On the Real Side: Laughing, Lying, and Signifying

This is a book on the history of comedy as done by African-Americans, but it is as much an American History lesson. You can't really separate the two, as humor is often born out of a way to soothe a painful event in one's life. Or even a painful life. LL & S is an engrossing study as how comedy by black comics and comedians evolved through the 19th and 20th centuries, but also how it strove to maintain its integrity in a white culture that was more interested in laughing AT black people, than laughing WITH the,. I was impressed that I could learn about the conflicts of a Bert Williams, the wealth and conflict of Steppin Fetchit, and let's be honest - most readers only know Redd Foxx through "Sanford n Son". This book really captures all of these legends - Dick Gregory, Pigmeat Markham, Mombs Mabley... and more. The only downside is that any comic after Richard Pryor gets short shrift. Given the rise of Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, and Dave Chappelle, an updated version of this book would be wonderous. Even moreso would be a companion DVD featuring slices of the performances of these giants.