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PRYOR CONVICTIONS: And Other Life Sentences

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I tried...
Masterful Memoir
World's Most Profane and Profound Autobiography
More Respect than "Pryor"
Joy and Pain.

PRYOR CONVICTIONS: And Other Life Sentences
Richard Pryor
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679432507
Release Date: 1995-05-10

Amazon.com

At the height of his career, Richard Pryor did something no other comedian had done up to that point: he took listeners deeply into his life, baring himself before audiences as he exposed his foibles and his follies, his tumultuous dealings with women and his misadventures with drugs. "People can't always handle it," he writes in Pryor Convictions. "But I knew that if you tell the truth, it's going to be funny." The pain and truth came from Pryor's earliest years--from his childhood in Peoria, Illinois, where he was raised in bars and whorehouses, and sexually assaulted by an older boy when he was just 6 years old. After a stint in the army, Pryor set out to become an entertainer and began making the slow climb from hole-in-the-wall nightclubs to stardom. Sometimes profane, but always funny, Pryor Convictions is a no-holds-barred autobiography told in Pryor's inimitable comic voice.

Book Description

Richard Pryor's life story is one of the most controversial and shocking of any performer in American history. Raised in the bars and whorehouses of Peoria, where he gained first-hand knowledge of racism and hypocrisy, he toiled for years as a bland Cosby clone before finding his true voice as one of America's most brilliant comedians — and one of its most profound, and profane, social critics. At the apex of his career — one of Hollywood's biggest stars, and one of the most influential black men in the world — it all came tumbling down in a maelstrom of drugs, multiple marriages, heart attacks, violence, and suicide attempts, finally ending in a notorious incident where he lit himself on fire while freebasing cocaine. Pryor Convictions tells the uncensored story of the man behind the myth. Written in Pryor's own words, this human and compelling account is like the man himself: raw, funny, fearless, and completely unforgettable.

Customer Reviews:

I tried..........2007-03-27

I tried to give Pryor a chance and see what makes him do what he did. I'd read his daughter's book first and he sounded like a pretty violent and mentally challenged man. I figure there are three sides of the story, so I'll read the second side. This dude blew me. He joked about beating up women like it was justifiable, had no idea it was wrong, and continuously excused his own faults. When children do it, I can blow it off as just having to grow up and understand responsibility. But how can I respect a comedian who does so many things that aren't funny? I wasn't a fan of Pryor before I read his book and now I'm definitely sticking to that opinion. I did, however, enjoy his alter ego's anecdotes.

Masterful Memoir.......2004-04-25

Using excerpts from his "Mudbone" monologues to accentuate the events of his life, Pryor puts together a collection of memories that make PC a must-read. I can only think of a few other autobiographies that even come close.

World's Most Profane and Profound Autobiography.......2003-03-02

In chapter 20 of this book Richard Pryor offhandedly calls his comedy style "profane and profound" and inadvertently sums up his life and this book perfectly. This is at various times the most dirtyminded, hilarious, shocking, or downright disturbing autobiography you may ever read, but always with his great dark humor. With a bizarre and damaging childhood in Peoria, Richard Pryor was raised in his grandmother's place of business - which happened to be a whorehouse with all of its shady and unwholesome characters. A violent and painful childhood full of profanity and prejudice came out in Richard's comedy, which was truly groundbreaking in its shocking honesty. He lived a wild life in the spotlight, with addictions and a constant parade of rough women, including five wives that he divorced six times. The wives are hard to keep track of, but Richard is always brutally honest about his attitudes toward women even if it's rarely pretty. He also has a very refreshing outlook on racial matters, as the prejudice that was so damaging failed to ruin his respect for all people of any color. Most of the tail end of the book concerns his nearly born again soul searching about his infamous addictions and latest losing battle with multiple sclerosis. In addition to Richard's straightforward and unforgiving narratives, there are very frequent asides from one of his stage characters, Mudbone, who here is acting as his even more brutally honest alter ego. This gives the book an often jarring schizophrenic character, and surely reflects the true workings of Pryor's dark genius.

More Respect than "Pryor".......2002-09-05

This has to be one of the most honest and compelling autobiographies I ever read! I have an immense amount of respect for the intimate details that Rich felt comfortable with sharing with readers about his early life and personal problems. Though some parts dealt with painful issues, the comedic genius he is, he manages to have readers smiling through tears. I found it particularly painful to read his battle with MS, which I watched my mother suffer with, but again, the humor is always there. Richard Pryor is the epitomy of a survivor, not to mention one of the most talented comedians of our time. This was a very inspirational and enjoyable read and I recommend the purchase A.S.A.P.

Joy and Pain........2001-06-21

PRYOR CONVICTIONS made have changed the names to protect the innocent, but the story that unfolded made up for it. Richard Pryor's life has been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, starting with his childhood, his molestation and rearing in a brothel to his complicated teens and young adulthood, when he felt he needed everyone's approval to live his life. Even as he reached maturity, he still felt he needed to belong to someone and needed to believe in something. It is this pyschological imbalance that drives him to drugs, numerous wives, and even more sexual conquests, but, in the end, he still felt alone and lost. He found out that the only need he couldn't live without was the need to be himself and the power to love who he is. Very candid and explicit, this is the real Richard Pryor, and, for better or worse, this is his story.

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