I Take My Coffee Black

Reflections on Tupac, Musical Theater, Faith, and Being Black in America

By: Tyler Merritt, Jimmy Kimmel - introduction

Narrated by: Jimmy Kimmel, Tyler Merritt, James Iglehart, Jerrie Elaine Merritt, Milton Merrit

In the wake of his deeply powerful viral videos ("Before You Call the Cops" and "Walking While Black"), Tyler Merritt shares his experiences as a black man in America with truth, humor, and poignancy.

Tyler Merritt's video "Before You Call the Cops" has been viewed millions of times. He's appeared on Jimmy Kimmel and Sports Illustrated and has been profiled in the New York Times. The viral video's main point—the more you know someone, the more empathy, understanding, and compassion you have for that person—is the springboard for this book. By sharing his highs and exposing his lows, Tyler welcomes us into his world in order to help bridge the divides that seem to grow wider every day.

In I Take My Coffee Black, Tyler tells hilarious stories from his own life as a black man in America. He talks about growing up in a multi-cultural community and realizing that he wasn't always welcome, how he quit sports for musical theater (that's where the girls were) to how Jesus barged in uninvited and changed his life forever (it all started with a Triple F.A.T. Goose jacket) to how he ended up at a small Bible college in Santa Cruz because he thought they had a great theater program (they didn't). Throughout his stories, he also seamlessly weaves in lessons about privilege, the legacy of lynching and sharecropping and why you don't cross black mamas. He teaches readers about the history of encoded racism that still undergirds our society today.

By turns witty, insightful, touching, and laugh-out-loud funny, I Take My Coffee Black paints a portrait of black manhood in America and enlightens, illuminates, and entertains—ultimately building the kind of empathy that might just be the antidote against the racial injustice in our society.

Critic reviews

“A sad, happy, moving, troubling, inspirational, humorous and brutal account of the people and experiences that formed this exceptionally well-formed man... (Tyler Merritt) … subtly and kindly reminds us of how much we have in common and that assumptions are made by fools.”
—Jimmy Kimmel

Love It

This book is incredibly engaging. I highly recommend it as a book club selection, or for individual reading.This book uses personal narrative to educate the reader on both social and historical issues. It encourages both discussion and reflection. An added bonus is the humorous accounts biographical in nature. I laughed, cried, and have walked away thinking about what I have heard. Highly recommend!

A must read by any measure

absolutely phenomenal book that is raw emotion where you get to know the author.

Couldn’t put it down

Why proximity breads empathy.

I’ll never forget this or your stories. Thank you.

Please Read this book.

amazing

I would recommend this book to anyone. I am a white woman in her late 30s who is an atheist. mostly because of my experiences with the church and my family using religion in a horrible way. I left the faith almost 20 years ago, in my early 20s. if I had a pastor like you, I may not have left. you truly love the way the teachings of Jesus should be. I saw your before you call the cops video during quarantine 2020. I thought it was a new video, until I listened to your book. it changed me. I shared it everywhere, I went to a blm protest in my very very gun toting republican mountain town. I was very scared that the other protesters, which were a lot, and very angry, were going to shoot my white ass. because in my town, people win ar15s in raffles. when I saw you on Jimmy Kimmel later I was so excited to tell my husband, look, this is THE GUY. I've never seen a more powerful and thought provoking video. which humbled me, and made me a better person. I know I'm late to the game, but I bought your audiobooks right when it came out. I just wasn't in the head space to listen yet. I don't know what made me choose this week, but I'm glad I did. your voice, your convictions, your passion, so inspiring. what's more inspiring is you owning up to your flaws and your mistakes. I constantly drive to be a better person than I was when I was younger. some advice, but give yourself a little leeway. you were young and didn't know anything about life. you were hurt and damaged. forgive yourself. because you are a good person. you truly are. and you and your words changed my life. I'd love to get a coffee sometime.

Thank you

Tyler thank you for your authenticity and your ability to love all people and be so humble in spite of your many gifts!