Description
For fans of the perceptive comedy of Hannah Gadsby, Lindy West, and Sarah Silverman, Academy Award-nominated and acclaimed stand-up comedian Jena Friedman presents a witty and insightful collection of essays on the cultural flashpoints of today.
Jena Friedman's life in comedy began with her senior thesis on inequity in the Chicago comedy scene. It was, in short, not funny, but it anticipated her career as a writer and comedian with acerbic wit and a keen, cutting eye for social observation. Now, she brings her trademark whip-smart humor and cultural criticism to this brainy and laugh-out-loud funny essay collection.
Friedman effortlessly takes us just beyond the edge of the uncomfortable with explorations on everything from why some celebrities get buried for their indiscretions while others get a second (third, and fourth...) chance, how we should think about lines of appropriateness crossed decades ago, living in the post- (post-) #MeToo world of today, and the power we hand to silence when we're told not to joke about reproductive rights, gender, privilege, or class.
Not Funny is a witty and bold collection, challenging us to deeply consider why we do and do not laugh, from a rising star of comedy always ready to call out hypocrisy wherever she finds it. And knows how to get a laugh while she does it.
About the Author
Jena Friedman is a comedian, filmmaker, and creator of AMC's Indefensible and Soft Focus with Jena Friedman on Adult Swim. She has worked on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Late Show with David Letterman, and her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Artnet, and The Guardian. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and won a Writers Guild of America Award for her work on Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. She splits her time between Los Angeles and New York. Find out more at JenaFriedman.com and follow her on Twitter @JenaFriedman.
Reviews
"In fact very funny. And [Friedman] somehow manages to do that while taking on some of the, shall we say, darker topics, like sexism, celebrity worship, and women's rights."
-Cosmopolitan
"Not Funny feels as if you're having a direct conversation with Jena. A mix of lethal deadpan delivery and biting sarcasm with impressive intelligence not only makes this book phenomenal, but announces the arrival of a singular voice." -Phoebe Robinson, New York TImes bestselling author of You Can't Touch My Hair
"Jena Friedman is brilliant at mining the darkness for a joke you'd never dare say, that makes you jealous you didn't think of it yourself. I am here for every word of this hilarious and much needed book." -Samantha Bee, Emmy Award-winning comedian, actor, commentator and author of I Know I Am, But What Are You?
"I feel misled. Not Funny is in fact extremely funny! And smart and thoughtful and even a little offensive, just like Jena" -Sacha Baron Cohen, actor, writer, producer, and creator and star of Borat
"Jena dares you to laugh at things we're told not to laugh at, perhaps because that's how they keep us from seeing the truth. A page-turner through and through: Just when I'm thinking 'it can't be!' Jena tells you it is. And I'm laughing through it. Jena proves with her writing that not only is laughing at dark truths important, it's revolutionary."
-Atsuko Okatsuka, comedian, actress, and writer
"I've skimmed this book and it seems pretty funny. I have every intention of reading it as soon as I finish The History of The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire." -Larry David, writer, actor, and co-creator of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm
"Jena's comedy is and has always been radical. She's dark, unapologetic, and biting. It's really funny and a little frightening." -Ilana Glazer, actor, writer, and co-creator of Broad City
"From her sharp and fearless comedy specials, to the deadpan interviews in which she expertly skewers a fine array of sexist miscreants, Jena Friedman is actually not funny--she is hilarious and brilliant." -Merrill Markoe, New York Times bestselling author of Walking in Circles Before Lying Down
"A funny but critical look at the depradations of life as a woman comic [...] A serious memoir with jokes, self-deprecating yet rarely self-diminishing."
-Kirkus
"[Jena Friedman] sparkles with the casual brilliance of fellow comedians and humor essayists Lindy West and Sarah Silverman."
-Library Journal
"Entertaining and soulful... this is a blast."
-Publishers Weekly
"Don't let the footnotes fool you; this isn't a dry academic treatise. . . . Perfect for fans of dark, feminist comedy such as Hannah Gadsby or Samantha Bee."
-Booklist
"It's no slight against comedian Jena Friedman to say that the title of her first book should be taken largely at face value. . . . For an injection of power and agency, readers could scarcely do better than Not Funny."
-Shelf Awareness
"Jena's always been fiercely honest both onstage and off, and this book is no exception. If you want to laugh and scream, give NOT FUNNY a read."
-Naomi Ekperigin, comedian, actress, and writer
Book Information
ISBN 9781982178284
Author Jena Friedman
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Simon & Schuster
Publisher Simon & Schuster
Weight(grams) 401g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 25mm
Jena Friedman's life in comedy began with her senior thesis on inequity in the Chicago comedy scene. It was, in short, not funny, but it anticipated her career as a writer and comedian with acerbic wit and a keen, cutting eye for social observation. Now, she brings her trademark whip-smart humor and cultural criticism to this brainy and laugh-out-loud funny essay collection.
Friedman effortlessly takes us just beyond the edge of the uncomfortable with explorations on everything from why some celebrities get buried for their indiscretions while others get a second (third, and fourth...) chance, how we should think about lines of appropriateness crossed decades ago, living in the post- (post-) #MeToo world of today, and the power we hand to silence when we're told not to joke about reproductive rights, gender, privilege, or class.
Not Funny is a witty and bold collection, challenging us to deeply consider why we do and do not laugh, from a rising star of comedy always ready to call out hypocrisy wherever she finds it. And knows how to get a laugh while she does it.
About the Author
Jena Friedman is a comedian, filmmaker, and creator of AMC's Indefensible and Soft Focus with Jena Friedman on Adult Swim. She has worked on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Late Show with David Letterman, and her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Artnet, and The Guardian. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and won a Writers Guild of America Award for her work on Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. She splits her time between Los Angeles and New York. Find out more at JenaFriedman.com and follow her on Twitter @JenaFriedman.
Reviews
"In fact very funny. And [Friedman] somehow manages to do that while taking on some of the, shall we say, darker topics, like sexism, celebrity worship, and women's rights."
-Cosmopolitan
"Not Funny feels as if you're having a direct conversation with Jena. A mix of lethal deadpan delivery and biting sarcasm with impressive intelligence not only makes this book phenomenal, but announces the arrival of a singular voice." -Phoebe Robinson, New York TImes bestselling author of You Can't Touch My Hair
"Jena Friedman is brilliant at mining the darkness for a joke you'd never dare say, that makes you jealous you didn't think of it yourself. I am here for every word of this hilarious and much needed book." -Samantha Bee, Emmy Award-winning comedian, actor, commentator and author of I Know I Am, But What Are You?
"I feel misled. Not Funny is in fact extremely funny! And smart and thoughtful and even a little offensive, just like Jena" -Sacha Baron Cohen, actor, writer, producer, and creator and star of Borat
"Jena dares you to laugh at things we're told not to laugh at, perhaps because that's how they keep us from seeing the truth. A page-turner through and through: Just when I'm thinking 'it can't be!' Jena tells you it is. And I'm laughing through it. Jena proves with her writing that not only is laughing at dark truths important, it's revolutionary."
-Atsuko Okatsuka, comedian, actress, and writer
"I've skimmed this book and it seems pretty funny. I have every intention of reading it as soon as I finish The History of The Decline and Fall of The Roman Empire." -Larry David, writer, actor, and co-creator of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm
"Jena's comedy is and has always been radical. She's dark, unapologetic, and biting. It's really funny and a little frightening." -Ilana Glazer, actor, writer, and co-creator of Broad City
"From her sharp and fearless comedy specials, to the deadpan interviews in which she expertly skewers a fine array of sexist miscreants, Jena Friedman is actually not funny--she is hilarious and brilliant." -Merrill Markoe, New York Times bestselling author of Walking in Circles Before Lying Down
"A funny but critical look at the depradations of life as a woman comic [...] A serious memoir with jokes, self-deprecating yet rarely self-diminishing."
-Kirkus
"[Jena Friedman] sparkles with the casual brilliance of fellow comedians and humor essayists Lindy West and Sarah Silverman."
-Library Journal
"Entertaining and soulful... this is a blast."
-Publishers Weekly
"Don't let the footnotes fool you; this isn't a dry academic treatise. . . . Perfect for fans of dark, feminist comedy such as Hannah Gadsby or Samantha Bee."
-Booklist
"It's no slight against comedian Jena Friedman to say that the title of her first book should be taken largely at face value. . . . For an injection of power and agency, readers could scarcely do better than Not Funny."
-Shelf Awareness
"Jena's always been fiercely honest both onstage and off, and this book is no exception. If you want to laugh and scream, give NOT FUNNY a read."
-Naomi Ekperigin, comedian, actress, and writer
Book Information
ISBN 9781982178284
Author Jena Friedman
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Simon & Schuster
Publisher Simon & Schuster
Weight(grams) 401g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 25mm
