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Nigger : An Autobiography

by Dick Gregory , Robert Lipsyte

4.27 of 5 stars 4.27 · rating details · 4,422 ratings · 147 reviews

Published in 1964, the autobiography of comedian Dick Gregory is by turns funny, poignant, and thought-provoking.

Paperback , Pocket Cardinal Edition , 209 pages

Published July 1969 by Pocket (first published June 28th 1964)

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Dec 28, 2013 Robin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book years ago. It was given to me by a young black man who was working to change the attitudes of white people. However, I was a young white woman and he knocked on my apartment door and asked to come in and talk about Civil Rights. It was 1964. I was a senior in high school. I asked him to come in. He did. We sat on the couch in the living room and he told me about the Civil Rights movement. I listened for at least a half an hour or more. The poor guy shook like an earthquake durin ...more

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Jan 04, 2009 Chante rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I knew very little about Dick Gregory before I read this book. I knew his name, that he was a comedian, and not much else. His autobiography, aptly named I add, provides incredible insight into the Civil Rights movement. I read this book before the 2004 elections and I felt so proud. Because Gregory and other black women and men were wiling to put their life on the line, I can vote. While at times Gregory's sexism is irritating, to say the least, this book is worth your time. Written in 1964 at ...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Deborah Heal rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had only read excerpts before and so it was good to read the whole autobiography. It is powerful stuff. With snippets from his life, Gregory paints a picture to show us the cruel ways poverty and racism affect those in their grip--physically of course, but also emotionally, and spiritually.

His honesty is staggering--in the personal stories of his own efforts to survive with his dignity intact--and in portraying his own weaknesses and failings, by-products of the cancer of hatred and racism he ...more

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Dec 11, 2011 Phil rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography-ya , history-ya , theme-coming-of-age , theme-race-relations

I have taught this book several times to classes of ninth graders, and the depth with which it speaks to young, poor, Black students is startling. From high school track star to successful local comedian to civil rights activist to conflicted family man, the many lifetimes this man has led, along with the insights they provide for the human condition, allow more discussion points than one class can be expected to cover. This book is a great companion to studies of the civil rights movements of t ...more

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Aug 09, 2007 Zayne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

From surviving a Dickensian childhood to psyching out a knuckle-dragging racist, there's nothing in Gregory's autobiography that isn't gripping, heartbreaking and wise.

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Feb 05, 2014 Frank rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked up a used copy of this book many years ago, I think at the book sale the public library used to hold (although my copy is a yellowed, well-worn paperback, not an ex-library book), and it has sat on various shelves of mine, waiting to be read. I started it on vacation in Michigan a couple summers ago, but its opening chapter, set on a bleak Christmas Eve in St. Louis in the 1940s, didn't fit well with warm beach fun and I put it down. This time around, I found it consistently engaging. L I picked up a used copy of this book many years ago, I think at the book sale the public library used to hold (although my copy is a yellowed, well-worn paperback, not an ex-library book), and it has sat on various shelves of mine, waiting to be read. I started it on vacation in Michigan a couple summers ago, but its opening chapter, set on a bleak Christmas Eve in St. Louis in the 1940s, didn't fit well with warm beach fun and I put it down. This time around, I found it consistently engaging. Like African American classics such as Douglass' Narrative or Booker T.'s Up From Slavery or Ellison's, Invisible Man, this is a story of uplift, a journey from poverty to affluence, from humble origins to national prominence, from bitter oppression to strident defiance. The first part of the book details Gregory's tough childhood in the Ville in North St. Louis and his scrappy rise to local track stardom. It surely ranks as one of the most notable memoiristic testimonies from a St. Louisan. In the second section, Gregory goes from college to military service and then struggles to break into show business, which he eventually does despite some harrowing failures as a night club operator. In the third section, Gregory becomes involved in the Civil Rights Movement and offers a fascinating first-person perspective on famous historical events.

The title of the book exemplifies a characteristic rhetorical move of Gregory's: to take away an opponent's power to hurt him by co-opting the worst that could be said about him. As a kid, when guys in his neighborhood ribbed him about his large family's poverty, he would joke that so many of his siblings slept in the bed with him that when he got up to pee in the middle of the night he had to leave a bookmark to save his place. At the very end of this book, Gregory speaks to his dead mother about his dreams for the Civil Rights Movement (the book was published in 1964), his confidence that "we're ready to change a system, a system where a white man can destroy a black man with a single word. Nigger." Gregory's courageous participation in the nonviolent resistance movement was one way of changing that system; the title of his book, in a different way, was another. I wonder, though, if that title is part of the reason the book is not widely read in schools. I'd be more likely to use it if it didn't have that title—it would otherwise be a pretty interesting book to use as an English teacher in St. Louis. ...more

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Aug 21, 2010 Ben Loory rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

i've always been vaguely aware of dick gregory as a comic, but a few weeks ago i watched this documentary called one bright shining moment about george mcgovern's 1972 run for president, and dick gregory's appearances in it were just amazing; the intelligence and humor and anger and humanity coming off that guy were incredible. so i went out and bought this book, an autobiography that takes him from his dirt-poor fatherless childhood shining shoes and stealing things up through high school and c i've always been vaguely aware of dick gregory as a comic, but a few weeks ago i watched this documentary called one bright shining moment about george mcgovern's 1972 run for president, and dick gregory's appearances in it were just amazing; the intelligence and humor and anger and humanity coming off that guy were incredible. so i went out and bought this book, an autobiography that takes him from his dirt-poor fatherless childhood shining shoes and stealing things up through high school and college, where he became a track star, to his first gig as an integrated-audiences comic at the playboy club, to his time as a leader in the civil rights movement. the story is familiar (not to take anything away from it) but it's his voice which is so great. a self-deprecating braggart, he somehow manages to be pissed-off and kind, cynical and hopeful, sad and funny at the same time, all the time. he writes casually, in run-on sentences and short quips, and seems to be completely honest about everything. he paints himself in bad light quite often, and even seems to dismiss most of his heroic deeds as products of the worst side of his nature (he calls that part of himself that won't back down, "the monster," and is ambivalent about it). i'd give this book five stars but it kinda peters out at the end, just when you want it to kick in. probably because he wrote it in 1964, when so much was still happening.

here he is, at the end of the second (of three) sections, trying to decide whether or not to get on the plane in the morning and fly down south to participate in the greenwood civil rights march:

I lay there all that night, into the morning, going, not going, picking the tickets out of the wastebasket, throwing them back in, but never tearing them up. And as I lay there my own life started spinning around in my mind, and my stomach turned over, and I thought about St. Louis and Momma and Richard, running off to buy himself a dinner of Twinkie Cupcake and a bottle of Pepsi-Cola, little Richard whose Daddy was so broken by the system that he ran away and came back just to take the rent money out of the jar in the kitchen. Goddamn, we're always running and hiding, and then I thought about an old man whose wife had died, and about Clyde Kennard, and about James Meredith, they didn't run away, and now it was almost dawn in Philadelphia and there was a familiar dry taste in my mouth, and that old hot water was seeping into a cold body and my room was the grandstand of the biggest stadium in the world-- America-- and the race was for survival and the monster said go.

...more

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May 05, 2009 Abraham rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biographies

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Here we have the autobiography of Dick Gregory, an African American comedian and civil rights activist. Having received my education from American inner city public schools, I have had an ample dose of black authors' writing crammed down my throat. Given this, I never thought I would want to read something like this of my own accord, but this book shows how little weight there is in stereotypes. It’s charming, easy to read, and overall fairly light-hearted given the subject. I appreciate a book ...more

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Jun 04, 2012 flannery rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humor

"Dear Momma- Wherever you are, if you ever hear the word "nigger" again, remember, they are advertising my book."

Before I lend this book to my boss and risk its disappearance, I thought I'd transcribe a few of my favorite parts. On meeting his wife:

"She was so nervous while she was writing it down, she kept tearing the paper with her pencil point. I rolled up the paper and put it in my pocket. Lillian Smith stayed through the second show and the Sunday evening show and she kept staring at me lik ...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Javer Hernandez rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An autobiography of a very important human being. Dick Gregory takes us on a journey of his life during the civil human right movement and how his interpretation of things let him to behave the way he did. One aspect that caught my attention is how Mr Gregory is able to mix two elements so different from each other like comedy (humor) and real world situations like (the civil right movement) happening right there in his own life. Mr Gregory uses rhetoric humor to describe some of his feeling tow ...more

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Jul 25, 2014 Neil M rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cultural-stuff

I read this 20 years ago. I picked it up based solely on the excerpt on the back cover, about the author going to a diner in the South and ordering a chicken dinner. I knew nothing about Dick Gregory's career as a comedian, and to this day have never seen him perform. I still don't know anything about the man, except for what is written in this book. But man, this is a powerful read. This one book changed the way I view the civil rights movement, American society (past and present), and in part, ...more

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Sep 23, 2011 Yamaneika Saunders rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you can get past the title, which shouldn't be a problem if you are friends with me.

This was a deep reflections on the youthful days of Dick Gregory. It's a real coming of age book, in the voice of a young black man coming to gripes with a world that is not on his side.

This is also a good read for anyone interested in comedy, to see how life material can spawn a long and gifted career in comedy, spoken word, and lecturing.

I hold this book second to only two others (both tied for 1st, on this ...more

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May 24, 2011 Shanae rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: learn-something , black-studies , books-about-men , e-books , memoir-autobio-bio

Beautifully written. Full of gripping quotes and descriptive stories. Gregory's autobiography made me want to cry at times, it made me afraid, and it even made me celebrate Gregory's accomplishments with him. This is definitely one of the best works I've read this year and I recommend it to everyone interested in American history. Gregory is a smart aleck, a trouble maker, a hero, an educator, and a motivator. I learned a lot from this book and I truly believe it will stick with me for a very lo ...more

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Mar 14, 2014 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012 , 3-stars , non-fiction

Published in 1964 - a year after the church bombing in Birmingham - Dick Gregory's memoir was one about civil rights before civil rights was even fully realized.

>Broken into three parts, Gregory begins at the beginning, his life as a 'broke, not poor kid' on relief with an absent father and a mother who works herself to her death to keep her children well. It's very clear just how much of an impact Gregory's mother had on his life - her positive attitude in the face of many adversities and h Published in 1964 - a year after the church bombing in Birmingham - Dick Gregory's memoir was one about civil rights before civil rights was even fully realized.

>Broken into three parts, Gregory begins at the beginning, his life as a 'broke, not poor kid' on relief with an absent father and a mother who works herself to her death to keep her children well. It's very clear just how much of an impact Gregory's mother had on his life - her positive attitude in the face of many adversities and her insistence that she and her children face every day with a smile certainly made Dick Gregory into the man that he was.

rom a kid on relief, to a track star, to a famous comedian - Dick Gregory dreamed big. Growing up and leaving him forced him to face his black and segregated reality. He was no longer a kid on relief - a problem that had a solution, however far away - he was a black individual - a problem that shouldn't have been. In the last part of the novel, Gregory talks about his work with the civil rights movement. He talks to his long deceased mother at the end - "We thought I was going to be a great athlete, and we were wrong, and I thought I was going to be a great entertainer, and that wasn't it, either. I'm going to be an American citizen. First class."

Unique because it was written in the midst of change rather than after it, NIGGER ("When we're through, Momma, there won't be any niggers any more."), captures the raw emotion and unbelievable inequalities that were America's past. It isn't an historical account, yet it is. "This is a revolution. It started long before I came into it, and I may die before it's over, but we'll bust this thing and cut out this cancer. America will be as strong and beautiful as it should be, for black folks and white folks. We'll all be free then, free from a system that makes a man less than a man, that teaches hate and fear and ignorance."

I didn't know Dick Gregory, prior to picking up this book and reading it. Though, to do a quick search shows that he's still incredibly active and is often interviewed concerning political matters. He was the first black comedian to entertain an all white audience and he was known for his ability to joke, yet also speak intelligently, about politics and racial inequalities without coming off as preachy or bitter. I actually like the man a lot more watching him through the clips I was able to find, watching him speak - seeing how engaging he was. How quick witted he was. And there were moments in his book when I loved him - found him to be earnest and endearing. But there were also moments when I didn't understand and didn't agree with his actions.

For example, he writes about losing his infant son. On the night before a protest, Gregory had a premonition of death, and, since he was going into "battle" he was sure it was his own. Instead it was his son's. To shock his wife out of her grief, that very same night, he explains to her that perhaps God wanted it this way, because Dick Gregory got to go on and fight another day for equality. And if she had to choose, him or the baby, to die - who would she have chose?

That just seemed horrible to me. And there were a few other strange, grand-stand-y type admissions from Gregory throughout the memoir. I couldn't help but wonder if tone at these moments was there to cover up his own grief and guilt.

In the end, I think, this is probably one of the most important books I'll have read this year. The most important book I think anyone could probably read. To be shown a glimpse of what was as if it currently is. To be reminded to behave as an American. First class. ...more

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Apr 22, 2015 Shannon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own , books-by-black-men , best-books-ever

I didn’t make it much further than the dedication before realizing this would be the most emotionally taxing book I’ve read. I ultimately decided to read it in one sitting. It was too distressing to read daily.

I've posted the full review on the blog. http://readinghaspurpose.blogspot.com...

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Feb 23, 2014 Saundra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sbsc

I was very young when this book came out and by the time I was in high school it had gained popularity among those of us with a consciousness about civil rights. I didn't read it back then, I just wasn't ready. I read it for my book club and I'm really glad I did because it is a glimmer of the past and an indictment of the present. It is a good read, quick and easy and yet very profound. Mr. Gregory talks about his personal journey from poverty (broke...but not poor) to a life of financial comfo ...more

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Dec 10, 2011 RK Byers rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

if i can be affected by this like i have been and i consider myself an old grizzled veteran of these types of books, i can't imagine the effect it would have on a novice.

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Apr 24, 2015 Patrick Clark rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Any American or individual interested in grasping American Culture

With such an electrifying book title, the narrative of Dick Gregory's life is just as jolting! His work is powerful, piercing, poetic, humorous, inspirational, and, this would be the first time I've used this phrase but I stand behind it wholeheartedly, truly an American Classic! To the young or older reader, despite your ethnicity, be as courageous and daring as Dick Gregory to read this book and you will see that he was thinking of your empowerment all along.

One question that is of interest i ...more

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Sep 10, 2014 Sketchbook rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Excellent account by Robert Lipsyte (ghost) of a truly comic comedian -- who is always open and honest. Without Cosby pretentiousness.

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Jun 15, 2014 Tom rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a very down to earth story about Dick Gregory and his struggles in life. I highly recommend this book.

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Dec 25, 2010 Hollyhell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Dear Momma---Wherever you are, if ever you hear the word "nigger" again, remember they are advertising my book"

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Apr 21, 2009 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Probably one of the best autobiographies I have ever read. I've lost count how many times I've read it.

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Jan 02, 2014 Jared rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What makes this book essential is the fact that Dick Gregory is not a great man. You kind of get that he believes this too, but his ego has never stood for anything but the imperative necessity of directing all eyes towards himself; the man, the comic, the night club owner, the civil rights leader, the myth teller, the absentee father.

And that is the power of this portrait. He pulls no punches and makes no apologies for what he is - in doing so he makes the struggles of black people in America ...more

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Jul 23, 2015 The Book Posh rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What did I think? I thought it was a good book. I've never been a huge fan of autobiographies because they can be self-serving at times and Dick Gregory had many of those moments. I did appreciate his rise from rags to riches and his hard work and drive. He really worked hard to succeed in a time when it was damn near impossible. There were many poignant quotes throughout the book, but the one that resonated with me was on page 201; "So when he calls us a nigger, he's calling us something we ar ...more

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Jun 02, 2015 jose added it · review of another edition

now I see and hear clearly

From beginning to end, you feel the struggle for dignity, the fight for respect, all of it seeps out into you. I grew up hearing of the struggles of blacks back then, but with this book I felt like I was living this struggle. even more so now with the almost daily killings of unarmed black men, women, boys and girls, the words become seared into your being, and you cry for your dignity being lost, you cry out for your humanity being ripped away from you.

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Mar 28, 2013 Ariel Clark rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dick Gregory is an African American comedian who turned his hardships into comedic genius. His life has been full of racism. But that all changes when one day he walks into a white’s only restaurant and ask for an order of fried chicken. The owner of the restaurant comes to him and says “We don’t serve colored here”. Dick responds by saying that good because he doesn’t eat colored people. The owner serves him the chicken. Soon after another man comes over and says what you do to that chicken I a ...more

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Jul 10, 2013 Emmett rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I heard of Dick Gregory a few months ago when I stumbled across a random youtube video of him giving some kind of conference at a university. It was an hour long and I didn't think I was going to make it all the way through, but I was immediately struck by how witty he was and ended up watching the entirety of it and looking him up on Wikipedia afterward. When I found out he had written a few autobiographies, I decided to purchase one.

Although everyone knows the dark past of American history, it I heard of Dick Gregory a few months ago when I stumbled across a random youtube video of him giving some kind of conference at a university. It was an hour long and I didn't think I was going to make it all the way through, but I was immediately struck by how witty he was and ended up watching the entirety of it and looking him up on Wikipedia afterward. When I found out he had written a few autobiographies, I decided to purchase one.

Although everyone knows the dark past of American history, it's difficult to really take it personally if you were born in the 90's, after the civil rights movement. Reading about Dick Gregory's life growing up as a poor black kid in the south put a face and experiences to that time, rather than just accepting what's in a history book or what is general knowledge. It makes you thankful that we've come this far today, although there is still a long way to go.

The second part of the autobiography was a little hard for me to get through, I didn't blaze through it like the first. His attitude of "I know I'll make it someday" and borrowing money from everyone left and right just made me uncomfortable, even though I was already aware he's well-off and respected now. Reading it just had me thinking there was no way he could come out on top. I was also a little disappointed that it focused so much on just his business ventures with the nightclub, but by the third part of the book I could easily forgive that.

That being said, the third part is INTENSE. What this man and his family went through, putting himself in the line of fire in the civil rights movement is more than most Americans can imagine. His actions are downright admirable. His personal family tragedy also brought a tear to my eye, he just couldn't get a break. Reading about somebody who really fought to make this country a better place (not to mention a comedian!) was really just a great experience. I would recommend anyone to read this autobiography, especially those who are of a younger age, as I think it can stand to be educational in addition to just being [very] interesting. ...more

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Aug 19, 2015 Randall Wallace rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At one point Dick cuts to the heart of it with this perfect gem: “this isn’t a revolution of black against white, this is a revolution of right against wrong.” Amen, Sir Richard! While Dick Gregory is funny and somewhat upbeat on stage, this book goes into a much darker vein engaged in the important role of revealing the anger of Black America. From comments on how a white diploma seems to only work for a white face, to how black people have known racism hate and fear their whole life, to just t ...more

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Aug 09, 2015 Michelle Ruedin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mine , memoir

I felt rage, heartbreak, and triumph. I cried for the simple things he did without as a child. I threw the book across the room and ranted for his abuse at the hands of racists. I laughed with delight at his successes and victories. I shared his hope for America's future.

A riveting subject combined with language wielded with incredible precision left me completely immersed in this memoir. Not a single word is wasted. Nothing could possibly be cut from this book. I wanted more.

I feel a greater em ...more

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Feb 18, 2015 A Dave rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have heard about Dick Gregory for years. His name was mentioned by late comedy great Robin Harris. He was seen in old footage shaking hands with who's who of black history. I still watch some of his political talks as he and I seem to be politically aligned. Reading his tale of poor boy on "relief" to activist, athlete, comedian is great. It encourages you to believe in yourself no matter what circumstances you came from.

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About Dick Gregory

Gregory, Richard Claxton "Dick" , African American comedian and civil rights activist whose social satire changed the way white Americans perceived African American comedians since he first performed in public.

Dick Gregory entered the national comedy scene in 1961 when Chicago’s Playboy Club (as a direct request from publisher Hugh Hefner) booked him as a replacement for white comedian, "Professor Gregory, Richard Claxton "Dick" , African American comedian and civil rights activist whose social satire changed the way white Americans perceived African American comedians since he first performed in public.

Dick Gregory entered the national comedy scene in 1961 when Chicago’s Playboy Club (as a direct request from publisher Hugh Hefner) booked him as a replacement for white comedian, "Professor" Irwin Corey. Until then Gregory had worked mostly at small clubs with predominantly black audiences (he met his wife, Lillian Smith, at one such club). Such clubs paid comedians an average of five dollars per night; thus Gregory also held a day job as a postal employee. His tenure as a replacement for Corey was so successful — at one performance he won over an audience that included southern white convention goers — that the Playboy Club offered him a contract extension from several weeks to three years. By 1962 Gregory had become a nationally known headline performer, selling out nightclubs, making numerous national television appearances, and recording popular comedy albums.

It’s important to note that no biography of Gregory would be complete without mentioning that he and his beloved wife, Lil, had ten kids who have become highly respected members of the national community in a variety of fields. They are: Michele, Lynne, Pamela, Paula, Stephanie (aka Xenobia), Gregory, Christian, Miss, Ayanna and Yohance. The Gregory’s had one child who died at birth but they have shared 49 years of historic moments, selfless dedication and tremendous personal love.

Gregory began performing comedy in the mid-1950s while serving in the army.
(See Black sin the Military). Drafted in 1954 while attending Southern Illinois University at Carbondale on a track scholarship, Gregory briefly returned to the university after his discharge in 1956, but left without a degree because he felt that the university "didn't want me to study, they wanted me to run." In the hopes of performing comedy professionally, he moved to Chicago, where he became part of a new generation of black comedians that included Nipsey Russell, Bill Cosby, and Godfrey Cambridge. These comedians broke with the minstrel tradition, which presented stereotypical black characters. Gregory, whose style was detached, ironic, and satirical, came to be called the "Black Mort Sahl" after the popular white social satirist. Friends of Gregory have always referred to Mort Sahl as the "White Dick Gregory." Gregory drew on current events, especially the racial issues, for much of his material: "Segregation is not all bad. Have you ever heard of a collision where the people in the back of the bus got hurt?"

From an early age, Gregory demonstrated a strong sense of social justice. While a student at Sumner High School in St. Louis he led a March protesting Segregated schools. Later, inspired by the work of leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and organizations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Gregory took part in the Civil Rights Movement and used his celebrity status to draw attention to such issues as segregation and disfranchisement. When local Mississippi governments stopped distributing Federal food surpluses to poor blacks in areas where SNCC was encouraging voter registration, Gregory chartered a plane to bring in several tons of food. He participated in SNCC's voter registration drives and in sit-ins to protest segregation, most notably at a restaurant franchise in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Only later did Gregory disclose that he held stock in the chain.

Gregory’s autobiography, Nigger, was published in 1963 prior to The assassination of President Kennedy, and became the number one best-selling book in America. Over the decades it has sold in excess of seven million copies. His choice for the title was explained in the forward, where Dick Gregory wrote a note to his mother. "Whenever you hear the word ‘Nigger’," he said, "y ...more

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