We Killed - The Rise of Women in American Comedy

Yael Kohen

Summary

No matter how many times female comedians buck the conventional wisdom, people continue to ask: "Are women funny?" The question has been nagging at women off and on (mostly on) for the past sixty years. It's incendiary, much discussed, and, as proven in Yael Kohen's fascinating oral history, totally wrongheaded.In We Killed, Kohen pieces together the revolution that happened to (and by) women in American comedy, gathering the country's most prominent comediennes and the writers, producers, nightclub owners, and colleagues who revolved around them. She starts in the 1950s, when comic success meant ridiculing and desexualizing yourself; when Joan Rivers and Phyllis Diller emerged as America's favorite frustrated ladies; when the joke was always on them. Kohen brings us into the sixties and seventies, when the appearance of smart, edgy comedians (Elaine May, Lily Tomlin) and the women's movement brought a new wave of radicals: the women of SNL, tough-ass stand-ups, and a more independent breed on TV (Mary Tyler Moore and her sisters). There were battles to fight and preconceptions to shake before we could arrive in a world in which women like Chelsea Handler, Sarah Silverman, and Tina Fey can be smart, attractive, sexually confident—and, most of all, flat-out funny.As the more than 150 people interviewed for this riveting oral history make clear, women have always been funny. It's just that every success has been called an exception and every failure an example of the rule. And as each generation of women has developed its own style of comedy, the coups of the previous era are washed away and a new set of challenges arises. But the result is the same: They kill. A chorus of creative voices and hilarious storytelling, We Killed is essential cultural and social history, and—as it should be!—great entertainment.

Available since: 10/16/2012.

Print length: 352 pages.

Other books that might interest you

KNOW ABOUT "MAHATMA GANDHI" -...

Saurabh Singh Chauhan

This is small part of the Introduction of the book: Dear reader, as we embark on a journey through the life and legacy of one of history's most extraordinary figures, Mahatma Gandhi. In this biographical exploration, we shall delve into the remarkable events, principles, and philosophies that shaped Gandhi's profound impact on India and the world. Mahatma Gandhi, lovingly referred to as the "Father of the Nation" in India, was a visionary leader whose principles of non-violence, truth, and social justice transcended boundaries and inspired a global movement for change.  His journey, marked by determination, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment, left an indelible mark on the pages of history. 
Early Life and Education (Chapter 1) introduces us to the formative years of Gandhi, tracing his upbringing and education in Gujarat, India. We'll witness the seeds of his lifelong values taking root and his early encounters with the inequalities that fueled his passion for justice. 
In The Journey to Becoming Mahatma (Chapter 2), we'll accompany Gandhi as he ventures to South Africa, where he developed his philosophy of Satyagraha or nonviolent resistance. His experiences there laid the groundwork for his transformative role in India's struggle for freedom.

Show book

Common Sense

Thomas Paine

Do you want to listen to Common Sense? If so then keep reading…Common Sense is the timeless classic that inspired the Thirteen Colonies to fight for and declare their independence from Great Britain in the summer of 1776. Written by famed political theorist Thomas Paine, this pamphlet boldly challenged the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy to rule over the American colonists.By using plain language and a reasoned style, Paine chose to forego the philosophical and Latin references made popular by the Enlightenment era writers. As a result, Paine united average citizens and political leaders behind the central idea of independence and transformed the tenor of the colonists’ argument against the British. As the best-selling American title of all time, Common Sense has been eloquently described by historian Gordon S. Wood as "the most incendiary and popular pamphlet of the entire revolutionary era."Thomas Paine (1737–1809) was an English-American political activist, philosopher, and revolutionary. As one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, he authored the most influential pamphlets at the start of the American Revolution and inspired the colonists to declare independence from Great Britain in 1776. His ideas reflected the Enlightenment-era rhetoric of transnational human rights and the separation of church and state. He has been called a corset-maker by trade, a journalist by profession, and a propagandist by inclination.What are you waiting for Common Sense is one click away, start listening Now!

Show book

Closing Time - A True Story of...

Anita Paddock

Kenneth Staton was the well-respected owner of a jewelry store in Van Buren, Arkansas. Although crippled with rheumatoid arthritis and unable to walk without crutches, he had built his business through excellent watch repair work, fine quality jewelry sold at fair prices, and a dedication to his customers that surpassed all other merchants. He was the quintessential gentleman in all aspects of his life, and a beloved father. 
 
 
Unknown to him, two men—a seasoned criminal with a propensity for violence and a younger man, handsome, but broke and with an obsessive thirst for alcohol—plotted to rob the jewelry store at closing time on September 10, 1980. The thugs had only met each other days before, and it was the younger one's first venture into armed robbery. 
 
 
 
When Staton and his daughter Suzanne didn't show up for supper, his other two daughters became alarmed and went to the store. There they found the bodies of their father and youngest sister lying in pools of blood, gagged, hogtied, and shot twice in the head. Close to $100,000 dollars in diamonds and other jewelry had been stolen. 
 
 
 
This senseless, bloody crime rocked the town of Van Buren and set its lawmen, sworn to find the killers, on a fiercely determined hunt that led from Rogers, Arkansas to Jacksonville, Florida, and all the way to Vancouver, Canada.

Show book

My Usual Table - A Life in...

Colman Andrews

A vivid memoir and an “appealing” love letter to great restaurants by a James Beard Award winner and founding editor of Saveur (Los Angeles Times). 
 
For Colman Andrews, restaurants have been his playground, his theater, his university, his church, his refuge. The establishments he has loved have not only influenced culinary trends at home and abroad, but represent the changing history and culture of food in America and Western Europe. From his usual table, he has watched the growth of Nouvelle Cuisine and fusion cuisine; the organic and locavore movements; nose-to-tail eating; and so-called “molecular gastronomy.” 
 
In My Usual Table, Andrews interweaves his own story—from growing up in the sunset years of Hollywood’s golden age and dining at Chasen’s and Trader Vic’s to traveling the world in pursuit of great food—with tales of the restaurants, chefs, and restaurateurs who are emblematic of the revolutions great and small that have forever changed the way we eat, cook, and think about food. 
 
“In the hands of a less adept writer, Andrews’ narratives of movie stars cavorting in their favorite restaurant haunts or dining at his parents’ house might seem mere name-dropping, but his respect and affection for these celebrities make for enjoyable storytelling.” —Booklist 
 
“A compelling writer . . . his descriptions of restaurants past will lead readers who chronicle their own days in Instagrammed meals on an adventure in armchair time travel.” —San Francisco Chronicle

Show book

The Chick and the Dead - Life...

Carla Valentine

Carla Valentine works with the dead. After studying forensics, she assisted pathologists with post-mortems for years before becoming the curator of the world's most famous pathology museum. When it comes to death, she truly is an expert, and in this book she shares that expertise. 
 
 
 
Using the most common post-mortem process as the backbone of the narrative, The Chick and the Dead takes the listener through the process of an autopsy while also describing the history and changing cultures of our relationship with the dead. The book is full of vivid insight into what happens to our bodies in the end. Each chapter considers an aspect of an autopsy alongside an aspect of Carla's own life and work and touches on some of the more controversial aspects of our feelings towards death, including the relationship between sex and death and our attitudes toward human tissue collection. 
 
 
 
Starting with the first cut, we move from external examination into the body itself, discovering more about the heart, stomach, and brain, and into dismembered and reconstructed bodies, at each stage taking a colorful detour into the question of what these things can teach us about the living.

Show book

Serial Killers - Looking into...

Matt Belster

This is a 3-book bundle, which addresses various subtopics, including but not limited to these:
Book 1: Are all serial killers the same, or do they have different motives, methods, or origins?
In this guide, we will answer those questions in the first chapter. They come in all shapes and sizes.
The following chapters after that will be devoted to some extremely notorious murderers that have, sadly, walked the planet and victimized countless helpless citizens, causing them to leave this world prematurely or in unprecedented ways. It concerns these serial killers:
The Zodiac Killer
Donald Gaskins
Andrei Chikatilo
Patrick Kearney
Dennis Rader
Book 2: Many people try to get a grasp of what goes on in the mind of a serial killer. Today, we can at least show you a limited perspective and some solid insights in the workings of their brains. Their reasons, their background, and their murder stories will be exposed to a certain degree. The serial killers that are specifically discussed in this guide, are:
Tsutomu Miyazaki
Alexander Pichushkin
John Haigh
Paul John Knowles
If you haven’t heard of these murderers before, then now is the time. If you have, then you will probably find these facts and stories particularly interesting as well.
Book 3: Today, some of the most notorious, gruesome serial killers will be explained: The brutal rapes, mutilation, murders and stories by the following killers will be laid forth:
Ted Bundy
Jack the Ripper
Luis Garavito
Ahmad Suradji
Charles Cullen
William Bonin
Undoubtedly, some of these names sound familiar.

Show book