About this item
From bestselling author Shawn Levy, a hilarious and moving account of the trailblazing women who broke down walls so they could stand before the mic.Today, women are ascendant in stand-up comedy, even preeminent. They make headlines, fill arenas, spawn blockbuster movies. But before Amy Schumer slayed, Tiffany Haddish killed, and Ali Wong drew roars, the very idea of a female comedian seemed, to most of America, like a punch line. And it took a special sort of woman - indeed, a parade of them - to break and remake the mold.In on the Joke is the story of a group of unforgettable women who knocked down the doors of stand-up comedy so other women could get a shot. It spans decades, from Moms Mabley's rise in Black vaudeville between the world wars, to the roadhouse ribaldry of Belle Barth and Rusty Warrenin the 1950s and '60s, to Elaine May's co-invention of improv comedy, to Joan Rivers's and Phyllis Diller's ferocious ascent to mainstream stardom.
About the Author
Shawn Levy is the author of nine books, including the New York Times bestsellers "Rat Pack Confidential" and "Paul Newman: A Life." He served as film critic of The Oregonian from 1997 to 2012 and KGW-TV from 2009 to 2016. A former senior editor of American Film and a former associate editor of Box Office, he has published stories in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Guardian, The Black Rock Beacon, The Independent, Interview, Film Comment, Movieline, and Sight and Sound, among many other publications. He lives in Portland, Oregon, where he serves on the board of directors of Operation Pitch Invasion (www.pitch-invasion.org) . To get a peak into his head, visit www.shawnlevy.com.
