The following version of this book was used to complete this guide: Haddish, Tiffany. The Last Black Unicorn. Gallery Books, 2017.

Comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish blends a memoir with a stand-up comedy routine to tell the tale of The Last Black Unicorn. This collection of essays gives her audience a look into the hardships, laughs, and jaw-dropping events that shaped both the comedian and the comedy itself. With self-contained chapters, a conversational style, and unbelievable stories, this book truly provides a unique and never-before-seen look into Haddish's personal and professional life. Proving that some of the best comedy can come from the darkest places, Haddish offers a brutally honest look inside the circumstances that shaped her trajectory as a household name.

Though the book is non-chronological, Haddish begins with a look into her childhood, where abuse, illiteracy, molestation, and foster care forced her to develop some severe coping mechanisms. With a natural gift for joke-telling and entertaining, Haddish used her comedy as a tool for dealing with the trauma in her early life. She would tell jokes to keep bullies in group homes from beating her up, as well as to convince her peers in school to let her copy off of their homework. To further hone and refine her skill as a young comedian, Haddish attended Laugh Factory Comedy Camp, getting her foot in the door at a young age at one of the most prestigious comedy clubs in Los Angeles. Throughout her twenties, Haddish continued to suffer trauma and hardship at the hands of her significant others, ranging from betrayal to full-on physical abuse. Keeping true to herself, she met these challenges with her most seasoned weapon - her comedy.

Aside from a deeper look into Haddish's personal life, this collection of essays also provides an inside look at her rise to fame, from her humble beginnings as an energy producer at Bar Mitzvahs, to her current status as an A-list movie star. She has befriended comedians and actors along the way such as Kevin Hart and Jada Pinkett Smith, and details their invaluable advice at several points in this memoir. The poor girl from South Central and the designer-clad Hollywood star converge at the end of this book to give readers an honest and hilarious depiction of a one-of-a-kind individual. She cautions that she is not done, however; her personal pain will continue to be the basis for her comedy for years to come, if for no reason other than helping her audience feel that if she can share her story and thrive, anyone can.