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Jewish Comedy
- A Serious History
- Narrated by: Jeremy Dauber
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
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Jewish Comedy
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Publisher's Summary
In a major work of scholarship both erudite and very funny, Jeremy Dauber traces the origins of Jewish comedy and its development from Biblical times to the age of Twitter.
Organizing his book thematically into what he calls the seven strands of Jewish comedy - including the satirical, the witty, and the vulgar - Dauber explores the ways Jewish comedy has dealt with persecution, assimilation, and diaspora through the ages. He explains the rise and fall of popular comic archetypes such as the Jewish mother, the JAP, and the schlemiel and schlimazel. And he explores an enormous range of comic masterpieces, from the Book of Esther, Talmudic rabbi jokes, Yiddish satires, Borscht Belt skits, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm to the work of such masters as Sholem Aleichem, Franz Kafka, the Marx Brothers, Woody Allen, Joan Rivers, Philip Roth, Sarah Silverman, and Jon Stewart.
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What listeners say about Jewish Comedy
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stephen
- 2023-11-03
Insightful, funny, well narrated.
Ranging from the historic Israelites to Lonely Island, the author deftly maneuvers through experiences, histories, jokes, and genocides to find how we came to the cadre of humorists who shaped our world. Excellent.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- supermantwo
- 2020-08-31
Not funny
I was expecting a book of Jewish jokes. Got a intellectual treatise on Jewish humor instead.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- GoingGoingGone...
- 2017-12-13
My favorite book!
And that’s saying something, because I really love books.
The author loves his subject, and his People. You can truly sense it. He brings to us the benefit of a vast Jewish literacy as manifest in the Book of Genesis, the Book of Esther, the Talmud, Jewish secular literature, all of which accompanied us through Diasporas and to our sovereignty in Israel. The scope is vast, and yet he pulls it all together with skill with sensitivity and authenticity. I highly recommend this not only as a history of Jewish comedy, but also as a history of Jewish life and the values that frequently conflict in Jewish living. It is a history less of Jewish Comedy than it is of Jewish Laughter.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Brian
- 2020-01-20
How Do You Spoil A Joke?
Explain it.
The book is fine for what it is. What it is, is more of a textbook-like history and background of Jewish humor. It explains context and why certain jokes were created and explains the humor of the times in which the jokes were created. And, yes, there's quite a bit of "this is funny because. . . ." Nice for learning, but for entertainment? Meh.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Property Guy
- 2017-12-24
Really makes you think about the origins of comedy
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Absolutely. There were connections made with ancient comedy that put several theological thoughts in a completely different light. It really makes you think about all that has come before as the basis of Jewish Comedy.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes.
Any additional comments?
Mr. Dauber has a fabulous understanding of the medium and it's history. The tone is lighthearted, but very intellectually stimulating.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hans Rigelman
- 2020-11-09
One of the Best Books on Jewish Humor - Seriously!
I love Jewish humor. I would have cried when Seinfeld went off the air, but I'm okay with reruns. As an author Dauber does a great job covering the Biblical origins of humor rooted in the suffering of the Jews at the hands of their enemies. As a narrator he has just the right inflection for his joke telling. I also picked up on some Yiddish - not bad for a goy.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Moud Barthez
- 2021-10-05
Light and delight
A nice short delight book, cracked me multiple times and conveyed itself messages and historical information pleasantly.
I liked this book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Chavie Fiszer
- 2021-08-20
Interesting but incomplete
Enjoyable and engaging book, excellent performance. However there should’ve been a subtitle: Jewish comedy in AMERICA. Comedy in Israel gets only a cursory look— examining the differences and similarities between comedy in the Jewish homeland and the diaspora would’ve added a fascinating dimension to this book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Fr. S.
- 2021-01-23
Fine reflections
Many good insights into humor in general and specifically to the Jewish experience. Good listen.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- ruth gilboa
- 2018-12-06
Not funny!
Disappointing!
Author/reader boring!!!
Original material funny but reader ruins it all every time. Would have tomatoes and eggs thrown at him at any comedy shows
!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ovelhadoalentejo
- 2023-09-30
Excellent research
A historically accurate dive into jewish american humor, with depth in which regards class, gender and pop culture.
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