Instead of targeting comedy genius Dave Chappelle, we should be reserving our contempt for those black stars who diss their own people by perpetuating commonly held stereotypes while unapologetically sucking up to the ‘man’.
A History of the Comedian Memoir in Nine Books
A syllabus of sorts for exploring some of the funniest books of all time by the funniest people.
Published Feb. 19, 2021Updated March 4, 2021
The comedian memoir has become one of the most crowded genres in publishing. Writing one these days is a nearly mandatory part of a successful comic’s career. Among the yearly glut are usually a few best sellers and some gems. Many are funny, some are fascinating, even more are ghostwritten. This kind of book has deep roots, and long before stand-ups spilled stories on podcasts, these memoirs were where comedy nerds discovered the backstage history of an often ephemeral art form. To understand comedy in nine books, start with this list by some of the funniest people of the last century.