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|---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | 921 FOX | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Wildwood Library (Mahtomedi) | 921 FOX | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Vivica A. Fox is a dynamo who has created a lasting career on her own, through sheer, roll-up-your-sleeves DIY hustle. Every Day I'm Hustling is a personal book with a message Fox passionately believes in: that you make your own luck, that you never ever wake up in the morning thinking somebody's going to call you and offer you that part or ask you out on that date that's going to change your life, that you have to wake up and put on your longest eyelashes and fiercest heels and go out and make your life happen yourself.
The actress provides start-today strategies for success in business and "been there" lessons in love, buttressed with stories from her early family life all the way through to today. Always honest and always funny, Fox also tells behind-the-scenes tales from some of her biggest movies -- such as Uma Thurman's life-changing advice during Kill Bill and Will Smith's downtime pep talk on Independence Day . And she maps out exactly what it took to come back with a role on the smash hit Empire and her own frisky show on Lifetime, Vivica's Black Magic . She also shares her how-is-she-53? secrets to looking your best, no matter the age on your driver's license.
Author Notes
VIVICA A. FOX is an actress, producer, and TV host. After getting her start in soap operas, most famously Generations , she went on to star in Independence Day , Kill Bill , and the hit FOX show Empire . She was also the recipient of an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for her work on the lifetime series Missing . Vivica lives in Los Angeles.
Reviews (2)
New York Review of Books Review
Tiffany Haddish and Vivica A. Fox - who narrate their memoirs with snap and spirit - have a message for listeners. THE LAST BLACK UNICORN By Tiffany Haddish Read by the author 6 Hours, 29 Minutes. Simon & Schuster Audio. EVERY DAY I'M HUSTLING By Vivica A. Fox Read by the author 8 Hours. Audible Studios. TIFFANY HADDISH IS HILARIOUS. But you knew that already. What you probably don't know is that she has an indomitable spirit that helped her to survive a difficult, often harrowing past. In the audiobook of "The Last Black Unicorn," Haddish narrates her journey from growing up poor in South Central Los Angeles, to touring on the comedy circuit, to becoming the breakout star of last year's "Girls Trip." There's some tough stuff here. When Haddish is only 8, her mother suffers a severe brain injury in a car crash. Afterward she is never the same, becoming emotionally abusive and physically violent - in one particularly gutwrenching scene, she beats her daughter in a Walmart parking lot. Haddish spends time in the foster care system, where an older man abuses her. Then, as an adult, she suffers domestic abuse at the hands of her now ex-husband. Haddish does not sugarcoat these experiences, and the audiobook is sometimes painful to listen to - not only for what she says, but for the way she says it. At times, you can hear the hurt thrumming in her voice as she recounts missing the mother she had before the car accident or explaining why she stayed so long with an abusive husband. "Maybe it was just that I didn't know any other way to be loved," she says, with a rawness as devastating as it is affecting. Haddish's life is not only heartache. There is joy and hilarity here too, narrated in a raucous style reminiscent of her stand-up routines. She spends some of her teenage years as an "energy producer" at bar mitzvahs. When she is first offered the job, she hesitates, assuming the words "bar mitzvah" mean she will have to climb atop a bar, strip and show her "mitzvah." It's only after she talks to her grandmother that she realizes a bar mitzvah is a party, and an energy producer's job is to make sure all the partygoers are letting loose and having a great time. Because of her chaotic home life, Haddish often acts up at school. When she is 15, a social worker tells her that her behavior must be addressed, then offers her the choice between Laugh Factory Comedy Camp or psychiatric therapy. She chooses comedy camp, which, as she says, is "the first time I felt safe." At the Laugh Factory she meets a host of comedians, most memorably Richard Pryor, who interrupts her midset to critique her performance. "People don't come to comedy shows because they want to hear about your problems," he tells her. "When you're onstage you need to be having fun. If you're having fun, they're having fun." She takes the advice to heart: "I try to take that philosophy and apply it to everything I do in life. That's why I think my life has turned out as good as it has." Some of the funniest and most entertaining parts of the book come when Haddish talks about her ups and downs on the comedy circuit. Here her excellent comedic timing and delivery come into play; the narration really shines. There's the show where she prays into the microphone for the power to beat up a woman who's been heckling all the comedians. Then there's the one where she bombs in front of 4,000 black students at Howard University because she is nervous, and another where only 30 people show up (most of them her in-laws) and she falls down onstage. The road to comedy success is not without bumps. Thanks to the #MeToo movement, we are all aware of the sexism and harassment that women in entertainment face. These injustices are even more pronounced for black women, who must work against a narrower set of stereotypes grounded not just in sexism but in racism. It's a testament to Haddish's spunk and tenacity that she has managed to not only survive but thrive in the comedy world. "The Last Black Unicorn" is an inspiring story that manages to be painful, honest, shocking, bawdy and hilarious. WITH CHAPTER TITLES like "Don't Let Anyone Work Harder Than You," "You Can't Aim if You Don't Have a Target" and "Ttirn Your Haters Into Congratulators," Vivica A. Fox's "Every Day I'm Hustling" is part memoir, part selfhelp. The actress alternates between recounting her road to success and offering listeners advice on achieving their dreams. Her narration is folksy and intimate, drawing listeners in as if they were sitting and chatting over a glass of wine. What's refreshing about Fox's book is her willingness to be open about her mistakes. She wasted time waiting to be discovered, chased after empty material success and pretended to be someone she didn't even want to be. In that way, "Every Day" gives its readers permission to be gentle with themselves - to forgive their mistakes - while at the same time offering practical tips on how to stay focused in a world full of distractions and haters. Two standout anecdotes in "Every Day" clearly helped shape her philosophy. The first happens on the set of Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill: Vol. 1." Following days of frustration, Fox boils over after an angry lecture from Tarantino and lashes out at him in front of the whole cast and crew. It takes a quiet conversation with Uma Thurman to make her realize that she's approached the issue in the wrong way. "What you need to do is learn how to manipulate the situation better.... Learn to attack intelligently," Thurman tells her. On set, Fox watches as Thurman gives a "master class," successfully lobbying Tarantino for changes. Fox's subsequent fight scene takes four days to film and leaves her with 30 bruises. She says "Kill Bill" is the work she's proudest of, and she credits Thurman with helping her to stay focused and for teaching her about the power of sharing power. The next memorable story occurs on the set of "Independence Day," where Fox's trainer - who happens to be Will Smith - gently reprimands her for lounging by the Jacuzzi on her day off, margarita in hand, treating her once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as if it were just another job. This sounds like obvious advice. Opportunities in the entertainment industry do not appear with any kind of regularity, and when they do, success is never guaranteed. The trick, Smith tells Fox, is to think about where you were before the opportunity, and where you might land afterward. This is the essence of hustling: staying hungry even when you've scored a big meal. On the surface, the books share an impassioned struggle for success - a story that has been covered in quite a few memoirs. But what makes both "The Last Black Unicorn" and "Every Day I'm Hustling" stand out is their authors' emphatic belief that if you're true to yourself, you will open up more opportunities. The biggest obstacle to wisdom and your own success, in other words, might just be you. So get out of your own way. NICOLA YOON is the author of "Everything, Everything" and "The Sun Is Also a Star."
Library Journal Review
Fox, who has starred in such blockbuster films as Independence Day and Kill Bill, presents a book of candid advice interwoven with examples from her life, as she seeks to demonstrate that the key to success is to keep hustling. The actress was born and raised in Indianapolis. Her strong relationship with her siblings and the example of her mother's hard work ethic kept her grounded as she sought a career in acting. Fox had limited success initially and worked multiple jobs, weathering the periodic disappointments that come with such a career. Counseled by Patti LaBelle, Will Smith, and Uma Thurman, among others, she learned that the capacity to bounce back and reinvent oneself is essential to survival in the entertainment business. This work doesn't maintain a clear structure, as it is not precisely a how-to nor a memoir. She detours in her recounting of a disastrous relationship with the rapper 50 Cent, which lacks a coherent lesson for the reader. VERDICT Fox's plainspoken prose is entertaining and her fans will appreciate her beauty tips, style secrets, and frankness about aging in Hollywood. Readers seeking inspiration for transformative change may be better served by Shonda Rhimes's Year of Yes.-Barrie Olmstead, Sacramento P.L. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Preface | p. ix |
| Part 1 The Start of Our Hustle | |
| Lesson 1 If you hang with the big boys, you're gonna get knocked down. | p. 3 |
| Lesson 2 Get your squad together-you'll need them. | p. 21 |
| Lesson 3 Don't let anyone work harder than you. | p. 37 |
| Lesson 4 Knock on success's door, honey. Hell, kick it in. | p. 57 |
| Part 2 Find Your Dream-and Actually Make It Happen | |
| Lesson 5 You can't aim if you don't have a target. | p. 83 |
| Lesson 6 You are the brand. | p. 97 |
| Lesson 7 Remember how to have a good time. | p. 111 |
| Lesson 8 Turn your haters into congratulators. | p. 115 |
| Part 3 A Troubleshooting Guide to the Heart | |
| Lesson 9 If you chase that wedding ring, you're gonna trip. | p. 129 |
| Lesson 10 The devil is fine, and that's how he gets you. | p. 137 |
| Lesson 11 Stop falling in love with a six-pack and a smile. | p. 165 |
| Part 4 Look Amazing at Any Age or Budget | |
| Lesson 12 Dress for the life you deserve. | p. 177 |
| Lesson 13 Don't get older, get better. | p. 185 |
| Lesson 14 The Change of Life is gonna come. So get in front of it. | p. 193 |
| Part 5 Maintaining Success as You Grow Through Change | |
| Lesson 15 You will want to give in. Don't. | p. 199 |
| Lesson 16 If you own the risk, you own the reward. | p. 215 |
| Lesson 17 You pay the cost to be the boss. | p. 227 |
| Lesson 18 It's fun to be the Head Chick in Charge. | p. 235 |
| Lesson 19 Go far, but don't forget where you came from. | p. 241 |
| These are a Few of My Favorite Things | p. 249 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 261 |
| Index | p. 263 |
