How to Talk Dirty and Influence People: An Autobiography

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Summary: Absolutly hilarious look into the origins of social satire
Review: Lenny Bruce chronicles his life and metamorphisis from a jewish kid in new york to the premiere forefather of sarcastic social satire.From douche demonstrations to strip joints to marrying a stripper,jazz,drugs, and a wise-guys outlook on life, its ALL here. YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!!!!!

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Summary: A poet posing as a comedian
Review: Lenny Bruce may have been the greatest poet of mid-Twentieth Century America, 'though he never wrote a poem, because he did what poets ought to do--make you see, make you feel, make you realize that "the great" did things that they didn't want you to know about. He alienated President Kennedy so much that J. Edgar Hoover was unleashed to pressure local police to bird dog Bruce's nightclub act. The cops would lurk in the back, wait till Bruce said something vulgar, then bust him for obscenity. In court, the fuzz would do Bruce's act so badly that Bruce was convicted for their lack. He beat the rap, at the U. S. Supreme Court, but it took a lot out of his native optimism. He shot up on heroin till he overdosed--assuming it WAS suicide. Remember Marilyn Monroe? What's easier than knocking off a junkie with an overdose? With Oscar Levant and Alexander King, Bruce is one of the three great wits of America at mid-century. Worth your time, because he repays you with insight wrapped in laughter.

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Summary: One of a kind
Review: Lenny Bruce was on the same level as Richard Pryor when it came to fearless self-expression. This book will help you understand the man and the times he lived in.

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Summary: Very good read
Review: Lenny Bruce was pretty rare in that he always called it how he saw it. No, I don't agree with absolutely everything he says. (After all, no two people can concur on every possible subject) But, he always told the truth as he believed it to be without fear of repurcussion. Bruce did more for the first ammendment than anyone else in the 20th century and strongly influenced later comics such as Richard Pryror, George Carlin, and Bill Hicks.

How To Talk Dirty and Influence People is his autobiography. It reveals how ahead of his time, moral, courageous, humanly flawed, smart, and most of all how funny Lenny Bruce was. The majority of his assaults on how farcial organized religion and American justice can be still hit the mark even after more than forty years of elapsed time. This is counterbalenced by moving stories of his youth, time in the Navy during World War II, his ultimately failed marriage, and other aspects of his personal life. I won't go into too much detail as to ruin the book for others.

Bruce writes in a very concise manner, but not in a way that leaves the material short on content. You can probably finish this book in a day or two, but there's enough food for thought in How To Talk Dirty And Influence People to last for ages.

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Summary: Dig Lenny
Review: Lenny Bruce was the pioneer of American comedy, as well as the First Ammendment's most humorous martyr. Read his evolution from one-lining Catskill comedian to town crier of truth and injustice. If you like George Carlin, Dennis Miller, or Bill Hicks, read the book by the man who influenced them all.

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Summary: Real good book about a comic genius
Review: Lenny bruce was the second smartest and hippest guy of ourtimes. Bob harris of course was THE smartest and funniest comic, because he's like Noam Chomsky, who's REAl smart, but he's not funny enough. So if it was a game or contest, the results would look like this. Funniest 1. Bob Harris 2. Lenny bruce 3. Chomsky Smartest 1. Bob Harris 2. Chomsky 3. Lenny bruce. Overall 1. Bob harris 2.(tie) Lenny Bruce, Chomsky Why doesn't Bogosian write about Bob next, it would be a great book, I'd even buy copies for my friends.

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Summary: Rebel with a cause
Review: Lenny Bruce, though a profligate by some standards, comes across as a persevering and sincere man in his own way. His agenda is to break the convention and to push the envelope of the society through humor, to uncover the hypocrisy and to bring out the truth from beneath the sheets. Still, relative to the title, and contrary to Bruce's reputation, I found the book's humor less than satisfying.

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Summary: What an imagination!
Review: Lenny had a ghost writer complete the first two chapters before he, in his inimitable manner, decided he could do it better. The results are a mostly ficticious review of his wild imagination. But don't take my word for it. You wanna meet the real (albiet posthumous) Lenny Bruce? Goldman's LADIES AND GENTLEMEN LENNY BRUCE cuts away the crap and exposes who he really was. Hey, I'm a Lenny fan since 1958 and idolized the guy, drug habit or not. I have all but one of his LPs (the extremely rare court case ramblings isn't part of my collection) and what he had to say was truly great. However, what he was really like ain't in his autobiography but can be reflected through the words of Honey and Goldman. 'Nuff said.

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Summary: Belly laughs meet stinging social commentary
Review: This book will make almost any non-prude laugh out loud. It will also make you think quite a bit. I can't think of a better embodiment of the words of Lenny Bruce. The beauty of the book is that you find yourself in stitches for four or fives pages, and then-Wham!-he hits you right between the eyes with a vibrant piece of social commentary.

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Summary: How Could You Not Own This?
Review: This is a great book, it gives you in sight to Lenny Bruces mind.
Not truthfully at all times, but even when hes lieing to you-you still get up at 3:00 am to finish how he felt about it. This was an important project to Lenny, and if you apperciate this man and all his talent,How Could You Not Own This Book?!