Comedian Tracy Morgan’s new book, I Am the New Black, arrives in stores next week…..

On the pages of the sharply witty memoir, the Emmy-winning 30 Rock star and SNL alum tackles tough topics like diabetes, alcoholism, and living through New York City’s devastating 1980s crack era.

Take a peek at a couple of excerpts:

- “My life growing up was a twisted Bronx version of The Color Purple.”

- “I’ve seen so many of the black males I grew up with end up dead or in prison.”

- “Throughout the eighties and into the nineties, my high school friends and cousins were taken down by drug-related violence. My own family was no different. We were torn apart by drugs and AIDS. I lost a lot of role models to that terrible twosome: dirty needles and a disease society didn’t understand.”

- “Take it from me because I should know: There’s a Tracy Morgan on every block in every neighborhood like the one I came from — that kid who’s off-the-wall funny, who takes on characters for any situation, who can entertain you when the s–t is going down. Entertaining people is how he gets through life, and watching him live out loud like that makes your day better. At least he hopes so. That guy was me. That guy is me.”

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