Rabbit — The Autobiography of Ms. Pat
by Patricia Williams and Jeanine Amber
This autobiography of comedian and actress Patricia Williams, a.k.a. 'Ms. Pat' is one of the most striking stories you'll ever read. It is about how nasty and lonely life can be growing up as black, poor, and female in America. It traces the true life story of how Patricia (also known by the street nickname "Rabbit"), despite the impossible circumstances of her birth and upbringing, escaped a brutal childhood of poverty, abuse, and crime to become a successful entertainer, family woman, and trailblazer.
It is also a story that portrays the power of love in its purest form and how total strangers can be the angels that appear in your darkest periods and keep you going. "Rabbit" shows how humans are capable of the greatest evil and can also be vessels for the greatest good.
Patricia Williams was one of five children born to a poor, jobless, abusive alcoholic mother. The first few years of her life, which she also describes as the least awful of her childhood, were spent in her grandfather's 'house', a rundown apartment that also served as a bar where her grandfather sold illegal moonshine to a very unholy lineup of customers. In that murky, smelly bootleg house, Patricia's mother, whom she writes would "do anything for a little extra cash… except get a regular job," taught eight-year-old Patricia to pickpocket from drunk, unwary customers.
Soon after, an unfortunate incident at the bootleg house landed her grandfather, the only source of unadulterated adult care and attention, in jail. With that gone, any semblance of stability in her life vanished. Her trainwreck of a mother began to move them every few months — depending on how quickly the rent expired. They paraded different churches and did fake baptisms to get free food, sold roadside waste at the recycling plant, and her brothers stole, pickpocketed, and tried their hands at every vice. Along the line, their mother looked the other way as an irresponsible adult neighbor sexually abused her two daughters for years in return for food and groceries. Such was how grim her childhood was, and that wasn't even the worst of it.
Amid all that chaos, Rabbit wound up pregnant at 13 for a good-for-nothing married 20-year-old. She moved into her place and dropped out of school, and within six months, she was pregnant again. She began fending for herself and her babies alone, relying on a small welfare package and little to no help from Derrick, her cheating, irresponsible baby daddy. Then suddenly, Derrick began to lavish her with money, and it turned out that Derrick had started selling crack. When he went to jail, things turned awry again, and Patricia, seemingly left with no options, found herself selling drugs at 15. She soon had a thriving business; it was the 1980s, and the crack epidemic in the US at the time had just landed in Atlanta. She made so much money, supported her tiny family comfortably, and could accommodate the children of her relatives, whom she took in. In the course of all this, she ran away from the police, was shot twice, and even bagged a one-year jail term.
After five years of this rough and dangerous life, she finally got the boldness to cut off Derrick, and shortly after, she met the individual who impacted her life the most: her husband, Michael. Michael brought stability and direction, eased the burden of raising several kids alone, and gradually changed her life's trajectory. Patricia stopped selling drugs at Michael's insistence. She got her GED at 23 and focused on getting a real job, a big one at the time, because of her criminal record.
In one of her frequent meetings with her caseworker, she made her laugh so much that she suggested she become a comedian. Thus, an idea was planted, and years later, she decided to try comedy. As it turned out, she was so good at it and loved doing it. She realized she had a gift for laughing at her pain, taking tragic scenarios and making them hilarious. The result of that journey into comedy is this profoundly honest and moving book about a harrowing life that metamorphosed into an inspiring story about the power of determination, hope, and love.
There are many things to treasure about this book. One that stands out is the seamless mixture of humor and tragedy while retelling grueling stories. While reading this book, many portions of it will have you torn between laughing and crying because, on the one hand, they are sad experiences that no one should have to go through,gh but, on the other hand, they are told with such bluntness and directness you can't help but find them hilarious. It is such a delicate balance that makes it hard to put down once you start reading and reflects the author's standup comedy style.
"Rabbit" also shows that hopes and dreams are valid. As a child, one of Patricia's favorite TV shows was a family drama named Leave It to Beaver. The family in that show fascinated her, and she had always dreamed of something similar. It seemed unlikely, of course, but with Michael, she finally got that dream life: children bustling with excitement, a loving husband, and ducks swimming in the pool in her yard. It should be mentioned here that Ms. Pat now has a TV show centered around her real-life family. So she went from watching an ideal family show to having her family show!
"Rabbit" also highlights the immense damage that physical, emotional, and sexual abuse from a tender age can cause. Derrick abused Patricia sexually and often beat her. He held such a big influence on her for years because she had become emotionally attached to him until she understood that she deserved better and finally cut him off. Her mother also abused her physically and emotionally. She beat her and her siblings severally, rarely showed them any warmth, and let older men take advantage of Patricia and her sister, Sweetie. She even used gunshots to 'discipline' them on several occasions, and Patricia remembers how her mother destroyed her self-esteem by telling her that white people are better than her.
Importantly, this book also exemplifies the power that one or two good people showing love, care, and attention can wield on a person. Throughout the book, random people with good hearts play a key role in Patricia's life. First, her teacher, Miss Troup, encouraged her to dream and did other tiny acts of kindness that went a long way. Next, it was her social workers, Miss Campbell and Miss Munroe; then Hubert Hood, the elderly laundromat owner who took care of her children while she was selling crack; then Duck and Lamont, whom she encountered while buying and selling drugs. We also see people like Avery and Double D, who helped her when her comedy career was taking off. Her most significant influence was her husband, Michael, who raised over eight children (only two of which were his) with her and helped turn her life around.
In conclusion, "Rabbit" is about 'breaking the cycle'. Nobody in her family had ever graduated high school. The legacy she inherited was one of illiteracy, poverty, and vice. Her uncle was a robber, her brothers were constantly in and out of jail, and her sister Sweetie was a replica of her mother in how she raised her children. Patricia was the only one able to retrace her steps and create a new legacy for the next generation. She adopted her sister's kids, and along with her kids, she committed to raising them differently.
You can't escape this book without having a roller coaster of emotions. The author's experiences are candid and relatable and resonate with existing societal issues even today. Its humor is direct, blunt, and unforced. It is an incredible autobiography, and Jeanine Amber, the co-author, did a fantastic job bringing Patricia Williams' story to life. The author's other works, like her standup comedy and TV show, are also great.
