Cack-Handed: A Memoir

Product Information

Throughout the book, Gina recounts her experiences as part of the "lost generation" of Nigerian children born abroad, her educational journey that took her to a career in engineering that then swerved into her flourishing comedy career, with hints about her coming out story along the way as well. She'll love Gina's Mom, possibly even finding a little of herself in there, particularly if she sacrificed for you and your siblings and placed enormous expectations on you. She ploughed her own furrow and made her way in two difficult fields for a woman- engineering ( (experienced horrendous racism and sexism at OTIS) .

Gina was brilliant back then as she is now and always stood out, and most importantly, she was FUNN-AYYY.If you aren't familiar with Gina Yashere, stop reading this review and go watch her thirty minute special on Netflix's show The Standups--the most laughter per minute stand up special I've seen in a while. I found this a little grating and maybe unnecessary, surely there is enough cultural cross over now, if not a glossary at the end would have been preferable. I don't usually read memoirs but I was intrigued by the story of the daughter of Nigerians who immigrated to the UK.

The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products. I remember Gina back in the mid-90's from the TV, and she always stood out for me as number 1, she was the only Black female comedian I saw and 2, she talked about her Nigerian upbringing which is very similar to other African countries.Knowledge of this past and seeking a sense of an identity drew her into the Nation of Islam for a while, although she quickly drifted away again. From what I’ve read, it does seem to be blurring now, especially as people of direct African heritage are outnumbering Caribbean heritage people in the UK now. Behind every great comedienne there is a great deal of pain and this certainly made a lot of that pain public.

A collection of eccentric, addictive, and uproarious stories that combine family, race, gender, class, and country, Cack-Handed reveals how Gina’s unconventional upbringing became the foundation of her successful career as an international comedian.We know that she left the UK to find success in the US and this is clearly written with her American fans in mind, as she often explains and/or translates British sayings or experiences for them. Yashere has a really funny bit that she does about her Nigerian heritage including how she struggled for acceptance when she pursued being a comedian instead of the doctor/engineer career her mother had chosen for her. A memoir written as a selection of short chapters connected to her mother's sayings, which is a clever structure.