A hilarious and heartbreaking memoir-in-essays from comic Aida Rodriguez on the power of overcoming hardship and transforming pain into laughter.
Aida Rodriguez has, to put it mildly, lived a life. Her rags-to-riches story is mind-blowing: She was kidnapped as a child by her mother in the Dominican Republic and brought to the US; later, she was kidnapped again, this time by her grandmother and uncle, and brought to Florida. She later escaped an abusive marriage and, for a while, she and her children were navigating homelessness in Los Angeles. Eventually, she would end up in the Top Ten of the eighth season of NBC’s hit series Last Comic Standing, and doors would begin to open—and then some. Throughout it all, Aida has been able to transform these painful episodes of her life into comedic material, while also addressing difficult issues such as misogyny and racism.
In this, her highly anticipated first book, she takes readers through her many ups and downs, from personal setbacks to career highs to everything in between. In a voice that is part Trevor Noah, part Gabrielle Union, yet all Aida, this memoir is endearing, shocking, and ultimately life-affirming.