I'd Rather We Got Casinos

February 2, 2009
As "Senior Black Correspondent" on cable TV's The Daily Show, comedian Wilmore provides some of the program's most hilarious moments while turning its satiric edge on his (largely white, middle-class, left-leaning) employers and audience, as well as his own people-retaining the full measure of his cynicism even in the midst of Obama-mania. In this collection (including essays, fake radio show transcripts, letters and wisecracks), readers get a tour of Wilmore's smart, sarcastic approach to race, media and the modern American psyche (perhaps most efficiently captured in back-to-back thought pieces, "Black Weathermen Make Me Feel Happy" and "Black Weathermen Make Me Feel Sad"). Part of Wilmore's appeal is the straight-faced mix of conviction and arch absurdity-more Steve Colbert than Jon Stewart-that's sometimes lacking without his deadpan, vaguely deprecating delivery. Still, fans will find consistent laughs, even if some of his longer, one-note pieces could have been better balanced with more of his goofy one-liners ("Random Black Thoughts"). Several of Wilmore's modest proposals, like his ongoing campaign to replace terms like "African-American" and "Black" with "Chocolate" ("everybody loves chocolate!") display a classic satirist's ability to convince, confound and compel in equal measure.

February 1, 2009
Wilmore, the senior black correspondent withThe Daily Show who has made a career out of taking jabsat race relations, offers a faux collection of articles, essays, radio transcripts, and letters exploring the more ludicrous angles on race. He begins by taking issue with racism being presented as an abstract concept rather than as a problem that could use a concrete solution like a backed-up sink. Wilmore suggests rebranding racial designation from African American to chocolate and includes several pitch letters to the NAACP. He conducts a post-Katrina radio interview with the Man, who, it turns out, is very ordinary and not the all-seeing, all-knowing, all-powerful force but something more random and less pernicious, though just as aggravating. Scoffing at the notion of a Black History Month, Wilmore derides 28 days of trivia and would rather we got casinos. With wit and humor, Wilmore skewers the serious and silly aspects of American racial politics.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)