D.L. Hughley Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

D.L. Hughley is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and author. As an author, he is best known for books like How Not to Get Shot: And Other Advice From White People and Surrender, White People!: Our Unconditional Terms for Peace.

Most people will recognize Hughley from his place as one of the four Original Kings of Comedy. The group toured all over the country and had a highly successful film called The Original Kings of Comedy that was directed by Spike Lee. Hughley was one of the four comedians along with Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and Bernie Mac.

Hughley was born in Los Angeles in 1963 as Darryl Lynn Hughley. He grew up in South Central Los Angeles and as a teen he was a member of the street gang, the Bloods. He got in trouble as a youth and even was expelled from high school. D.L. made the decision to leave the gang life and ended up studying for his GED, then getting a job with the Los Angeles Times. Later, he began to pursue his career in stand-up comedy.

Hughley is married and he has three children with his wife. He has been married to his wife LaDonna since 1986.

One of his first big breaks as a stand-up comedian was when he was named as the host of ComicView on BET. Around the same time he got a guest starring role on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as one of Will’s friends. Eventually, Hughley got his own television show, The Hughleys. He was writer, producer, and star of the sitcom series which aired for four years. The show was based on his own experiences living in an upscale neighborhood with his family.

D.L. Hughley published his first book in 2012, I Want You to Shut the F#ck Up: How the Audacity of Dopes Is Ruining America. The book is a series of essays as Hughley delivers his sharp, thoughtful commentary on everything from dating to President Obama. The book shows not only Hughley’s humor, but also his intelligence.

In addition to all he does in the world of Hollywood and writing, Hughley has also worked with CNN and as a radio host. The D.L. Hughley Show has been syndicated nationally as an afternoon drive show.

I Want You to Shut the F#ck Up: How the Audacity of Dopes Is Ruining America is Hughley giving the American Dream a much needed wake-up call. He believes that a messed up society is similar to a drug addict. If they are in denial then things are going to keep getting worse until they hit rock bottom. That, he says, is where America is headed unless something changes. In this book, he says that America has become a nation of fat sissies playing Chicken Little in reverse: the sky is falling, but everyone acts like it’s fine.

D.L. makes his case with straight, sobering facts. The country is not the best in any of the major categories from standard of living to life expectancy to literacy. He believes that things are bad now and they are only going to get worse unless you listen to what he has to say in this book. He covers everything from the supposed post-racial society we live in, the similarities between America and drunk guy, and why apologizing is not always the answer to a controversy.

Hughley teamed up with Doug Moe to write Surrender, White People!: Our Unconditional Terms for Peace. The book is a head-on look at race as America is starting to get a lot browner. D.L. believes that black and brown people aren’t going to take a back seat much longer. In order to move forward, Hughley warns that the only way for America to truly move forward is if white people face their history and put away any ideas of superiority.

He makes a serious point there, but they still manage to have a lot of fun with this idea. If America is to hold for their wrongs, D.L, has some satirical ideas for reparations and reconciliation. The good news for white people is that if they follow Hughley’s plan then they can finally get black people to stop talking about oppression, discrimination, and their place in America. This book is not shy in talking about America’s wrongs.

Doug Moe and Hughley also teamed up for How Not to Get Shot: And Other Advice From White People for a hilarious examination on the current race relations in America. The fact is that a black man is three times more likely to be killed by the police than a white man. People like to make excuses for whenever there is a shooting of an unarmed black man and Hughley argues that this is not a new thing. White people have given people advice to black people for as long as anyone can remember and black people still aren’t listening. Now, Hughley is offering a how-to guide for black people, full of insight from white people. Hughley takes the advice of how to act, dress, speak, walk, and drive in the safest manner possible that white people so often give out and turns it into something hilarious.

Black Man, White House: An Oral History of the Obama Years is a send-up of the Obama years as satirically told by the key political players of the era. The book tells you what the Clintons, Republicans, fellow Democrats, and Obama’s own family really think of the former President. Or at least what D.L. Hughley thinks they think. The book is a witty take on Obama’s two terms and looks through his history through the imagined eyes of some of the biggest names in politics. The book is funny throughout, but it may also be the most honestly look at the state of American politics during the Obama presidency.