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By the tender of age of five, Bernie Mac had found his calling:making others laugh. Now this amazing comedian delves deep inside to share the poignant story of his childhood and the people who shaped him into the strong, self-reliant man and ruthlessly funny comedian he is today.
When Bernie was just sixteen, he lost his mother to cancer.
A tough but loving teacher, she showered the unwilling boy with life lessons and "Mac-isms" that would later carry him through many hardships and give him strength during his slow rise to stardom. Maybe You Never Cry Again recounts this ascent in hilarious detail, from eight-year-old Bernie's stand-up comedy performance at a church dinner to open mike nights in Chicago, the jobs he juggled to make ends meet and eventually, his success in entertaining huge audiences on stage, in film, and on television.
Maybe You Never Cry Again is a powerful testamentto how a mother's love makes everything possible.
"What's wrong, Mama?" I ask her.
"It's nothin', Bean. Sometimes I think sad thoughts."
"What thoughts?"
She didn't answer. She was lookin' at the TV. Black guy's talkin' to Ed Sullivan. I look at him, but I don't hear but a few words. And I can't make them out anyway, see, because suddenly my mama's laughin' to bust a gut. Her whole lap's shakin'. I got to hold on tight or get thrown clear across the room.
I turn to look at her - this is the same woman that was cryin' a second ago? - then turn back to the TV. "Who that man, Mama?"
She's still laughin'. Takes her a while to catch her breath. "Bill Cosby, son. He's a comedian."
A comedian?
"What's that?"
I look over at this Bill Cosby. I don't know what he's talkin' about - but I know that, whatever it is, it's got power.
"That's what I want to be, Mama. A comedian. Make you laugh like that, maybe you never cry again."
By the tender age of five, Bernie Mac had found his calling: making others laugh. Now this amazing comedian delves deep inside to tell the poignant story of his childhood and the people who helped shape him into the comedian - and the strong and self-reliant man - he is today.
When Bernie was just sixteen, he lost his beloved mother to breast cancer. As he was growing up, she was a tough but loving teacher of life lessons and "Mac-isms," which would carry him through many hardships: You have to meet all of the challenges, big and small. Because how you start is how you finish. The loudest, clearest voice needs to be the one inside your own self. These lessons gave him the strength to choose hope over despair and to follow his dream of becoming a comedian.
Bernie recounts his slow rise to stardom, from doing stand-up at a church dinner at age eight to performing in amateur open-mike nights to earning a regular gig at Chicago's Cotton Club, and eventually to entertaining huge audiences onstage and in film and on television.
An inspiring memoir filled with hope-restoring humor, Maybe You Never Cry Again is a powerful testament to how a mother's love makes everything possible.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Maybe You Never Cry Again by Bernie MacExcerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
GGeorge-9
Posted April 27, 2009
I enjoyed hearing Bernie read his life story. Hearing his spoken words made his life touch my mind.
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Posted June 3, 2006
Once I picked this book up I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed this rags to riches story and the emmense credit he gives the women in his life for making him the man he is today. I didn't realize the hardships he endured to finally find fame. He and his wife deserve all the success coming to them.
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Posted November 26, 2003
Bernie¿s life story was funny and the reading is quite interesting. I would highly recommend this story for pleasure because Bernie¿s life exemplifies how in life we should never give up ¿ especially up on our dreams. Good reading for young men!!
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Posted October 20, 2003
I love Bernie Mac and I loved how he put his story together. I did not realize all of the struggles he had to continually make even when his name was known. I, also loved the pictures of him and his family that was placed throughout the book.
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Posted May 15, 2003
This is a book that tells it like it is. He talks about growing up and the importance of being their as a parent. Outstanding.
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Posted May 13, 2012
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Posted January 26, 2010
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Posted January 15, 2010
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Posted October 15, 2011
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Posted March 15, 2011
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Overview
By the tender of age of five, Bernie Mac had found his calling:making others laugh. Now this amazing comedian delves deep inside to share the poignant story of his childhood and the people who shaped him into the strong, self-reliant man and ruthlessly funny comedian he is today.
When Bernie was just sixteen, he lost his mother to cancer.
A tough but loving teacher, she showered the unwilling boy with life lessons and "Mac-isms" that would ...