{"product_id":"book-f2j5","title":"In On the Joke","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e“A sensitive and vivid study of early female stand-ups… [Levy is a] painstaking, knowledgeable guide.”  —\u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA hilarious and moving account of the trailblazing women of stand-up comedy who broke down walls so they could stand before the mic—perfect for fans of \u003ci\u003eThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel\u003c\/i\u003e and\u003ci\u003e Hacks\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eToday, 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIn on the Joke\u003c\/i\u003e 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 Warren in 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. These women refused to be defined by type and tradition, facing down indifference, puzzlement, nay-saying, and unvarnished hostility. They were discouraged by agents, managers, audiences, critics, fellow performers—even their families. And yet they persevered against the tired notion that women couldn’t be funny, making space not only for themselves, but for the women who followed them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeticulously researched and irresistibly drawn, Shawn Levy's group portrait forms a new pantheon of comedy excellence. \u003ci\u003eIn on the Joke\u003c\/i\u003e shows how women broke into the boys’ club, offered new ideas of womanhood, and had some laughs along the way.","brand":"Penguin Random House","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49324983976240,"sku":"BDf2j5","price":25.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/380466-f2j5-Square.jpg?v=1733563640","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-f2j5","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}