We Killed: The Rise Of Women In American Comedy (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
when compiling the history of something so broad (no pun intended) as women in american comedy, kohen made the right choice by having it be an oral history, with the players in the story telling their own stories and experiences. plus, on the gossipy side, there's a lot of honesty in what people are saying - both about the scene itself and other women working with them. if you pick this up just expecting to read about tina fey or sarah silverman, you'll be disappointed. they're in there but it's much more thorough and about more than just the current comedy scene. The author did a magazine piece on women in stand-up comedy, and then expanded it with more interviews for this thoughtful look at the history of "women in comedy." But it includes some women in comedy TV, mainly the Mary Tyler Moore Show and That Girl, and no women in movies, so the book would have been stronger if it focused on women in stand-up, improv, and performance comedy like Saturday Night Live. The part on TV sitcoms and women was fine but belongs in a different book. The narrative is mainly interviews with a wide variety of folks in comedy (men included - other stand-ups, writers, producers, etc.); the author is adept at arranging the interview segments in a logical way (although there is a little repetition). The author's connective writing on the subject is also good. If the book focused on stand-up and performance comedy only, there would have been room to include important women such as Moms Mabley and a few others who don't appear, or appear only very briefly (from Totie Fields to Amy Schumer).
What do You think about We Killed: The Rise Of Women In American Comedy (2012)?
Very fast-paced, really interesting. Maybe not as meaty as I had hoped, but still damn good.
—Nikica95
Entertaining read but she left out Bea Arthur! sheesh
—Camillatina
Loved the idea of this book. NOT the execution.
—Clairefigueroa
