A grasshopper walked into a bar and ordered a drink.The bartender looked at him and said, “You know we have a drink named after you?”The grasshopper replied, “You have a drink named Stanley?”Schtick happens. For five thousand years, God’s chosen people have cornered the market on knee-slappers, zingers, and knock-knock jokes. Now Old Jews Telling Jokes mines mothers, fathers, bubbies, and zaydes for comic gelt. What we get are jokes that are funnier t...

OldJewsTellingJokes.com is more than an internet sensation with a devoted, massive audience spanning generations and crossing cultural boundaries. It’s a living, breathing cultural phenomenon that has survived thousands of years: Old friends coming together to share company, memories, and, most importantly, side-splitting laughs. In that spirit, the Old Jews have gathered once again, this time for a face-to-face, smile-to-smile, roundtable session in which they perform all new jokes. With ...

Jews have a centuries-old tradition of telling jokes, from the ghettos of Europe to Hollywood and the Catskills. Jewish jokes are entertainment, the oral history of a culture, insightful social criticism, and survival tactic rolled into one.In 2008, Hollywood director and producer Sam Hoffman launched a website called “Old Jews Telling Jokes.” It’s just what it says: Jewish men and women over 60 sharing their favorite stories, tales, riddles, and punchlines.The jokes are fu...

“An entertaining rant…The only thing missing is the sound of a drumroll and cymbals to feel as though one is sitting in a nightclub watching a live comedy marathon…A raucous, biting look at life.”—Kirkus Reviews“Nobody, but nobody, can hate like Joan Rivers. It is a gift. It is also shocking, the things she makes us laugh at…Joan Rivers is extraordinary, but she's not for the easily offended—or for anyone who gets offended at all.”—People

In this bold and unapologetic celebrity memoir, comedian and sitcom icon Roseanne Barr delivers sharp political satire, behind-the-scenes television stories, and fearless cultural commentary on fame, feminism, class, and controversy.Roseanne Barr is a force of nature. From revolutionizing the television sitcom with her groundbreaking portrayal of working-class America to challenging social norms on and off screen, she has never played by Hollywood’s rules. Now, in ...

The intimate, hilarious, and wholly unexpected memoir of the legendary comedian Don Rickles, told with great humor, outrageous anecdotes, and unusual candor.Known as the “Merchant of Venom” for his sharp, biting insults, Don Rickles blends humor with heartfelt stories as he recalls his rise from a struggling young performer to one of America’s most beloved entertainers. He shares anecdotes about his early days in nightclubs, his big breaks on television, and his lo...

Ring in the holiday with eighteen writers who extol, excoriate, and expand our understanding of this most merry of Jewish festivals as they offer up funny, irreverent, and, yes, even nostalgic takes on a holiday that holds a special place in Jewish hearts . . . and stomachs.Pieces by Jonathan Tropper, Jennifer Gilmore, Steve Almond, Joanna Smith Rakoff, Adam Langer, and others address pressing issues: what is the weight gain associated with eating 432 latkes in eight nights? Offer ...

The loving, witty, yet brutally honest memoir of the daughter of comedy legend Richard Pryor.Rain Pryor was born in the idealistic, free-love 1960s. Her mother was a Jewish go-go dancer who wanted a tribe of rainbow children. Rain's father was Richard Pryor, perhaps the most compelling and brilliant comedian of his era, a man whose self-destructiveness was as legendary as his groundbreaking comedy.Jokes My Father Never Taught Me is an intimate, harro...

It's 1960, and the Axis powers dominate the world. Life goes on, because, as we see in "Escape to Other Worlds with Science Fiction," history is driven both by big events and by small temptations…Following the appearance of her first two novels, The King's Peace and The King's Name, Jo Walton won the 2002 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. Two years later she won the World Fantasy Award for Tooth and Claw. Her Small Change trilogy, comprising

How does Steve Almond get himself into so much trouble? Could it be his incessant moralizing? His generally poor posture? The fact that he was raised by a pack of wolves? Frankly, we haven’t got a clue. What we do know is that Almond has a knack for converting his dustups into essays that are both funny and furious. In (Not that You Asked), he squares off against Sean Hannity on national TV, nearly gets arrested for stealing “Sta-Hard” gel from his local pharmacy, and winds up in ...

“A perfect distraction and inspiration, and a collection that begs to be shared. Be warned, though. If you plan to lend out your copy, start out with two. Once it leaves your hands you’ll never see it again.”—Denver Post (on Not Quite What I Was Planning)The editors of the New York Times bestseller Not Quite What I Was Planning are back with its much-anticipated sequel, It All Changed in an Instant. With contributions from acclai...

A hilarious romp from small-town USA to the pink carpet of Hollywood with beloved Emmy Award–winning actor, playwright, popular and laugh-out-loud funny Instagram icon, and gay legend.Leslie Jordan was a small man with a giant propensity for scene stealing. Best known for his bravura recurring role as Karen’s nemesis, Beverley Leslie, on Will & Grace (for which he won a Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy in 2006), he also made memorable appearances o...