Skip to content

We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy Hardcover - 2012

by Kohen, Yael


From the publisher

No matter how many times female comedians buck the conventional wisdom, people continue to ask: "Are women funny?" The question has been nagging at women off and on (mostly on) for the past sixty years. It's incendiary, much discussed, and, as proven in Yael Kohen's fascinating oral history, totally wrongheaded.

In "We Killed," Kohen pieces together the revolution that happened to (and by) women in American comedy, gathering the country's most prominent comediennes and the writers, producers, nightclub owners, and colleagues who revolved around them. She starts in the 1950s, when comic success meant ridiculing and desexualizing yourself; when Joan Rivers and Phyllis Diller emerged as America's favorite frustrated ladies; when the joke was always on them. Kohen brings us into the sixties and seventies, when the appearance of smart, edgy comedians (Elaine May, Lily Tomlin) and the women's movement brought a new wave of radicals: the women of "SNL," tough-ass stand-ups, and a more independent breed on TV (Mary Tyler Moore and her sisters). There were battles to fight and preconceptions to shake before we could arrive in a world in which women like Chelsea Handler, Sarah Silverman, and Tina Fey can be smart, attractive, sexually confident and, most of all, flat-out funny.

As the more than 150 people interviewed for this riveting oral history make clear, women have always been funny. It's just that every success has been called an exception and every failure an example of the rule. And as each generation of women has developed its own style of comedy, the coups of the previous era are washed away and a new set of challenges arises. But the result is the same: They kill. A chorus of creative voices and hilarious storytelling, "We Killed "is essential cultural and social history, and as it should be! great entertainment."

Details

  • Title We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy
  • Author Kohen, Yael
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 308
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Sarah Crichton Books, Qd16
  • Date 2012-10
  • ISBN 9780374287238

About the author

Yael Kohen is a reporter and editor in New York City. A contributing editor at "Marie Claire," she covers books, pop culture, and issues important to working women. She has written for "New York "magazine, "Salon," "The Daily Beast," the New York "Daily News," and "The New York Sun."

Back to Top

More Copies for Sale

We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy

We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy

by Kohen, Yael

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback
Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374287238 / 0374287236
Quantity Available
4
Seller
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 2 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$5.26
$10.76 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Paperback. Very Good.
Item Price
$5.26
$10.76 shipping to USA
We Killed : The Rise of Women in American Comedy

We Killed : The Rise of Women in American Comedy

by Yael Kohen

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374287238 / 0374287236
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.72
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2012. Hardcover. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. An ex-library book and may have standard library stamps and/or stickers. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$6.72
FREE shipping to USA
We Killed : The Rise of Women in American Comedy

We Killed : The Rise of Women in American Comedy

by Yael Kohen

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374287238 / 0374287236
Quantity Available
2
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.72
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2012. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$6.72
FREE shipping to USA
We Killed : The Rise of Women in American Comedy

We Killed : The Rise of Women in American Comedy

by Yael Kohen

  • Used
  • good
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374287238 / 0374287236
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.72
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2012. Hardcover. Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact. The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include previous owner inscriptions. The dust jacket is missing. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.
Item Price
$6.72
FREE shipping to USA
We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy

We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy

by Kohen, Yael

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used - Acceptable
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374287238 / 0374287236
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Seattle, Washington, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.72
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Sarah Crichton Books, 2012. Hardcover. Acceptable. Former library book; Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Item Price
$6.72
FREE shipping to USA
We Killed : The Rise of Women in American Comedy
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

We Killed : The Rise of Women in American Comedy

by Kohen, Yael

  • Used
Condition
Used - Very Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374287238 / 0374287236
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.81
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Used - Very Good. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
Item Price
$6.81
FREE shipping to USA
We Killed : The Rise of Women in American Comedy
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

We Killed : The Rise of Women in American Comedy

by Kohen, Yael

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374287238 / 0374287236
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Mishawaka, Indiana, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$6.81
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$6.81
FREE shipping to USA
We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy

by Yael Kohen

  • Used
  • Hardcover
Condition
Used: Good
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374287238 / 0374287236
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.14
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Sarah Crichton Books, 2012-10-16. Hardcover. Used: Good.
Item Price
$7.14
FREE shipping to USA
We Killed : The Rise of Women in American Comedy
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

We Killed : The Rise of Women in American Comedy

by Kohen, Yael

  • Used
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374287238 / 0374287236
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Reno, Nevada, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$7.24
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Farrar, Straus & Giroux. Used - Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages.
Item Price
$7.24
FREE shipping to USA
We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy

by Kohen, Yael

  • Used
  • very good
  • Hardcover
  • first
Condition
Used - Very Good
Edition
American First
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780374287238 / 0374287236
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
$15.00
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
New York, NY: Farrar Straus & Giroux, 2012. Book. Very Good. Hardcover. American First. Complete number line from 1 to 10; a bit of edge wear to boards and dust jacket; otherwise a solid, clean copy with no marking or underlining; collectible condition; illustrated with black and white photographs; no unsightly remainder marks..
Item Price
$15.00
FREE shipping to USA