Fans of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” are familiar with Lewis Black’s comedic style: anger, yelling and a healthy dose of cynicism have made him one of America’s most popular comedians.

His new book, “Nothing Sacred,” takes a look at how he got there, how he became who he was, and is filled with interesting tidbits. I reviewed an audiobook copy, read by the author himself.

Black’s life makes for an interesting story. His tales of middle and high school, and his obsession with girls, makes for some funny moments. And he pulls out some of his best comedic moments and scatters them throughout the book, with his anger over health officials’ flip-flopping over eggs and the flu.

The book, like others written by comedians, generally is good for a chuckle here or there. But like George Carlin’s books, while they’re an entertaining read, some of the humor is lost by the loss of seeing the delivery visually.

Black’s style partially requires his angry delivery to make it happen. Reading it in text, some of that is lost, and the revisions that were required to help it make sense in print (like his hilarious candy corn rant) loses some of its luster.

This brings us to the audiobook version. His delivery is tame for most of the book, but at times his energy shines through and makes the book come alive. By far, the better option is the audiobook, and the CD is unprotected for ripping into an iPod. For casual Black fans, the book is likely sufficient, but hardcore fans will want to grab the slightly more expensive audiobook.

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