By Rain Pryor, Cathy Crimmins
210 pages; Regan

Rain Pryor didn't officially meet her father, Richard, until her mother (his ex) took her to his Hollywood mansion, where the famous comedian dazzled the 4-year-old with his glittery celebrity and enveloping hugs. Later she coped with his womanizing, druggy rages, hostile ex-wives, and suicide attempt—as well as the multiple sclerosis that finally upstaged him. Jokes My Father Never Taught Me (Regan), written with Cathy Crimmins, is a young woman's evocation of the "Black Prince" who, with all his failings, captured her heart.

— Cathleen Medwick