This is the best/worst book featuring outrageous stories of racist things that have happened to comedy writer and talk show host Amber Ruffin's sister Lacey Lamar. Most of the stories take place in Omaha, Nebraska. A fair number take place across the state border in Iowa. All of them take place in the modern-day and a vast majority take place at work. At work!
The Harriet Tubman story is the first example shared in the book of ludicrous stuff that happens to Lacey. Lacey was shopping at the mall when she pulled out her Heroes of Black History checkbook to pay for something. After seeing one of the checks, the sales clerk mistook Lacey for Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman! Lacey is a young, beautiful, black woman living in today's world and the photo of a gray haired Harriet Tubman is in grainy black and white from the 1800s with a fancy poof collar. It's Harriet Tubman! From 150 years ago! And these two women look nothing alike! And it's just more and more and worse and worse.
The sheer amount of educating Lacey takes on while she's constantly confronted by racism is overwhelming. The lunacy of it all is something else. Lacey remains upbeat about it and there's a fair share of joking around between sisters throughout the book. Lacey and Amber have been talking on the phone about these stories for decades. When Lacey calls Amber to share various incidents, Amber knows it's going to be a doozy, because the stuff that happens to Lacey is next level.
There's no such thing as lighthearted stories of racism, but Amber's expertise in comedy writing opens up Lacey's stories for a larger audience. I laughed until I cried and then I cried because our world needs to do a lot more work. Everyone deserves so much better.