About the Book
“HEY YOU GUYS, IT’S LESLIE. I’M EXCITED TO SHARE MY STORY WITH YOU.”
Now, I’m gonna be honest: Some of the details might be vague because a b*tch is fifty-five and she’s smoked a ton of weed. But while bits might be a touch hazy, I can promise you the underlying truth is REAL. Whether I’m talking about my childhood growing up in the South, my early stand-up days driving from gig to gig through the darkest parts of our country and praying I wouldn’t get murdered, what Chris Rock told Lorne Michaels, that time I wanted to shoot Whoopi Goldberg on SNL, and yeah, I’ll tell you all about Ghostbusters and the nudes and Supermarket Sweep and The Daily Show . . . I’m sharing it all in these pages. It’s not easy being a woman in comedy, especially when you’re a tall-ass Black woman with a trumpet voice. I have to fight so that no one takes me for granted, and no one takes advantage. These are the stories that explain why. (Cue the Law & Order theme.)
Leslie Jones is a three-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee as well as a Writers Guild of America Award and NAACP Image Award nominee for her work on Saturday Night Live. She has also been honored as one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. Jones recently wrapped production on season 2 of the HBO Max series Our Flag Means Death. The week of January 17, 2023, Jones kicked off a new era of The Daily Show as the program’s first guest host. In 2021, she starred opposite Eddie Murphy in Coming 2 America, for which she won an MTV Movie & TV Award and was nominated for a People’s Choice Award. Jones will next produce an untitled Christmas comedy for Lionsgate, which she is currently developing as a potential future starring role. Additionally, Jones cohosts the podcast The Fckry with comedian Lenny Marcus. Each week, Jones and Marcus interview guests and answer listener questions, while exposing “the fckry” of any given topic.
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Black Girls Think & Grow Rich
Book Club Basic Ground Rules
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Members who haven’t read the book – Come anyway. Not everyone can finish every book, but non-readers may still have valuable insights.
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Disagreements about the book – Be gracious! There is no one way to experience or interpret a book. In fact, differing opinions are good.
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Maintain Focus – Discussion time will be limited to discussion about the book. There is time to socialize before and after the book club meeting.
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Confidentiality – What is said at the book club meeting stays at the book club meeting. Members may choose to share personal insights and we want to respect their willingness to be open, candid or vulnerable.
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Quiet Environment – Cell phones and other electronic devices should be placed on silent or vibrate so not to disturb the discussion.
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Support our venue (when applicable) – The venue is providing a free meeting place for the book club, so please support them by purchasing food and/or drink. No outside food or drink should be brought into the venue.
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Keep it moving – Please be concise with your insights and comments so we have time to hear from as many members as possible.
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Time – Please be on time or early if possible. That gives everyone time to get settled and socialize before the meeting, so we can begin and end on time.