Rabbit
A Memoir
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4.7 • 454 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work
"An absolute must-read" – Shondaland
“[Rabbit] tells how it went down with brutal honesty and outrageous humor” – New York Times
They called her Rabbit.
Patricia Williams (aka Ms. Pat) was born and raised in Atlanta at the height of the crack epidemic. One of five children, Pat watched as her mother struggled to get by on charity, cons, and petty crimes. At age seven, Pat was taught to roll drunks for money. At twelve, she was targeted for sex by a man eight years her senior. By thirteen, she was pregnant. By fifteen, Pat was a mother of two.
Alone at sixteen, Pat was determined to make a better life for her children. But with no job skills and an eighth-grade education, her options were limited. She learned quickly that hustling and humor were the only tools she had to survive. Rabbit is an unflinching memoir of cinematic scope and unexpected humor. With wisdom and humor, Pat gives us a rare glimpse of what it’s really like to be a black mom in America.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this provocative memoir, popular comedian and podcast celebrity Williams describes coming of age amid poverty, neglect, and racism in 1980s Atlanta. Nicknamed "Rabbit" by her alcoholic mother, she learned to steal at age seven while living in the house of her grandfather, who sold moonshine to his "good-time regulars." Although Williams's mother put her five children in constant jeopardy with her boyfriends, one of them sexually assaulted 12-year-old Rabbit and her sister and gave them five dollars and a few pieces of fried chicken to not tell anyone. By 15, Rabbit was a mother of two, seduced by a slick older married man in the drug trade; at 16, she peddled crack to support her babies, got shot by a gang member, and was later sentenced to a year in jail for selling crack. Important revelations about her life goals came during her time in Fulton County Jail, and she eventually finished her educational requirements to become a medical assistant upon her 1991 release. Williams displays self-deprecating humor in her book's dramatic moments, and she bares her soul throughout this inspiring, page-turning narrative.
Customer Reviews
OMG! THIS WAS INCREDIBLE! 10 STARS!
All my life growing up, I was forced to read books about white main characters or about slavery from the perspective of the slave—never any books that intrigued me or kept me on the edge of my seat like this book.
When I tell you I LOVE MS. PAT SO MUCH, I mean it like she was my own auntie. I’ve loved her comedy and now reading about her upbringing, her family, her struggles, her rise thru the education system, and bettering her mental health thru laughter/comedy was EXTREMELY INSPIRING, as someone who’s currently looking to start doing stand-up & was inspired by the lives of people such as Bernie Mac & herself.
This book was so well written, it was as if I could hear Ms. Pat telling it herself—Ms. Jeannine was THE PERFECT PERSON to take her story and make it a bestseller! I would read this story again, and as someone who HATED reading growing up and is just now reading this autobiography after buying it YEARS AGO—I couldn’t have been more happy with my purchase. I finished this book in a matter of 3 days (faster than ANY BOOK) and was LIVID when I’d finished it bc I couldn’t put it down.
THANK YOU, Ms. Pat, for being so unashamed to tell your story and for inspiring this 26-year-old Black man to never let adversity keep me from believing that God’s love was not strong enough to pull ANYONE out of their situation & into the spotlight, where God can use them for His glory! Ughhh, so good! I love you, Ms. Pat—and again, THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART FOR PUBLISHING THIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY!
Great Read!
The book was well written and executed. The book is like when you get to the comfort ability and vulnerability level of a friendship. It was heartbreaking, heartwarming, and funny at the same time. I truly recommend the book.
Street Dreams
This story was heart-wrenching, heart-warming and inspiring. Ms. Pat turned her hustle, tragedies and misfortunes in to Street Dreams.