Yeah, I Said It

I found this book on an airplane and could not put it down. Everyone around me was wondering what was making me laugh so hard! I had tears streaming down my face and my sides ached from laughter. I couldn't wait to pass it along to all my friends. They had the same reaction. We became fans of WANDA! Shortly after we went to see her stand-up routine, but it wasn't half as funny as this book. I keep it on hand when I need a good laugh.

Wanda Sykes has been billed as a outstanding stand up comic and here enters the world of comedy publishing with Yeah, I Said It, a set of her pointed, witty commentary on sex, politics and modern culture. It's often difficult to translate the stand-up comic to print: so much depends on stage presence, nuances in inflection, and more. However, her sharp wit proves it works as well in print as on stage, making Yeah, I Said It a winner.

I've always enjoyed the comedy of Wanda Sykes and am particularly glad she is a favorite recurring guest on perhaps my favorite TV show, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM . . . so when I saw she had written her first book, YEAH, I SAID IT, I got hold of it and managed to devour it in one sitting. It was that good! Sykes has much to say about women, politics, football, dating, Martha Stewart, and a whole lot more . . . yet it's her take on gay marriage that got me to truly appreciate how insightful she also is . . . she notes: I don't think marriage needs to be protected from the same-sex couples. The biggest threat to marriage is divorce. Divorce is kicking marriage's ass. Divorced is what ruined my marriage, not Stacy and Anna getting hitched. Most marriages end in divorce. If Bush and the Christian conservatives really want to protect marriage they should propose a constitutional amendment to ban divorce. Divorce is in direct opposition to their Christian beliefs more so than gay marriage. . . . Marriage should be like the Mafia--once you're in, you're in. Many other parts of YEAH, I SAID IT got me thinking . . . yet others got me laughing out loud . . . among them: When we'd go on vacation, he'd want to ride jet skis; I'd want to get a nap by the pool. I guess when you reach a certain age you don't even entertain the idea of doing something that if it goes wrong it could be life threatening. You figure if you've made it this far, you gotta save what life you got left. Here's a tip for you guys. When a woman asks you to do something and prefaces it with "when you get a chance," or "when you get around to it," just stop what you're doing and do the sh*t right then and there. When we ask, we really don't mean when you get a chance, when you feel like it, or when you get around to it. No, we mean right now. If you do it, you'll save yourself a lot of time and grief and a lot of arguments. When you call me, do me a favor. Leave me messages saying why you called. Do not leave a message telling me to call you, because I won't. "Hey, Wanda, it's Dino. Call me." Why? I sense no urgency in your message. At least mention jail, or bail, or drinks or something. Don't be all vague or you will not hear from me. I figure if you're just calling to talk, you'll call back.

I thought Wanda's book was funny. Since I'm already familiar with Wanda's brand of humor that helped because as I was reading I couldn't help but to hear her delivery. I think anybody can enjoy this book. Wanda touches on everything from politics to strip clubs with her no-time-for-nonsense humor. I hope the book does better than some of her tv shows have because she is talented. Go on, help Wanda out, buy this book!!