Helen Plum Library

#1 New York Times Bestseller"Flips the classic born-in-a-shack rise to political office tale on its head. I skipped meals to read this book - also unusual - because every page was funny. It made me deliriously happy." - Louise Erdrich, The New York Times p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 15.0px Tahoma; color: 21; -webkit-text-stroke: 21} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} From Senator Al Franken - #1 bestselling author and beloved SNL alum...

"A tour-de-force of comedy and reflection about the perilous journey from kindergarten to twelfth grade and beyond from the beloved stand-up comic and creator of The Great Depresh"-- Provided by publisher Gulman takes us on the journey of a comedian-in-the-making who is his own worst-- and most persistent-- enemy. He takes us through every year of his childhood education: from failing to impress at show-and-tell to literally fumbling in his first...

"From "weird, scary, ingenious" (The New York Times) stand-up comedian Maria Bamford, a brutally honest and hilariously frenetic memoir about show business, mental health, and the comfort of rigid belief systems--from Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, to Suzuki violin training, to Richard Simmons, to 12-step programs. Maria Bamford is a comedian's comedian (an outsider among outsiders) and has forever fought to find a place...

In a career spanning more than thirty years, Letterman redefined the modern talk show with an ironic comic style that transcended traditional television. Yet he is a remote, even reclusive, figure whose career is widely misunderstood. Zinoman goes behind the scenes of Letterman's television career to illuminate the origins of his revolutionary comedy, its overlooked influences, and how his work intersects with and reveals his famously eccentric personality...

"In her hit Netflix comedy special Baby Cobra, an eight-month pregnant Ali Wong resonated so strongly with viewers that she became a popular Halloween costume. Wong told the world her remarkably unfiltered thoughts on marriage, sex, working women, and why you never see new-mom comics on stage but you sure see plenty of new dads. Wong's sharp insights and humor are even more personal in this completely original collection. She shares the wisdom she's...

The actress best known for her work on "Parks and Recreation" and "Saturday Night Live" reveals personal stories and offers her humorous take on such topics as love, friendship, parenthood, and her relationship with Tina Fey

A biography of the comedienne describing her career, her time as part of the original cast of "Saturday Night Live," and her battle with cancer

In this memoir, the author writes about the evolution of Cosmo Kramer, his character on Seinfeld, sharing insecurities and successes he experienced creating the character. He discusses his childhood with his schizophrenic grandmother and single mother, and his drive to unravel the mystery of his father. He tells of his early passion for theater and performance, his tour of duty in the army, his interest in psychology and religion, and his days coming...

"For a long time, no one pulling the strings in the comedy world thought that an over-fifty woman from rural Tennessee could make it in the industry. But Leanne Morgan has defied the odds, reaching millions with her musings on hormones, low-rise britches, Weight Watchers, and her opposites-attract relationship with her husband, Chuck. In her charming southern accent, Morgan brings readers inside her quest to find her voice after spending many years...

If it weren't for her mother Emma, Caryn Johnson would have never become Whoopi Goldberg. When Whoopi lost her mother in 2010--and then her older brother, Clyde, five years later--she felt deeply alone. In this memoir, Whoopi shares many deeply personal stories of their lives together for the first time