The Best Books Authored By a Comedian in 2021!
This year was a banner year for comedy books. Some years it seems like if you wrote a book, you made the list. This year, not only were there a surge in books by comedians and about comedy, but there were so many tremendous books that it was painful to make any cuts at all. So for starters, this year we have a list of twelve comedy book of the year finalists. We selected ten non-fiction must read books- mostly memoirs but some focused on history. And then we expanded the list to accommodate not one but two novels written by comedians. Having one work of fiction by a comedian is like finding a unicorn. Two novels is like finding a unicorn hanging out underneath a double rainbow with elves dancing around them. Both novels are terrific. All twelve of these books would be a worthy comedy book of the year, and quite frankly so are all of our honorable mentions, so feel free to go ahead and write one in when you vote. You’re also going to hear a lot about audiobooks this year. If you listen to podcasts, then you will love audiobooks. And audiobooks read by their comedian authors are the top of the audiobook pyramid. More on that later.
Honorable mentions go out to Daniel Sloss for his phenomenal first book (and I say first because there will undoubtably be more). Everyone You Hate Is Going to Die: And Other And Other Comforting Thoughts on Family, Friends, Sex, Love, and More Things That Ruin Your Life. The title itself is practically a book, and the book itself, like Sloss’s standup, is quite excellent. Phoebe Robinson, a nominee for comedian of the year this year is a New York Times bestselling author. Her latest book, Please Don’t Sit On My Bed in Your Outside Clothes is another work of art from the soon-to-be-a-household-name rising star. Insightful and funny, Robinson’s third book is a great addition to any collection. Kate Willett’s Dirtbag Anthropology is another top choice. Kate is gifted writer who created an audio-only book for Audible this year. Kate’s book is part memoir, part research assignment and the topic is masculinity. Willett is an actor slash writer slash comedian slash podcaster slash all around fascinating human being with a unique life path. Her perspectives come during period after a same sex marriage ended, and she found herself mostly attracted to men and living in a warehouse owned by a really interesting guy named Chicken Joe. She decided to investigate the world of masculinity, and does so with her own reflections, stories and interviews with other people who can shed light on the subject. Don’t attempt to pidgeonhole Kate into a box, or a label, she is unlabelable and this is a great work of her own form of gonzo journalism.. There’s also a great book of short stories out now from the insanely creative brain of Simon Rich, creator of the short lived but excellent tv series Man Seeking Woman. If you love Rich’s sense of humor, you will love the stories of New Teeth. The first, “Learning the Ropes” kicks off with a story of a fearsome sounding pirate, Black Bones the Wicked who doesn’t recycle and has a first mate with a hook hand who is lactose intolerant. Other books to check out: Wayne Federman’s History of Standup is not an overstuffed encyclopedia, its a light, fun and quick read, that gives you a good overview of the high points. If you’ve always wanted to know your history better but you don’t need a textbook on the subject, you’ll love this book. Eric Weirheim’s FOODHEIM, Kal Penn’s You Can’t Be Serious, Amber Ruffin’s You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey, and Dan and Eugene Levy’s look at the Story of Schitt’s Creek.
And every year it seems we miss a book, only finding out about it as we’re going to print. This year’s “how did we miss that” book is The Funny Thing About Minnesota…: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of the Twin Cities Comedy Scene, by Patrick Strait. You can’t judge a book by its cover, but if you can judge by the title, this is going to be a great read.
So let’s look back at our past winners. In 2014, you voted Joan Rivers ,”Diary of a Mad Diva” as the best book authored by a comedian and in 2015 Colin Quinn’s “The Coloring Book” grabbed top honors. Doug Stanhope won the prize in 2016 for “Digging Up Mother: A Love Story” and pulled a repeat win in 2017 for “This is Not Fame. ” In 2018 you gave Jim Florentine the best book of the year award for “Everybody is Awful (Except You)”. In 2019, Judd Apatow’s loving tribute to Garry Shandling, “It’s Garry Shandling’s Book” took the prize. And lsat year, Colin Quinn returned to the best of the year list with “Overstated.”
And now it’s time to name the twelve best books, all must reads, that came out in 2021.
Don’t forget you can also vote now for Comedian of the Year! Vote forComedy Movie of the Year! Vote for Comedy TV Series of the Year! Vote for Comedy Special of the Year! Vote for Best Comedy Book of the Year! Vote for the Best Comedy Album of the Year!
TOM SCHARPLING: IT NEVER ENDS: A MEMOIR WITH NICE MEMORIES. Tom Scharpling’s memoir is everything you would want it to be and so much more. This book delivers all the stories you would expect from a memoir about a life writing comedy. And in true Tom Scharpling style, he’s going to throw you some big curveballs. Tom opens up like he never has before, sharing intimate details about his lifelong struggle with mental illness, including dropping a pretty big shocker of a story (or two) that he has never told before. It Never Ends by no means relies on the big reveals; this would be a fascinating read without them. But suffice it to say, you’ve got a few jaw droppers coming your way. His coming-of-age stories are uniquely Scharpling, and told in his signature style. Tom’s origin story is so engaging and every tale he tells is either inspiring, shocking, hilarious or all of the above. Tom takes us from his puffy-coat filled childhood through his rite-of-passage first trip unsupervised to NYC to see Billy Joel in concert, to the evolution of his career which began with Punk zines and NBA coverage. The career story that eventually leads to The Best Show is unlike anyone else’s road to comedy. Tom’s path is singular- no shock there- and fascinating. The added gems of chapters about navigating bullies, auditioning for The New Monkees, how he finally learned what happens at New Jersey scenic overlooks, and how he made a fool of himself in an elevator with Patti Smith are priceless. Whether you adore Tom Scharpling, or this is the first time you’ve ever heard of him, you will get caught up in this memoir for the story alone. If you’ve already read the book, you can still squeeze more out of this adventure, because Tom released the audiobook, narrated in his own voice, and it’s perfectly performed.
LARAINE NEWMAN: MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES. Laraine Newman has been working on a book for decades, but could never seem to get it finished or commit it to manuscript. That is until Audible approached her with an offer to create an audiobook-only memoir and we’re all grateful that they did because these stories needed to be told and heard. So many of us formed our core love of comedy with Laraine and the original Saturday Night Live cast, and a big part of this book details how that cast came to be. Laraine shares what it was like to arrive in New York City with that pioneering first family of comedy, and takes us behind the scenes of SNL talking about the writers, the cast, the sketches, the parties, and the incredible guests as well as the addictions, the insecurities, the struggles, anxieties, depression and heartbreaking untimely deaths. But even if you took every word about Saturday Night Live out of this book, it would still be one of the best memoirs of the year. Laraine grew up in Los Angeles with movie star neighbors, in the 60’s. She had an older sister introducing her to the hippest and most interesting people. Her stories as a witness to that era and that place are incredible, her dating life alone is fascinating enough to fill an entire book, and throughout you truly can’t believe the places she’s shown up, the people she’s dated, the friends she made, the stories she shares. She also details her post SNL years, her struggles with finding her place, and her rebirth in a new sector of the business as one of the top voice artists working today. Listen to Laraine Newman: May You Live in Interesting times. Now a professional voice over artist, she’s an expert narrator of her own story.
DAVID STEINBERG: INSIDE COMEDY: THE SOUL, WIT AND BITE OF COMEDY AND COMEDIANS IN THE LAST FIVE DECADES. Born a rabbi’s son in Winnipeg David Steinberg followed the path expected of him, until he didn’t. While enrolled in a masters program at University of Chicago, he saw Lenny Bruce perform and quickly joined Second City starting down a new path that would lead him to become one of the most influential comedians of all time. From that point forward he traveled in circles that any comedy fan would dream of, influencing and being influenced by the greatest comedians who ever lived. A guide through the history of modern comedy from the inside, Steinberg’s book becomes an acute tool to not only understand David’s comedy but to understand and appreciate the comedy of the people who surrounded him. He was and is friends with everybody. From Groucho to Robin Williams to Larry David, and everyone in between, Steinberg’s personal stories seem to touch every corner of comedy. Even Caroline Hirsch, who founded Caroline’s Comedy Club in NYC’s Times Square felt his influence, recently revealing in an interview that it was a crush on a young David Steinberg that first drew her towards a career in the industry. David’s abilities as a storyteller combine beautifully with some of the best showbiz stories you’ll ever read. When he talks about Groucho, he gives you a more nuanced appreciation of what made Groucho great. When he talks about Robin Williams you feel like you understand Robin just a little bit better. And so on with dozens of comedy greats. David’s later shift from stand up performer to television comedy director brings another type of story to the mix- set stories, cast stories, all from the inside. It’s a history lesson about Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mad About You and others through his on-set stories and personal experiences. You can immediately see how as a television director, David Steinberg has helped our funniest performers to be even funnier. Ultimately, Inside Comedy is a love letter to the art form and the people who practice it, and it’s a must read for every comedian and serious comedy fan.
KLIPH NESTEROFF: WE HAD A LITTLE REAL ESTATE PROBLEM: THE UNHERALDED STORY OF NATIVE AMERICANS & COMEDY. You may already know of comedy historian Kliph Nesteroff from his earlier work, The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels and the History of American Comedy. If you read it or have even heard about it, you probably already know Kliph is the real deal. He is probably the world’s leading expert on the history of comedy, which is not an easy thing to be. To succeed in that role, it’s important to not only know the history but you have to understand comedy and understand why one thing is funnier than another. With his first book Kliph won over our trust, detailing the timeline of funny in a way no one ever had before. He brings that same authority and understanding to his latest work, telling the story of Native Americans in comedy from the origins through to modern day. And he brings the story to life as no one else can. Native Americans have always been a marginalized group in entertainment as a whole, including comedy and yet, as Kliph details in his thorough examination, Native Americans have had significant influence on the evolution of the art form. Kliph takes us through the history from the 1880s when Native Americans were forced to tour in wild west shows as an alternative to prison, to the key figures, like Cherokee humorist Will Rogers. And Charlie Hill, who became the first Native American comedian to appear The Tonight Show in the 1970’s. The stories of the Native Americans who are working comics today, like Jonny Roberts, a social worker from the Red Lake Nation who drives five hours to the closest comedy club to pursue his stand-up dreams and Kiowa-Apache comic Adrianne Chalepah, who formed the touring group the Native Ladies of Comedy; and the 1491s, a sketch troupe whose satire is taking down stereotypes are perhaps the most interesting. Kliph brings these stories to life, it’s what he does and he’s great at it, but more importantly, he’s shared a story that deserves to be brought to a wider stage with great nuance and skill.
SETH ROGEN: YEARBOOK. Seth Rogen’s Yearbook is getting plenty of recognition already and it’s well deserved. His new book is a #2 NY Times Bestseller, and has been named one of the best books of the year by NPR, Marie Claire, the Chicago Tribune, the Dallas Morning Post, the CBC and now us. It’s styled as a book of essays but more accurately its a memoir that feels very comfortable skipping the parts that Seth didn’t feel like writing about. But more or less it does take you through Rogen’s life- his start in comedy at 14 mining his grandparents for material, growing up, attending Bar Mitzvahs, discovering weed, buying weed, smoking weed, trying to sell weed, smoking weed, trying to make it in Hollywood. smoking weed, and doing mushrooms or acid, and finally making it in Hollywood. It’s not a career focused book. There are plenty of Hollywood stories, and they’re amazing- like the time he met with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. Or his time spent with The Woz. And there are two very memorable stories that involve Nic Cage and Tom Cruise. But more of the chapters are devoted to personal anecdotes; the inopportune moment when he shit his pants, for example, or the hilarious story of getting his father-in-law too high, and a really dramatic page turner of a chapter about an incident at a Jewish summer camp (no really, that wasn’t sarcastic). Most of the book focuses on funny stories with no agenda, but there’s a great chapter about Rogen clashing with Twitter founder Jack Dorsey that does indeed get into politics, and antisemitism in particular. The audio book includes bonuses that you cannot enjoy in the written version. In addition to Seth’s hilarious narration, there are sound effects, act outs and over 80 family and celebrity cameo appearances including Seth’s parents, Nick Kroll, Jason Segal, Tommy Chong, Dan Aykroyd and Billy Idol. All enhance the essays and bring them to life. It’s a great book, and a great gift and if we had a list of the best comedy Christmas gifts you can get at the last minute, Yearbook would be high on the list.
MEL BROOKS: ALL ABOUT ME!: The publisher correctly describes All About Me as the never-before-told remembrances from a master storyteller, filmmaker, and creator Mel Brooks. Nailed it. No exaggeration or bravado there. Mel Brooks is the most prolific comedy creator alive today, and at the age of 95 he is as sharp and as funny as anyone on the planet. It’s hard to believe how detailed his memoir gets, particularly about his depression era childhood in Brooklyn, his days serving in the military in World War II, and kicking off his comedy career among giants up in the Catskills as a zany poolside physical schtick entertainer. His formative years and pre-professional comedy writer stories are priceless, often surprising, and always entertaining. He was a hilarious kid, and is able to bring all of these chapters in his book to life so effectively, that you feel like you are witnessing it firsthand. Mel’s detailed memories about working on Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows would have been enough to be a stand alone book. This is where his work ethic and comedic style were forged. Many believe Your Show of Shows to be the most integral component to the creation of modern comedy. Imagine putting 90 minutes of live comedy on television every week for 39 weeks every year without hiatus. Now imagine doing all that with some of the funniest people who ever existed. Mel’s stories cover every part of his career that follows- Get Smart, all of Brooks’ amazing movies, stories about meeting and working with Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Gene Wilder, Madeleine Kahn, Alfred Hitchcock, and the great love of his life, Anne Bancroft. Do not for a moment think that this book is written by someone other than Mel with a few personal stories thrown in for effect. You can hear Mel’s voice in every sentence. In fact you can literally hear Mel’s voice in every sentence with the audio book- a 15 hour journey through the life of a genius as told by that genius. This book is must read for any fan of comedy, and actually, it’s must listen too. You can’t hear Mel singing in a hardcover, but on the audiobook, it’s magnificent. For fifteen hours, you can laugh out loud with your new best friend and road-trip passenger Mel Brooks. He doesn’t let you talk much, but with company like that, what could you possibly have to say?
RON HOWARD AND CLINT HOWARD: THE BOYS. Happy Days, The Andy Griffith Show, Gentle Ben—the shows captivated millions of TV viewers in the ’60s and ’70s, helping to form our comedy sensibilities and our basic moral code. And one thing they had in common, was the Howard Boys. Decades later, still engaged in incredibly successful film careers, Ron Howard and Clint Howard collaborated to bring us this magnificent collection of stories from their childhood. It’s a warm nostalgic look at the 70’s, full of relatable memories for all of us who grew up in that time period. It’s also a peek inside a family that is nothing like your own- where kids go to work and sign autographs, and need to learn to be grounded or suffer the fate of so many childhood actors. Their parents, Rance and Jean Howard were not like other parents. They had moved from the midwest to New York City to study acting and start their own careers. learning lessons they would later pass on to Ron and and Clint. They were taught early on to love and respect the work, over fame, and that acting was more than just memorizing lines and repeating. It’s extraordinary how effectively Rance helped prepare his sons to survive and thrive in show business. He taught them balance. Helped them navigate public school while being pretty famous. Their mom, Jean, called her husband and sons The Boys, not only because they were a trio acting and going on auditions together, but also playing baseball, basketball, horsing– that was all part of it. The Howards were not a “square” family, and The Boys isn’t a “square” book by any means.. It’s a coming of age story, and it covers all the bases. Ron and Clint share stories about learning about the birds and the bees, masturbation, learning how and when to fight. and so on. It’s a fascinating story of their family, inextricably intertwined in the business of show. Two Hollywood boys and the parents who helped shape their identities, personalities and future careers as well as unknowingly setting up a family legacy. If you just read the book’s Forward by the very successful actress Bryce Howard you will understand how these lessons are still being passed down today.
JOE PERA: A BATHROOM BOOK FOR PEOPLE NOT PEEING OR POOPING BUT USING THE BATHROOM AS AN ESCAPE. Illustrated by JON BENNETT. If you are already a Joe Pera fan, you already own this book, and you are only reading this to make sure we praise it properly. This is the shortest book on our list, it has the most pictures, and that alone will win over the large majority of people who love comedy. But you should also know that Joe is ridiculously funny. He’s funny in the ways that most human beings can’t even attempt to be funny. And good luck trying to explain it. Joe Pera knows about people. He knows us all and he knows why we spend so much time in the bathroom. Yes, we all have bad diets, and that accounts for some of the time spent in that tiny little room, but most of the time we spend in the bathroom is as a refuge. It’s a break from work, some peace and quiet, even a way to end a conversation. No one can question you when you have to go to the bathroom. If you suffer from social anxieties, this Bathroom Book is your guide to help you enjoy and make the most out of your time on toilets so that you can rejoin the outside world, renewed, refreshed, entertained, and maybe even a little bit more confident. You don’t have to be alone when you pee or poop anymore. And the book is short enough that you will still have function in your legs when you are finished. If this isn’t the perfect Christmas gift for any friend of yours, then you should look into getting new friends. Yes, there is an audiobook version which seems weird because a) this book is mostly pictures and b) if you don’t have headphones and you play this book as intended, in the bathroom, this may not help your social game, but Pera has supplemented the audio book with original music and sound so to compensate for the lack of pictures, and he has thoughtfully included descriptions of some of the images for your listening pleasure. Also, if you do have headphones, the audio book will save you from having to smuggle a picture book into public bathrooms with you.
BRIAN BAUMGARTNER AND BEN SILVERMAN:WELCOME TO DUNDER MIFFLIN: THE ULTIMATE ORAL HISTORY OF THE OFFICE AS TOLD BY THE ACTORS, WRITERS, PRODUCERS DIRECTORS AND CREW. Thank you Brian Baumgartner and Ben Silverman for tying together one of the most comprehensive oral histories of the one of the most watched television shows of our adult lifetimes. With hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with the cast and creators, this book gives an excellent view from the front row, of what it was like creating the American adaptation of The Office. The entire Office gang reunites after nearly a decade to share stories, and reveals much about a show we have all come to love so much. One of the highlights of Welcome to Dunder Mifflin is the conversations about casting the show. It’s mind blowing to think about how all of their lives changed in one specific moment. And what about those others whose names you never heard of who were almost Kevins or very nearly Jims. Even Carrell wasn’t a lock, early on they were looking at Bob Odenkirk for his role. Above all this book is fun. It’s for fans of The Office– which is most people. But you could also envision this oral history being taught in film school. It’s fascinating how many people were in the room or one foot behind the camera contributing to the show’s success. Just like Seinfled, the series almost didn’t survive its first season, and Welcome to Dunder Mifflin takes you through the decisions that were made, the changes implemented particularly to Michael Scott’s character to help the series flourish. A haircut here, some softening there, it all contributed to the evolution. We rarely get to hear from directors of episodic television, but in Welcome to Dunder Mifflin we learn how strong an influence the directors had on the show’s trajectory. Paul Feig was one of those directors who brought so much to each episode he directed, bringing in more physicality and pauses to each scene. Featuring the memories of Steve Carell, John Krasinkski, Jenna Fischer, Greg Daniels, Ricky Gervais, Rainn Wilson, Angela Kinsey, Craig Robinson, Brian Baumgartner, Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannery, Ed Helms, Oscar Nunez, Amy Ryan, Ellie Kemper, Creed Bratton, Paul Lieberstein, Ben Silverman, Mike Schur, and more, Welcome to Dunder Mifflin is a perfect gift for any fan of The Office in your life.
GINA YASHERE: CACK-HANDED: A MEMOIR. Cack-Handed can only be described as a page turner. From start to finish, you will breeze through this book so fast, because you can’t wait to read what happens next. Gina Yashere’s riveting life story captivates from page one and never lets up. If you’re a fan of Gina’s stand up, you already are aware of her Nigerian mother’s overprotective rules and teachings. In Cack-Handed (which means left handed), you get to hear all of the wild, heart breaking, heart warming and hilarious real life stories that are behind those jokes. Gina was raised by a strong single mother who is also a Nigerian immigrant in working class London, with a shifting household of characters that also included brothers, sisters, an abusive stepfather. There isn’t a story in Yashere’s book that you would call filler. Its a triumphant tale of overcoming immense barriers. You’ve read those before but how many of them are laugh-out-loud funny? Your heart will break again and again as Gina climbs to the top of a seemingly insurmountable challenge only to find a brand new hurdle waiting for her at the top. But against all odds, she rises again and again– above the barriers that keep working class Londoners from getting higher education– above the barriers that kept women from working as engineers– above the barriers that set African immigrants apart from others. And once she’s finally at the top of her chosen field, finding no more hills to climb, she leaves that career behind to start at the bottom of a brand new hill, pursuing her childhood dream of being in entertainment. It’s exhausting, quite frankly, but its a wringer you will gladly walk yourself right into. There are stories that will make you mad and others that will make you cry but you’ll never stop loving Gina and the characters throughout her life. If you are unfamiliar with Gina Yashere or her comedy, she’s one of the top headlining comics in the world, her comedy is outrageously funny, and she’s 100% original. And she’s a co-creator, writer and performer on a hit network comedy, currently in its third season, Bob Hearts Abishola. Highly recommend the audiobook as well, told in Yashere’s own voice, which is particularly wonderful when she’s doing impressions of her family members.
SAM TALLENT: RUNNING THE LIGHT. Last year stand up comedian Sam Tallent did something very few comedians can claim credit for doing– he wrote a novel. Running the Light was one of the few oversights from our 2020 Year in Comedy lists. But fortunately we have the opportunity to make up for the omission this year, with the 2021 release of the audiobook version of Sam’s novel. Running the Light is a story about a comedian that should be very familiar to road comics in the business. Billy Ray Schafer’s career isn’t where it used to be. He is divorced, he’s demoralized, and he’s road weary. He smoke too much, drinks too much, does too much blow. As the book progresses we come to learn that at one point in his life, he was a comedy giant. But now he’s traveling throughout the southwest doing shitty gigs in shitty rooms trying to figure out why he should even keep going. The story and the prose are exceptionally well written, Billy Ray is a familiar and bleak character. The narrative structure is complicated and effective. And Tallent has achieved the unachievable- capturing standup performance in fiction. But that authenticity is only one of the many layers you’ll find in Running the Light. Change out Billy Ray’s profession to anything other than comedian, and you’ve still got a compelling story. Sam’s novel has gotten raves from people in the business. Doug Stanhope dubbed the novel “Brilliant writing. Astounding. One of the best books I’ve read. Ever. The best fictional representation of comedy in any medium.” For the audiobook, Tallent took a unique approach which will absolutely have fans of the novel go back for seconds. He brought on board a long list of great comics to take chapters and tell the story in a multitude of voices. Kyle Kinane, Doug Stanhope, Bert Kreischer, Ari Shaffir, Chris Gethard, Adam Cayton Holland, Jackie Kashian, Tim Dillon, David Gborie, Nora Lynch, Tracy Chaille & more all pitch in to deliver Running the Light to your ears. Stanhope, Gethard and Gborie are particularly effective narrators, taking their time to inhabit the book and its characters. But all of the narrators are great fun to listen to and voice Billy Ray in their own ways. Take the ride you’ll thank us.
DAN NATURMAN: IRA SPIRO: BEFORE COVID. Dan Naturman is hilarious on stage and off, and now he can add the very impressive tag of novelist to his credits. The premise of Ira Spiro: Before Covid is this: a stand-up comic and screenwriter who wins an Oscar for “Best Original Screenplay” and then slides back into near obscurity overwhelmed by his inability to capitalize on his new found fame. A later opportunity to write a memoir puts Ira in touch with traumatic childhood experiences, and putting personal relationships into prose helps him to understand his life choices. It’s a genuine page turner, with a strong narrative structure. One of the first rules of writing is to write what you know, and Dan Naturman truly knows this world. His insights into the dark side of stand up comedy and the complexities of comedians help weave a fascinating fictional story that isn’t entirely fictional. If you’re a fan of stand up comedy and wonder what the daily grind is like, what the hang is like, Naturman opens it all up in the fictional world of his novel. Like Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, Naturman bases many of his characters on real personalities, and its great fun for any observant comedy fan to try to guess whose personalities are mingled in with the characters who populate the novel. If there is a road that connects anxiety to creative comedic writing, Dan Naturman is flooring it down that highway. Jim Gaffigan calls the book “annoyingly good,” which is about as high of a compliment as a New York based comedian will ever give.
