Comedy as a Weapon

It is clear throughout the essays that Haddish has a natural gift for comedy and performing in general. Her charisma and charm is unmistakable. Rather than just rely on her natural ability, Haddish honed this craft into something both financially and emotionally lucrative. Years before she began preforming for money, Haddish learned to use her comedic chops as a weapon against the many traumas in her life. Within the first few pages of the first essay, Haddish demonstrates how she used this ability in her high school years: "I would make people laugh, make 'em want to be my friend, and then, they would let me copy off of them" (6). She used comedy as a way to work around her inability to read; and she did this so well that she was able to pass her AP classes. Even during Haddish's stint in a group...