Richard Pryor's Daughter on Life with the Funny Man

By John Ydstie

Published January 7, 2007 at 8:00 AM EST

Rain Pryor writes about her famous comedian father, Richard Pryor, in the book <em>Jokes My Father Never Taught Me</em>. — Rain Pryor writes about her famous comedian father, Richard Pryor, in the book *Jokes My Father Never Taught Me*.

For Rain Pryor, being the daughter of comedian Richard Pryor, wasn't always one long laughfest. Her father's use of drugs and alcohol resulted in savage dark moods of anger and abuse directed toward his children and women.

Rain Pryor has written about both the happy and difficult times in her relationship with her father in Jokes My Father Never Taught Me.

John Ydstie

John Ydstie has covered the economy, Wall Street, and the Federal Reserve at NPR for nearly three decades. Over the years, NPR has also employed Ydstie's reporting skills to cover major stories like the aftermath of Sept. 11, Hurricane Katrina, the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. He was a lead reporter in NPR's coverage of the global financial crisis and the Great Recession, as well as the network's coverage of President Trump's economic policies. Ydstie has also been a guest host on the NPR news programs Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. Ydstie stepped back from full-time reporting in late 2018, but plans to continue to contribute to NPR through part-time assignments and work on special projects.

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