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  • The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell

  • Tales of a 6' 4", African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian
  • Written by: W. Kamau Bell
  • Narrated by: W. Kamau Bell
  • Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (10 ratings)

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The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell

Written by: W. Kamau Bell
Narrated by: W. Kamau Bell
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Publisher's Summary

You may know W. Kamau Bell from his new Emmy-nominated hit show on CNN, United Shades of America. Or maybe you've read about him in The New York Times, which called him "the most promising new talent in political comedy in many years." Or maybe from The New Yorker fawning over his brand of humor writing: "Bell's gimmick is intersectional progressivism: he treats racial, gay, and women's issues as inseparable."

After all this love and praise, it's time for the next step: a book. The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell is a humorous, well-informed take on the world today, tackling a wide range of issues, such as race relations; fatherhood; the state of law enforcement today; comedians and superheroes; right-wing politics; left-wing politics; failure; his interracial marriage; white men; his upbringing by very strong-willed, race-conscious, yet ideologically opposite parents; his early days struggling to find his comedic voice, then his later days struggling to find his comedic voice; why he never seemed to fit in with the black comedy scene...or the white comedy scene; how he was a black nerd way before that became a thing; how it took his wife and an East Bay lesbian to teach him that racism and sexism often walk hand in hand; and much, much more.

©2017 W. Kamau Bell (P)2017 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

"Although the text version is an interesting, if curiously structured, work, the audiobook allows Bell a more apt platform for his offbeat intelligence and idiosyncratic voice. The experience of listening to the text, which clocks in at 10 hours and 31 minutes, is like being the sole patron in a comedy club while Bell performs a marathon stand-up routine.... [T]he audiobook allows a listener to hear the jokes as they were meant to be delivered." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Bell...tackles everything from racism to his life growing up as a Blerd (Black nerd) to his struggles to find his comedic voice in this illuminating memoir." (Entertainment Weekly)

“With insight and aplomb, stand-up comedian Bell recounts his career arc.... Those unfamiliar with Bell’s work or expecting a lighthearted read from a popular comedian will be surprised by the book’s breadth and depth.... This informative read will be illuminating and worthwhile for aspiring comedians and general readers.” (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell

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Awkwardly trying to be funny

Kamau is just not very funny and the awkwardness comes from the realization early on in the book that it is not going to get any funnier...which it which certainly holds true

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