Becoming Richard Pryor

An Amazon Best Book of the Month, December 2014: In Becoming Richard Pryor, author Scott Saul quotes Pryor as saying, It s so much easier for me to talk about my life in front of two thousand people than it is one-on-one. But on stage we only get part of the picture and it s in reading Saul s well-researched and comprehensive biography that one begins to realize exactly what went into creating arguably the greatest comedian ever. Starting with his family s origins in Peoria, Illinois where several generations were marked by domestic violence, petty crime, and the ins and outs of running brothels Saul traces Pryor s early days in Greenwich Village, his inner explorations in Berkeley, and the rise of his star in Hollywood. It certainly wasn t pretty; but it s spellbinding at times. Particularly effective is Saul s effort to get into Pryor s head, which rings with authenticity and truth. Chris Schluep