The man of many fathers Life lessons disguised as a memoir

A cocaine-fueled dishwasher, a racist U.S. marshal, a New Jersey pimp, and a day laborer far from home: for comedian Roy Wood Jr., this motley cast represents not just memorable acquaintances, but men who showed him something vital about life that he, as a father, has held especially close, whether they were in his life for only a day or for much longer. Throughout the book are glimpses of Wood's own father, a complicated man whose presence was often emotionally fraught. From being arrested for stealing credit cards to starting his stand-up career on Greyhound buses throughout the southeast, the chapters of Wood's life make for an expansive read that will surprise fans who may only be familiar with his stint on The Daily Show. It is written in a semi-epistolary style where Wood is communicating life lessons to his son while also reaching out to the men who shaped him, both positively and negatively. While Wood focuses on his "many fathers," his memoir shows plenty of reverence toward his mother, Joyce, whose eminent presence shines throughout. Wood's humor gives this memoir vitality, but his ability to distill his varied experiences into a bracing narrative will make this a read that will linger with readers long after finishing.

The serious side of a comic's life. Growing up as a latchkey kid in the South, Wood--the formerDaily Show correspondent and current host of CNN'sHave I Got News for You--thought he could get by without help from adults. In this alternately tenderhearted and uproarious memoir of his pre-fame years, addressed to his son, he writes, "My father came in and out of my life like the next-door neighbor on a wacky sitcom." Wood's mother, however, was young Roy's guiding light. She was compassionate but also tough, as when she once confronted her husband and his paramour and remodeled one of his beloved cars with a baseball bat. The neighbors came out to watch. Wood writes, "You know the drama is good when you take a break from selling crack cocaine to see what the commotion is next door." Calling public arguments "the hood equivalent of live Shakespeare in the Park," the gifted raconteur continues his tale: "Hit that shit again!" the drug dealers cheered. "My mother went to work." Eventually, Wood's father did have an influence on his son. The host of a call-in radio show,One Black Man's Opinion, Roy Wood Sr. had a "deep voice that could shake paint off the walls." He was held in such esteem that churches and colleges paid him to deliver his "bombastic message of black righteousness." Wood adds, "I didn't realize it at the time, but the seeds of performance in my own life were being sown." Like the best of comedians, Wood is a keen observer. But his varied experiences--waiting tables, working in radio, getting arrested for stealing credit cards--aren't simply fodder; it's clear that he's learned from them. Often comically exasperated onstage, here he is refreshingly earnest. "May you always see yourself through the same lens of positivity and potential," he writes to his son. "And may you always see other people through that lens and treat them accordingly." A comedian's remembrance of his formative years is very funny, but it's not all laughs. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.