FIERCE, FUNNY,
AND FEMALE
A Journey Through Middle America,
the Texas Oil Field, and Standup Comedy
by
MARTI MacGIBBON
Genre: Memoir / Drama / Humor
Publisher: Stay Strong Publishing
Publication Date: March 20, 2017
Number of Pages: 412 pages
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This book is the celebrated prequel to the critically acclaimed, nationally award-winning and bestselling memoir, Never Give in to Fear. In her raw, vivid, and unabashed style, author Marti MacGibbon delivers a sometimes heartbreaking, often hilarious, always engaging account of her passage through trauma, betrayal, and loss in adolescence and young adulthood to discover her inner badass self. As one of the first women to work as a laborer in the Texas oil field, she set off explosives and staked oil wells before realizing her childhood dream of becoming a successful standup comic. Marti introduces readers to a wide range of characters in her life: from sleazy authority figures, wannabe Sixties musicians and crazed Corn Belt cult leaders, to Texas oil billionaires and wildcatters, to wild-eyed redneck coworkers who robbed banks on their lunch hour―in the company truck. The book includes scenes with iconic comedians, Hollywood entertainment industry moguls, and a legendary bluesman, and offers insights into resiliency, courage, and self-empowerment.
WINNER, 2017 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards in Humor
WINNER, 2017 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards in Women’s Studies
WINNER, 2017 National Indie Excellence Awards in Women’s Health
WINNER, 2017 Beverly Hills Book Awards in Women’s Issues
WINNER, 2018 Independent Press Award in Humor
WINNER, 2018 Independent Press Award in Women’s Studies
WINNER, 2018 New York City Book Book Award, Women’s Studies
FINALIST, 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Memoir (Overcoming Adversity)
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PRAISE FOR FIERCE, FUNNY, AND FEMALE:
“Being funny is a survival skill. Fierce, Funny, and Female is not only a survivor’s tale but an inspirational story of overcoming the unthinkable, again and again…Her courage and comedy make Fierce, Funny, and Female a winner.” — Foreword Clarion Reviews
“An effervescently witty…chronicle of perseverance and the power to overcome the darkest of days…Perhaps the most rewarding chapter in this chatty, affecting book is the concluding one, where MacGibbon lists the tried-and-true pearls of wisdom that continue to sustain her…” — Kirkus Reviews
“Fierce, Funny, and Female is a thoroughly engaging memoir packed with witty observations, high adventure, and a glimpse of behind-the-scenes Hollywood. Highly recommended!” — Midwest Book Review
“MacGibbon is a natural storyteller, and her life story is a most interesting one. The characters she has run across during her life journey are well-drawn and absolutely fascinating, particularly the good ol’ boys in the Texas oilfields.” — San Francisco Book Review
Marti MacGibbon has truly led a very challenging life!! However, she is also a bold inspiration, and living proof that if there is a will, there is a way.
This memoir follows Marti from her teenage years beginning in 1969 up to present day, where she is enjoying the realization of a lifelong dream. Marti’s story is not an easy one to read in many ways.
I’ll be completely honest and say that most of this book is harrowing, and one should be prepared to read about some uncomfortable topics. Marti lays it all out there, with blunt honesty, with no holds barred. The story is a heavy one, which can take a toll on one’s emotions. I had to take a break from Marti’s reality from time to time for what I nicknamed ‘bleakness-breaks.”
However, if you want to see true feminism, follow Marti’s story. She has worked in male dominated fields her entire life and carved out a niche for herself despite the odds. Finding women out in the Texas Oil Fields was a very rare occurrence in the eighties, but Marti stuck with it, making me feel a little abashed for complaining about the ‘good ole boy’ network I had to cope with, back before I retired.
She stuck it out, in a rough environment, which, in the end, helped her build both a physical and mental toughness that prepared her for the next stage in her life. Although she was victimized, suffered through addictions and mental health issues, and made some whopping errors in judgment, she also had guts, grit, and determination, and became a survivor. She is a true trailblazer and has come out on the other side of her tribulations to become a successful stand- up comedian, motivational speaker, and author. Seriously, this lady has rubbed elbows with some very well-known comedians!! Not only that, she pays it forward by helping others who have battled the same demons she has.
There is only one hole in the book, which is centered around Marti’s daughter. The fight for custody was one of Marti’s main reasons for toughing it out in the oil fields, but we were never updated on how things turned out on that front.
Other than that, Marti’s voice is genuine and realistic, and the story flows with a steady pace. I was able to visualize Marti’s life and the various people she introduced me too, as well as the landscape she describes. The ‘oil field’ language can be colorful, so one should be prepared for that, in advance, but I’m glad she didn’t water anything down.
Although the positive aspects of Marti’s life took a while to surface, it makes her success seem that much sweeter.
One thing that strikes me is how far we’ve come in the time span covered in this book, with Marti paving paths in ways she never realized at the time. Sadly, her last comments in the author segment were written in a time when new and exciting prospects seemed possible in our country. It wasn't all that long ago, but feel like that was ages ago.
Although there was still much work to be done, we could look back with pride and see the great strides we’d taken over the past decades. However, some of the major progress we’ve made in women’s rights and in civil rights are once more threatened. But, if I gleaned anything from Marti’s story, it is to keep fighting the good fight, to face challenges head on, and to never give up on your hopes and dreams!!
A compelling speaker and storyteller, Marti MacGibbon delivers high-energy presentations and writes books on overcoming adversity, addiction and recovery, and inspiration, with humor and a genuine, down-to-earth style. She’s experienced critical situations that no human being should have to face. In the past, she hit rock bottom in every possible way as a hard-core drug addict, was homeless, and was trafficked to Tokyo and held prisoner by Japanese organized crime. Her story of triumph is testimony to the power of the human spirit. Marti lives her message. She reveals simple, effective strategies that anyone can use to get back on track, build resiliency, reduce stress, and cultivate a sense of humor.
Marti is a bestselling author, inspirational speaker, certified addiction treatment professional, Gorski certified relapse-prevention specialist, and member of the National Speakers Association. She’s been interviewed in Entrepreneur, Investor’s Business Daily, on ABC-TV, CBS-TV, and numerous radio shows. And she’s funny: Marti traveled all over the U.S. as a professional standup comic and performed at the Hollywood Improv and Comedy Store. She is founder, producer and host of Laff-aholics Comedy Benefit for Recovery, an annual charity fundraiser in Indianapolis featuring nationally headlining comedians. She also serves on the outreach committee of IPATH, Indiana Protection for Abused and Trafficked Humans Task Force.
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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
Each of Three Winners Gets a Signed Copy of the Book PLUS:
FIRST PRIZE:
$100 Spa Finder gift card + $25 Starbucks gift card + Moroccan oil sample collection
SECOND PRIZE:
Estee Lauder Limited Edition Gift Set + $25 Starbucks gift card
THIRD PRIZE:
$25 Starbucks gift card.
DECEMBER 12-21, 2018
(U.S. Only)
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Excellent review! I think sometimes we have to read the bleakness and what makes us uncomfortable in other people's lives to appreciate our own -- or at least be able to commiserate that we're not alone in our struggles. Looking forward to reading this.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your thoughtful, insightful, and eloquent review of Fierce, Funny, and Female! And what a wonderful presentation here. I'm deeply moved by the fact that you decided to stay the course, taking the journey through the heavy parts
ReplyDeletewith my earlier self. The update about Marti's daughter is not in this book, because the struggle continues, along with other adversities I survived, in another memoir, Never Give in to Fear: Laughing All the Way Up from Rock Bottom. But it's got a happy ending, true love, and redemption.