Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The League of Extraordinarily Funny Women is an illustrated, timely book that celebrates fifty of the most groundbreaking women in comedy who used their gift of humor to shake up the status quo and change perceptions of gender and comedy forever. Step aside, Seinfeld. It's time for the brave, hilarious women of comedy to finally get the recognition they deserve. The people who say women aren't funny are actually saying something else: that humor in the hands of women is radical and scary. Nevertheless, women have persisted for generations now, deploying their wit in game-changing ways. The League of Extraordinarily Funny Women showcases fifty women -- past and present -- who used humor to deliver cutting social commentary, tangle with sensitive subjects, challenge traditional ideas about femininity, and above all, do anything but sit still and stay quiet when laughs are on the line.
This humor-filled book explores where the women are today and how they got there, as well as how they helped change the conversation on what role women played in comedy. This sisterhood of empowering and often under-recognized figures includes generations of trailblazers who went on to become standups, writers, and actresses. These women include Mae West, Lucille Ball, Gilda Radner, Tina Fey, Amy Sedaris, Wanda Sykes, Ellen DeGeneres, Mindy Kaling, Jessica Williams, and many more.
Synopsis
A celebration of the most groundbreaking women in comedy who used humor to shake up the status quo and change perceptions of gender and comedy forever. The League of Extraordinarily Funny Women celebrates the outstanding contributions of fifty women in comedy past and present. From legends like Lucille Ball, Joan Rivers, and Tina Fey to current comedy heroes like Issa Rae, Lena Waithe, Abbi Jacobson, and Tig Notaro, this beautifully illustrated book charts a rich lineage of women using humor to speak truth to power, tangle with sensitive subjects, challenge the status quo, and do anything but sit still and stay quiet when laughs are on the line.
Some of these women broke boundaries as pioneers on stage as well as in front of and behind the camera. Others penned their way into the history of American humor, redrawing the boundaries of writers' rooms to include diverse voices and perspectives. Through their collective work as stand-ups, sketch and improv comics, humor writers, and slapstick film stars, these women formed a network forged by creativity, guts, and a deep love of what comedy can do and be. In the process, they continue to pass their knowledge and insights from woman to woman, from funny generation to funny generation, offering support, inspiration, and, above all, laughter.