Nothing's Sacred

Fans of the hilarious rantings of the mad-as-hell comedian and Daily Show regular may be surprised that, unlike many stand-up comics who create books by virtually transcribing their honed comedy routines, Black has written a memoir that is both funny and moving. Raised in the early 1950s in a Washington, D.C., suburb (""an oxygenated void... that prepares you for either depression or space travel""), Black passes the decades by venting on everything from how he was taught to avoid an atomic bomb blast by hiding under a classroom chair (""we're talking about a fireball from hell and these morons had me hiding under wood; under kindling, for God's sake"") to the ""breathless, exciting"" times of campus war protests. Black's reading is less explosive than his usual this-man-is-going-to-have-a-heart-attack delivery. Although he still smolders at the corporate greed, government incompetence and antigay marriage rhetoric (""It takes a lot of balls for heterosexuals to make a fuss over this issue considering 50% of us can't stay married""), his even tone showcases his articulate, biting sarcasm. Simultaneous release with the Simon Spotlight hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 7).