You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain

Phoebe Robinson

Oct 2016 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • “A must-read...Phoebe Robinson discusses race and feminism in such a funny, real, and specific way, it penetrates your brain and stays with you.”—Ilana Glazer, co-creator and co-star of Broad City

A hilarious and timely essay collection about race, gender, and pop culture from comedy superstar and 2 Dope Queens podcaster Phoebe Robinson

Being a black woman in America means contending with old prejudices and fresh absurdities every day. Comedian Phoebe Robinson has experienced her fair share over the years: she's been unceremoniously relegated to the role of “the black friend,” as if she is somehow the authority on all things racial; she's been questioned about her love of U2 and Billy Joel (“isn’t that...white people music?”); she's been called “uppity” for having an opinion in the workplace; she's been followed around stores by security guards; and yes, people do ask her whether they can touch her hair all. the. time. Now, she's ready to take these topics to the page—and she’s going to make you laugh as she’s doing it.

Using her trademark wit alongside pop-culture references galore, Robinson explores everything from why Lisa Bonet is “Queen. Bae. Jesus,” to breaking down the terrible nature of casting calls, to giving her less-than-traditional advice to the future female president, and demanding that the NFL clean up its act, all told in the same conversational voice that launched her podcast, 2 Dope Queens, to the top spot on iTunes. As personal as it is political, You Can't Touch My Hair examines our cultural climate and skewers our biases with humor and heart, announcing Robinson as a writer on the rise.

One of Glamour's “Top 10 Books of 2016”

Ratings and reviews

This title is misleading because it is not mostly about natural hair, which is what I thought I was getting myself into. However, I still wasn't too disappointed when I realized what its actual purpose was. I loved phoebe's touch of sarcasm and humor to current world racism controversies and the fact that she took time out to more or less educate people instead of just listing the problems. However, with some situations mentioned in the book, I feel as if racism was contradicted. Sometimes there were points made/expressed that lifted the African American race by putting down another one. But that statement in no way encompasses the whole meaning of the book. Even being a African American female, there are little tidbits of African American history/culture that I learned about and looked more into because of this book. Also, keep in mind, this book is a compilation of "letters" that she has written and put together to make this book, so where it may seem all over the place, There is knowledge to take out of each section! Even though I didn't agree with each single point that she made, she makes it easy to look at the big picture!

Phoebe Robinson is hilarious, this book will have you laugh so hard it hurts. not sure why it only has a 3.5, I'm guessing folks that don't like it, don't have a sense of humor or they're racist, that's the only logical explanation. This book is pure gold!!

Pheebes is so funny, so bright, such a beacon of light and truth. Thank you for writing this, Queen!

About the author

Phoebe Robinson is a stand-up comedian, actress, and the New York Times bestselling author of Everything's Trash, But It's Okay and You Can't Touch My Hair. Most recently, she and Jessica Williams turned their hit WNYC Studios podcast, 2 Dope Queens, into four one-hour HBO specials. Robinson has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Seth Meyers, Conan, Broad City, Search Party, The Daily Show, and the Todayshow; she was also a staff writer on the final season of Portlandia. When not working in TV, she's the host of the critically acclaimed WNYC Studios interview podcast Sooo Many White Guys. She recently made her feature film debut in the Netflix comedy Ibiza.