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You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey cover art

You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey

Written by: Amber Ruffin, Lacey Lamar
Narrated by: Amber Ruffin, Lacey Lamar
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Publisher's Summary

Writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers Amber Ruffin writes with her sister Lacey Lamar with humor and heart to share absurd anecdotes about everyday experiences of racism.

Now a writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers and host of The Amber Ruffin Show, Amber Ruffin lives in New York, where she is no one's first Black friend and everyone is, as she puts it, "stark raving normal". But Amber's sister Lacey? She's still living in their home state of Nebraska, and trust us, you'll never believe what happened to Lacey.

From racist donut shops to strangers putting their whole hand in her hair, from being mistaken for a prostitute to being mistaken for Harriet Tubman, Lacey is a lightning rod for hilariously ridiculous yet all-too-real anecdotes. She's the perfect mix of polite, beautiful, petite, and Black that apparently makes people think "I can say whatever I want to this woman". And now, Amber and Lacey share these entertainingly horrifying stories through their laugh-out-loud sisterly banter. Painfully relatable or shockingly eye-opening (depending on how often you have personally been followed by security at department stores), this book tackles modern-day racism with the perfect balance of levity and gravity.

©2021 Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar (P)2021 Grand Central Publishing

What the critics say

"I dare you to read this hilarious and eye-opening book and not become obsessed with Amber Ruffin." (Mindy Kaling)

"If you laugh half as hard as I did at the FIRST story in this book, let alone the rest of the book, you will have gotten your money's worth. The stories made me laugh and they made me sad. I know I'm not the only one to experience these kinds of moments but it helps to know that someone else - poor little Black Lacey taking on the lion's share of Nebraska's white ignorance all by her lonesome - experiences it too. From the mental gymnastics needed to call a black store dirty then drive out of state in order to avoid said dirt only to wind up shopping in a sty operating in a white neighborhood to having the gall to try and holluh at black women on a dating app when your profile pics have the confederate flag in them, Amber & Lacey point out how white folks are apparently doing the most in them parts." (Retta, comedian and actress, Parks & Recreation, Good Girls)

"The message of this book is for ALL of us and no matter why YOU'RE here - perhaps you're a fan of Amber Ruffin's comedy, or a Seth Meyers' fan, or a personal friend of Lacey's, or maybe you're just a person browsing for a book that will help you understand the Black experience in America and the other ones seem too much like school - I urge you to BUY THIS BOOK. The stories are delivered with the humor and horror they deserve. You will laugh, you will be enraged, and if you are a white person, you will understand more than you did before about the truth of being Black in America - even if you thought you understood a lot already because you read the hard school books." (Busy Philipps, author, actor, White lady)

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What listeners say about You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey

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  • Overall
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A must listen.

Amber and Lacey tell mind-blowingly racist stories of life in Nebraska, and it is... funny. These sisters are so fun to listen to, and though the racist people in the book are horrifying, Amber's humor plays perfectly with Lacey's composure. Listen if you are a human, it will help make you a better human (or at least feel like you aren't the only one this stuff has happened to).

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excellent must read

insightful. amazing. excellent. well told stories that should be shared. sometimes even amusing, but not sure if I can say if I willing to say funny. I'm too uncomfortable with the behaviour of the people described in the book to find this truely funny. I am more and more amazed when reading and hearing these "everyday" examples of racism, that there hasn't been a violent revolution by now. the restraint and good humorthese women show is something to aspire to.

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Amber and Lacey are amazing

The whole book is great. Amber is hysterical as usual. But the important message doesn’t get lost. They’re highlighting their experiences without minimizing them. A must read

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  • Overall
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Entertaining, informative and disturbing.

Amber and Lacey present a lifetime of stories. Definitely worth repeat listening.
Listen, Learn.

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  • Overall
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Love the dynamic of both sisters!

Amber Ruffin is super cute! And only surpassed by Lacey Lamar.

The stories were incredulous, made bearable by Amber's enthusiasm. Great storytelling!

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I honestly have no words.

But in this case thats fine. It is my job to listen and learn. Magnificent book.

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Truly, truly, truly fantastic.

Loved it. Unbelievable believable stories that are so numerous, you are happy when Amber congratulates you. You made it to the end of the book,! You are glad that Lacey and Amber took the time and effort to share these stories and you will tell all your friends they need to buy and read or listen to them. If you're a white teacher like me you will feel very embarrassed and horrified and sad at the number of racist teachers depicted and will resolve to do your best to correct the situation as you encounter it in your school and classes.

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Incredibly funny but ultimately depressing stories

Amber's energy has really made this book of crazy stories easier to digest for readers who rarely experience these kinds treatment. The book is very well written, it uses a lighter format to talk about some deep and grim societal issues. I would highly recommend everyone to have a read or a listen to this book.

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Unbelievable

Funny as hell. I can't get over how white people are so ignorant and mean.

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Wow

This book is depressingly hilarious. Made so much better with naration and commentary by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar.
I can't recommend an audiobook more than this one. Reading the physical book will offer you images that you obviously can't experience in audiobook format, but Amber explains the images well, and adds so much of Amber Ruffin flare that the Audiobook format is a work of art within itself. They will never see this, but thanks for making this book, it was a great listen and I both hope for and against others like.

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3 people found this helpful