Chapter Five: Six Years – Summary & Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
After graduating and taking Jamie Foxx’s advice to “live life,” Leslie spends six years working a revolving door of day jobs. She starts with Orange County, serving as a justice of the peace, a court runner, and an annulment clerk—getting fired for missing too many days. A catering job ends when she threatens her manager. She then works as a waitress, bartender, hostess, and cook at Spoons Grill and Bar while also working the overnight shift at the post office.
Her relationship with Richard, an older man she moved in with out of necessity, deteriorates. Leslie describes having three abortions during this period, learning about birth control only after visiting Planned Parenthood. The breaking point comes when Richard’s mother visits and treats Leslie disrespectfully; Leslie packs her bags at Venice Beach and leaves Richard, though the back-and-forth continues for years.
She moves to South LA, commuting two hours each way to Glendale for jobs at Scientologist-run companies. After getting fired from both, she takes a position at UPS. With a month before that starts, she volunteers as a basketball coach at a local YWCA. Despite sexism and being given the “leftover” kids, she turns the team into league champions. The kids challenge her to pursue comedy, and after a friend confronts her about not doing it, Leslie calls Comedy Act Theater and gets booked that night. Her first set earns laughs and encouragement from club owner Michael Williams and manager Sharon.
Leslie hones her physical act, including her signature “running joke”—based on a real date where she felt pressured into sex. She continues to perform while staying broke, living with family. Her brother tells her she’s “not funny” and to get a real job, but she persists. The chapter ends with Leslie finding Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles and turning to God.
Key Events
- Leslie works a series of odd jobs for Orange County (justice of the peace, court runner, annulment clerk) and is fired from each.
- She gets fired from a catering job after threatening her manager, Tom.
- Leslie works multiple jobs simultaneously, including Spoons Grill and Bar and the post office.
- She has three abortions, eventually learning birth control at Planned Parenthood.
- Richard’s mother visits and treats Leslie like a prostitute; Leslie leaves Richard at Venice Beach.
- She works for Scientologist companies twice, gets fired, and moves to South LA.
- Leslie becomes a basketball coach at a YWCA, coaching a co-ed team of “leftovers” to a league championship.
- The kids inspire her to pursue comedy; she calls Comedy Act Theater and performs a seven-minute set.
- She develops the “running joke” about a date where she felt coerced into sex.
- Her brother tells her she’s not funny and should get a real job.
Character Development
Leslie evolves from a directionless young woman who jumps between jobs to someone who finally commits to her comedy dream. Her early passivity—accepting Richard’s control, staying in jobs she hates—gives way to assertiveness, as seen when she walks out on Richard and when she refuses to be bullied by her catering manager. The coaching chapter reveals her leadership skills and ability to see value in others, traits she later applies to her comedy. Her vulnerability emerges in the raw recounting of her abortions and the sexual coercion that inspired the running joke. By the end, she has found a purpose and refuses to let her brother’s cruelty stop her.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Perseverance vs. Self-Doubt: Leslie constantly questions whether she can be a comedian but keeps showing up. The voice in the parking lot mirrors the internal fear she learns to overcome.
- Physical Comedy as Catharsis: Leslie’s love for Buster Keaton and John Ritter leads her to a physical style that makes trauma livable. The running joke transforms a painful experience into a crowd-pleaser.
- Rejection and Mentorship: From being passed around county jobs to coaching “reject” kids, Leslie learns that rejection can be a stepping stone. She mentors her players on handling failure, echoing her own father’s lessons.
- Sexism and Racism: Leslie faces sexist assumptions as a female coach and racist attitudes from earlier managers. These experiences sharpen her resolve.
- Finding Purpose through Service: Coaching gives Leslie a sense of mission and also forces her to confront her own stalled dream. The kids’ question “When we going to see you do it?” becomes the catalyst for her return to comedy.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is the crucible of Leslie’s identity. It explains how she went from a college comedy contest to a genuine pursuit of stand-up. The six-year span shows that success was not overnight; it required patience, survival, and self-discovery. The abortion and sexual coercion passages are unusually candid for a memoir, highlighting the lack of sex education and support systems for young Black women. The coaching section demonstrates that Leslie’s talent for motivation and reading people—skills she later uses onstage—was always there. The brother’s dismissal echoes earlier family doubt and sets up the long arc of proving them wrong. Ultimately, this chapter answers the question “Why did she wait so long?” with a clear answer: she had to first learn who she was.
Study Questions and Answers
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How does Leslie’s experience coaching the YWCA basketball team reflect the themes of rejection and mentorship in her own life?
Leslie’s team consists of “leftover” kids other coaches gave up on. She recognizes their hidden strengths, just as she herself was often underestimated. By teaching them to handle rejection and channel their energy, she models the resilience she herself needs to pursue comedy—and the kids’ success reinforces her belief that she too can succeed. -
Why does Leslie describe her “running joke” as making a traumatic experience “livable”? What does this reveal about the role of comedy in her life?
The joke is based on a date where she felt pressured into sex and later regretted not leaving. By crafting a humorous version where she runs away, she reclaims agency and control over the story. Comedy becomes a tool to process pain, transform humiliation into laughter, and assert her own narrative. Her therapist’s insight confirms that humor helped her cope. -
Leslie’s brother tells her she’s “not funny” and to get a real job. How does this moment influence her trajectory in the chapter?
The brother’s cruelty echoes her father’s earlier dismissals and could have crushed her. Instead, Leslie internalizes it as a challenge. She does not argue but continues to get booked, knowing that her brother has never seen her perform. This external doubt strengthens her internal conviction and foreshadows the long journey to prove him wrong.