You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey

 Tell me a story… about everyday racism 

You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar

Publishing date: January 12, 2021

Date read: July 19, 2021

Comedian and Late Night with Seth Meyers writer, Amber Ruffin, teams up with her sister, Lacey Lamar, to share absurd anecdotes about their everyday experiences of racism. As Amber admits, living in New York, she experiences a different level of racism as does Lacey, still living in their home state of Nebraska, where Lacey is often the only black person a person might know or work with. And you'll never believe her stories...

This book was amazing. It's hard to reconcile the humor and how much I laughed during this book with the serious topic, but it really works. I can understand where the complaint that some people have is coming from, that this book undermines the serious nature of racism and might make readers not take that racism seriously, but I don't agree with it. For people who deal with stressful situations through humor (as Amber obviously does), I found it a good way to make the stories accessible to a wide audience (aka white people) without being flippant about the situations. I personally found myself laughing out loud, but also being horrified by some of what was being said. 

I also highly recommend the audiobook, which is read by both sisters, but mostly Amber. Her enthusiasm while telling Lacey's stories (often laughing herself) just made it so much better. Yes, you will miss out on a few pictures (all of which Amber explains well enough that I didn't mind too much), but you get to hear Amber sing and demonstrate the secret JCPenney's employee knock, among many other gems. 

As great as the humor in this book is, though, it is also a book about a really serious topic, and the writers don't hold back. Some horrible stories are told: both Amber and Lacey have had guns pointed at them in their lives, and Lacey has lost more than one job due to racist bosses. Why I loved this book so much, is that Lacey and Amber were able to tell their stories in a way that made me appreciate what they have been through, but also in a way that the stories will stick with me. Using humor to tell stories about bad situations isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially when you want everyone to listen.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Trigger warning: racism, racial profiling

Caution: language