears of laughter. She's done so as a stand-up comic, a sitcom star, and a sports commentator for years now, and in the process she's gained a huge fan base nationwide. Now that she's conquered television, she's applying her genius to her first book, Yeah, I Said It. Here, Wanda presents hilarious and uncensored commentary on sex, family, politics, celebrities, and much more than she could ever say in a sound bite. But then again, she's a genius with a sound bite too. Here's what she says about men and football. "I used to think that football took place in this overbearing male-only environment that bled masculine domination. But the more I attend, the more I realize these football fans could actually be experiencing the straight man's gay pride parade. You see men painting each other's faces in bright colors. You see men proud to wear another man's last name on their shirt. You see some men wear no shirt at all....Hot wieners on every corner as you walk up to the main competition. Men open the back of their trunks for a little tailgating." Here's what she says about women: "Women are taking stripper classes in hopes their men will stop going to strip clubs....You can't compete with those strippers....You gotta have...the stripper mentality. In other words, the ability to lie like a dog for a measly buck. A stripper will tell your man anything for a dollar. 'Oow, I thought you were Brad Pitt.' " An uproarious and irreverent collection from one of today's foremost comedic talents, Yeah, I Said It is Wanda Sykes at her uncensored best. Here, she channels her sharp wit into funny bits on the truth as she sees it from the halls of government in Washington, D.C., to the red carpets and boardrooms of Hollywood. Imbued with her razor-sharp voice, these essays showcase Sykes's sidesplitting candor and her trademark brand of comedy.
Download Description
"Wanda Sykes reduces people to tears -- tears of laughter. She's done so as a stand-up comic, a sitcom star, and a sports commentator for years now, and in the process she's gained a huge fan base nationwide. Now that she's conquered television, she's applying her genius to her first book, Yeah, I Said It. Here, Wanda presents hilarious and uncensored commentary on sex, family, politics, celebrities, and much more than she could ever say in a sound bite. But then again, she's a genius with a sound bite too. Here's what she says about men and football. ""I used to think that football took place in this overbearing male-only environment that bled masculine domination. But the more I attend, the more I realize these football fans could actually be experiencing the straight man's gay pride parade. You see men painting each other's faces in bright colors. You see men proud to wear another man's last name on their shirt. You see some men wear no shirt at all....Hot wieners on every corner as you walk up to the main competition. Men open the back of their trunks for a little tailgating."" Here's what she says about women: ""Women are taking stripper classes in hopes their men will stop going to strip clubs....You can't compete with those strippers....You gotta have...the stripper mentality. In other words, the ability to lie like a dog for a measly buck. A stripper will tell your man anything for a dollar. 'Oow, I thought you were Brad Pitt.' "" An uproarious and irreverent collection from one of today's foremost comedic talents, Yeah, I Said It is Wanda Sykes at her uncensored best. Here, she channels her sharp wit into funny bits on the truth as she sees it from the halls of government in Washington, D.C., to the red carpets and boardrooms of Hollywood. Imbued with her razor-sharp voice, these essays showcase Sykes's sidesplitting candor and her trademark brand of comedy. "
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