From the preeminent historian of comedy, an expansive history of show business and the battles over culture that have echoed through the decades and changed the United States“Outrageous is required reading. An essential book of the social history of the United States—with laughs.” (Steve Martin)There is a common belief that we live in unprecedented times, that nobody got offended in the past, that people are simply too sensitive to...

The definitive history of the world's most polite revolution: How Canadian comics took over the comedy world."Canada is chock-full of broadcasting talent but hasn't a comedian worth his salt." So said the first Canadian Radio Commissioner echoing a near universal sentiment throughout most of the twentieth century: Canadians simply weren't that funny. They were too deferential, too serious, too Canadian to be funny. And yet, behind their polite exterior, Ca...

"Funny [and] fascinating . . . If you're a comedy nerd you'll love this book." — Pittsburgh Post-GazetteNamed a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews, National Post, and SplitsiderBased on over two hundred original interviews and extensive archival research, this groundbreaking work is a narrative exploration of the way comedians have reflected, shaped, and changed American culture over the past one hundred years.Starting...

*A Best Book of the Year by NPR and Esquire*"A remarkable book." —Steve Martin"An illumating and stereotype-busting history of Native Americans and comedy" (The Washington Post) from Kliph Nesteroff, “the human encyclopedia of comedy” (VICE).It was one of the most reliable jokes in Charlie Hill’s stand-up routine: “My people are from Wisconsin. We used to be from New York....

From the preeminent historian of modern comedy comes an expansive history of showbiz and the culture warsThere is a common belief that we live in unprecedented times, that people are too sensitive today, that nobody objected to the actions of actors, comedians, and filmmakers in the past. Modern pundits would have us believe that Americans of a previous generation had tougher skin and seldom complained. But does this argument hold up to scrutiny?In Outr...

The definitive history of the world's most polite revolution: How Canadian comics took over the comedy world."Canada is chock-full of broadcasting talent but hasn't a comedian worth his salt." So said the first Canadian Radio Commissioner echoing a near universal sentiment throughout most of the twentieth century: Canadians simply weren't that funny. They were too deferential, too serious, too Canadian to be funny. And yet, behind their polite exterior, Ca...

*A Best Book of the Year by NPR and Esquire*"A remarkable book." —Steve Martin"An illumating and stereotype-busting history of Native Americans and comedy" (The Washington Post) from Kliph Nesteroff, “the human encyclopedia of comedy” (VICE).It was one of the most reliable jokes in Charlie Hill’s stand-up routine: “My people are from Wisconsin. We used to be from New York....

#1 New York Times BestsellerWith extraordinary access to the West Wing, Michael Wolff reveals what happened behind-the-scenes in the first nine months of the most controversial presidency of our time in Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House.Since Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, the country—and the world—has witnessed a stormy, outrageous, and absolutely mesmerizing presidential t...

**'Best. Reacher. Ever.' KARIN SLAUGHTER**It's just a voice plucked from the air: 'The American wants a hundred million dollars'.For what? Who from? It's 1996, and the Soviets are long gone. But now there's a new enemy. In an apartment in Hamburg, a group of smartly-dressed young Saudis are planning something big.In the morning they gave Reacher a medal, and in the afternoon they sent him back to school.Jack...

THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLERA RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK----------Jack Reacher is having a bad day.It would be a dumb idea to make it worse.Reacher sees a West Point class ring in a pawn shop window. It's tiny. It's a woman cadet's graduation present to herself. Why would she give it up? Reacher was a West Pointer too, and he knows what she went through to get it.All h...

After his father is accused of murder, combat veteran and Special Agent John Puller must investigate his past and learn the truth about his mother in this New York Times bestselling thriller--but someone hiding in the shadows wants revenge.Two men. Thirty years.John Puller's mother, Jackie, vanished thirty years ago from Fort Monroe, Virginia, when Puller was just a boy. Paul Rogers has been in prison for ten years. But twenty years before that, he...

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A high-stakes thrill ride through the darkest corners of the Sunshine State, from the author hailed as “the best thriller writer alive” by Ken Follett“Riveting . . . an elaborate conspiracy.”—The New York Times Book ReviewWe expect our judges to be honest and wise. Their integrity is the bedrock of the entire judicial system. We trust them to ensure fair trials, to protect the rights of all l...