Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture–and the Magic That Makes It Work

From a beloved comedy critic, a wisecracking, heartfelt, and overdue chronicle of comedy’s boom―and its magic.Comedy is king. From multimillion-dollar TV specials to sold-out stand-up shows and TikTok stardom, comedy has never been more popular, democratized, or influential. Comedians have become organizing forces across culture―as trusted as politicians and as fawned-over as celebrities―yet comedy as an art form has gone under-considered throughout its history, even as it has ascended as a cultural force.In Comedy Book, Jesse David Fox―the country’s most definitive voice in comedy criticism and someone who, in his own words, “enjoys comedy maybe more than anyone on this planet"―tackles everything you need to know about comedy. Weaving together history and analysis, Fox unravels the genre’s political legacy through an ode to Jon Stewart, interrogates the divide between highbrow and lowbrow via Adam Sandler, and unpacks how marginalized comics create spaces for their communities. Along