I Want You to Shut the F#ck Up: How the Audacity of Dopes Is Ruining America

“The American dream is in dire need of a wake-up call,” says actor-comedian-producer Hughley. He has starred in shows on ABC (The Hughleys), CNN (D.L. Hughley Breaks the News) and HBO (Unapologetic) in addition to radio (The D.L. Hughley Morning Show), and now he finds a solid footing on yet another plateau as he makes an easy transition to the printed page, covering a wide range of topics, from meeting Mitt Romney (“He reminded me of a very high-end used-car salesman”) to police brutality (“The one good thing to come out of the Rodney King fiasco is that much of what the LAPD formerly did in secrecy was now made public”). Throughout, his personal asides become a springboard to a penetrating commentary on contemporary life, as he nails down some truths on racism, education (“Half of U.S. students who begin college never finish”), the decline of customer service, literacy levels (“We’re 20th—behind Poland and Kazakhstan”), black women, slurs and stereotypes, and the moral decline of black leaders (“Ali, King and Malcolm X were men who never looked for causes. The causes found them”). In the closing chapter, he concludes, “Comedy might not be able to change minds—but it can certainly expose truths and knock down fallacies.” Ditto for this book, which provides that much-needed wakeup call. (Aug.)