Biography Humor

An improv comedian all his life, and a standup comedian for over 15 years, Dave Gutteridge combines his comedy experience with the latest scientific research on humor and the human brain to offer his take on what exactly it is that makes us laugh. Whether you're trying to get a little funnier, on stage or in daily life, or if you're just curious about humor and laughter, this book will provide insights not only on how and why we laugh, but on how we relate.

Not everyone has to be dragged kicking and screaming through adulthood. Dave Barry will help through this process - with his hilarious takes on parenting, changing self-image, the battle of the sexes, technology, health care, celebrityhood, and even vampires!

David Brenner draws on highlights from his "Laughter to the People" tour's stand-up material to show how humor can give us the power to transcend personal and world problems, from the unavoidable, like aging, to the uncontrollable, like war. His observations cover a wide range of issues, including fear of flying, going bald, marriage and divorce, pets, politics, terrorism, losing and gaining weight, money problems, and religion.

You know who really needs a survival guide? Black and brown Americans. For surviving their own damn country! Minority populations wake up every day in a battle for their health and safety. Thankfully, legendary activist-comedian D.L. Hughley offers How to Survive America, a fearless satire that exposes racism’s unjust toll on our bodies and minds.

In The Texas Spirit David M. Smith has written a series of spirited and insightful essays about the chemical industry, events and personalities in his life, and his views on trends in the national economy and other aspects of American life that concern him.

Was it entirely my fault that all my brothers, friends, and former girlfriends all married 20 years before me? I walked around believing I had bad breath, a runny nose, a creepy appearance, or was born undeserving. So, I fixed all those things, and still women deceived me or were murdered. Finally, I confirmed that my life was constantly re-directed through divine intervention. I even found proof, but why was the divinity favoring me with so much personalized torment? And how would I explain it to people who thought I was weird?

Having started on Radio 2 in January 2003, Jeremy Vine realised he was soon to take his 25,000th listener call to his lunchtime show. As the magic number approached, he decided to take stock of the wisdom his listeners have imparted over the airwaves by way of anecdotes on everything including love, life and poisonous plants. This is his hilarious memoir of lessons learnt from life, listeners and Len Goodman.

One of the most successful nightclub and theater comedians in America started out a long way from the stage, in the tiny farming community of Lithonia, Georgia.

Vorurteile haben wir alle! Mit dieser Erkenntnis und Botschaft geht Marius Jung auf all diejenigen zu, die niemals vorhatten, rassistisch zu sein und gerne wissen möchten, wie sich unbedarfter Rassismus vermeiden lässt. Der erfolgreiche Kabarettist und Bestsellerautor aus Köln kennt die Frage, woher er "eigentlich" komme zur Genüge und hat in seinem Leben immer wieder ausgrenzende Kommentare gehört.

>Born into the violence of South Bronx ghetto life, the comic pioneer of TV’s Good Times fame offers a hilarious and politically charged review of his career as one of television’s first hugely successful Black stars. From opening for the Black Panthers and getting his first Tonight Show spot to becoming the first “Black” TV sitcom star, having comedians David Letterman and Jay Leno writing jokes for him, recording number-one comedy albums, and opening for rock n’ roll bands in 50,000 seat stadiums, Walker’s career hit all the highs.

“Understated” and “tasteful” could never be applied to Annie, and that’s just fine with her. A colorful actress with a decades-long career in TV, film, and theater—including a recurring role on Seinfeld and a center-stage spot touring with The Moth—Annie offers her trademark unabashed takes on both everyday and typically taboo topics.

In vier herzerwärmenden Folgen feiert Katrin Bauerfeind das schönste aller Familienfeste - Weihnachten unterm Tannenbaum. Gemeinsam mit ihren Gästen bereitet sie sich und uns alle auf den Heiligabend vor: was gibt es zum Essen, wer besorgt die Geschenke und welche Familientraditionen gehören abgestaubt? Unterhaltsam, witzig und nachdenklich sprechen Annette Frier, Olli Schulz, Katjana Gerz und Markus Heitz über ihre persönlichen Familienweihnachten, über Lieblingsessen und den Umgang mit schrecklichen Geschenken.

If, in this Age of Misinformation, you find yourself exhausted by the divisiveness, sickened by the dissent, poisoned by the discord, you are not alone. Of, by, and for the Hanged Man is a memoir equal parts hilarity and vulnerability, but just as important, it is a declaration for navigating our post-truth world. Author A.M. Pfeffer has chronicled this journey into an uproarious and riveting blueprint specific to discovering a "Hanged Man" inside each of us.

W trzynastu ekskluzywnych i jednocześnie zabawnych wywiadach o francuskim stylu opowiadają sławni Polacy zakochani we Francji i Francuzi zakochani w Polsce. Autorka tej książki została uwiedziona. Winowajca: słynny francuski styl, lecz Joanna Nojszewska znalazła innych "poszkodowanych" i razem rozpracowali, na czym on polega. O najważniejszym francuskim towarze eksportowym mówią Polacy zakochani we Francji i - dla kontrapunktu - Francuzi zakochani w Polsce.

In Destined for Destiny, "George W. Bush" offers listeners an intimate, plainspoken, and sometimes articulate look at the character-shaping achievements that led to his inevitable rise to the office of president of the United States. Written from the heart, not from the brain, this definitive autobiography takes listeners on a journey through the 43rd president's life.

"Coleshanger people are pretty bad," said Uncle Edward. "They won't cross water after sunset. And they have to be in bed by midnight, otherwise they think that they'll be turned into baboons and apes. They also worship the flea." Written in 1952, Coleshanger is a humorous, whimsical, and charming recount of English village life in the early part of the last century, a tale waiting 70 years to be heard but still very much the story of us today.

Ever since Johnny Carson first popularized the late-night talk show in 1962 with The Tonight Show, the 11:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. comedy time slot on network television has remained an indelible part of our national culture. More than six popular late-night shows air every night of the week, and with recent major shake-ups in the industry, late-night television has never been more relevant to our public consciousness than it is today.

In 1978, Kim "Howard" Johnson ran away to join the circus - Monty Python's Flying Circus, that is. The Pythons converged on Tunisia to film their timeless classic Life of Brian, and Howard found himself in the thick of it, doubling for nearly all the Pythons, playing more roles in the film than John Cleese, and managing to ruin only one shot. He became the unit journalist, substitute still photographer, Roman soldier, peasant, near-stalker, and, ultimately, friend and confidant of the comedy legends.

I was at my wit's end. I'd had enough of this job, this life, and my relationship had broken up. Should I eat chocolate, or go to India, or fall in love? Then I had a revelation: Why not do all three, in that order? And so it was that I embarked on a journey that was segmented into three parts and was then made into a major motion picture. Later, I woke up on an airplane with a hole in my face and a really bad hangover. I was ushered brusquely off the plane by my parents who took me to a rehab.

Er sei stolz auf seinen berühmten Vorfahren, den gestiefelten Kater, behauptet Kater Murr. Nun: sprechende Katzen sind in der Literatur wahrlich keine Seltenheit. Doch schon in den Lebensansichten des Katers Murr von E. T. A. Hoffmann, einem 200 Jahre alten Text, tritt ein Kater höchstpersönlich als Autor und Erzähler in Erscheinung und offeriert der Nachwelt seine Weisheiten und Erkenntnisse.