| | Prelude | p. xiii |
| | Introduction: The Fear of Black Laughter | p. xv |
| | | |
| | A Native Son of Wistful Vista | p. 3 |
| | "There's a Bad Muthafucka CominÆ Your Way" | p. 22 |
| | Backing Up While Swimming | p. 30 |
| | "Ain't That Many of Us to Go Around" | p. 40 |
| | | |
| | "Give Me Some Milk or Else Go Home" | p. 51 |
| | A Way Out of Here Other Than That Door | p. 72 |
| | Monday, December 22, 1969 | p. 95 |
| | | |
| | There's a Riot GoinÆ On | p. 107 |
| | The Word Made Flesh | p. 118 |
| | A Screaming Comes across the Sky | p. 126 |
| | "Nigger, Come Out of That Black Skin and Be Black, Nigger" | p. 132 |
| | "Let It Stay Heavy if Not Hard" | p. 145 |
| | | |
| | "I See That Man in My Mind and Go with Him" | p. 161 |
| | "There's a Person Here That's Possessed" | p. 176 |
| | "Let's Get Him before Somebody Else Does" | p. 187 |
| | Surrender, Richard | p. 198 |
| | "You Hollywood Faggots Can Kiss My Rich Happy Black Ass" | p. 207 |
| | "Does It Look Like I'm Smiling to You, Motherfucker?" | p. 211 |
| | "When You Get off That Stage, There's a Loneliness That Comes over You" | p. 217 |
| | "My Mind's Thinking About Shit I Don't Want to Be Thinkin' About" | p. 226 |
| | | |
| | "The Part of Me That Wanted to Die Did" | p. 239 |
| | Is Comedy Stand-Up Poetry? | p. 247 |
| | "I Guess That's a Smile. I Hope That's His Face" | p. 249 |
| | "I'm Finding It Hard Imitating Richard Pryor" | p. 259 |
| | The Last Temptation of Richard | p. 264 |
| | Epilogue: Going to Meet the Man | p. 277 |
| | Joe's Postscript | p. 279 |
| | Acknowledgments | p. 283 |
| | Sources | p. 285 |