Call Me Russell: Inside the Outside - Hardcover

by Russell Peters (Author)

The unvarnished life story of stand-up comedian Russell Peters: up close and personal, poignant and entertaining

Russell Peters performs to sell-out stadium crowds around the world, poking fun at race, culture, his immigrant family, and anything else he sets in his sights on. In this candid memoir, he chronicles his life from humble beginnings as a scrawny, bullied, brown kid with ADD growing up in an immigrant family in Canada through his remarkable rise to become one of the world's most beloved, top-earning comics. He has been called Indo-Canadian, Anglo-Indian, South-Asian, South-Asian-Canadian, and, of course, totally hilarious, but in this book you will meet the real Russell Peters, both the comic and the man. You can call him Russell.

• Charts Russell Peters' incredible rise to become one of the biggest standup comics in the world today
• Shares personal details and stories, from heartfelt memories of Peters' family and childhood to his experience with prejudice, trade secrets about the business of comedy, and life in Hollywood
• Includes more than 100 photographs, including many never-before-seen images from Peters' family albums

Front Jacket

This candid memoir chronicles the life of comedian Russell Peters from his humble beginnings in the suburbs of Toronto, where he was a scrawny, brown, bullied kid with ADD, to his remarkable rise as one of the world's most beloved, top-earning comics.

Russell's inspirational story starts with his Anglo-Indian working-class roots, his parents' emigration from India in 1965, and their arrival in Canada with $100, a ten-month-old son, and no one to turn to. He reveals the surprising level of racism that still existed in the 1970s and '80s and how it stopped his father from realizing his dreams of becoming a journalist. That same racism forever changed a five-year-old Russell--making him eternally aware of the color of his skin and the fact that he was somehow different from everybody else.

In school, Russell was the kid who teachers thought would never amount to much in life. But like his father, Russell was a born fighter. He quickly learned how to stick up for himself--in school, in the boxing ring, and later, in comedy clubs and arenas around the world.

An aimless nineteen-year-old smartass, Russell turned to comedy. A few faint giggles from an otherwise uninterested crowd at an open-mic night were all he needed. Russell was hooked and a dream was born.

A mere sixteen years after his first time on stage and immediately following the death of his father, Russell's career exploded. Thanks to YouTube, the Internet, and his belief in his father's guiding hand from the beyond, a legion of loyal fans fell in love with his unique take on race, culture, and tales of his family. From Boston to Beirut, and from San Francisco to Singapore, Russell Peters became the voice of a changing, post-9/11, multicultural world.

Here, for the first time, Russell shares everything from heartfelt memories of his family and childhood to his early, fumbling relationships with women to becoming a father. From family photos that date from the 1920s to baby pictures, class photos, and never-before-seen early set lists, Russell opens up his life and his heart to his fans.

This book is an honest account of a comic's life on the road, backstage, and in the back rooms of Hollywood. Frank, revealing, and sometimes shocking, Call Me Russell is a must-read--a deeply inspirational story for aspiring artists, entrepreneurs, and anyone with big dreams for a better future. Russell Peters is living proof that if you have hope, work hard, and persevere, those dreams will come true.

Back Jacket

Praise for Call Me Russell

"Russell is a powerful and attractive man . . . I predict he's going to be very popular in prison."
--Gene Simmons, KISS

"Sabes que? If I could get a passport, I'd be as internationally well-known as Russell Peters. When I think of Russell I think hilarious, global appeal, and BADASS!"
--George Lopez

"Russell Peters is not a comic's comic, he is not an Indian comic, and he is not a minority comic. He is a TRUE comic. His humor is not limited to one group, and in his wit and undeniable charm, we see how our differences make us all essentially the same. I am proud to call him a friend, a mentor, and, most importantly, my favorite Third-World immigrant."
--Lisa Lampanelli

"Russell has impeccable timing, prolific material, and a forehead that you can see from the last row of whatever arena he happens to be performing in. I truly look forward to the debut of Call Me Russell."
--Jeff Ross

Author Biography

Russell Peters is a global comedy star and Internet sensation. His YouTube clips have been viewed over 75 million times, and he has performed to sold-out crowds at Madison Square Garden, the Sydney Opera House, and London's O2 Arena, where he set a new attendance record. The Atlantic calls him "the man who put Indian comedy on the map," and he is famous for observational humor about race, class, and culture. In 2009 and 2010, he was on the Forbes list of top-earning comedians in the United States, along with Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld.

Clayton Peters is Russell's brother and manager. He lives in Oakville, Ontario, with his wife, Emma, and their dog, Zoe. He commutes between Russell's live dates globally and Los Angeles, and oversees all aspects of his brother's career.

Dannis Koromilas is an acclaimed screenwriter and co-creator/producer of the police drama The Bridge. He is presently developing the Cold War television series REVOLUTION '68. He lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.