Satiristas

April 15, 2010
Finally, a book that gets right to the heart of comedians who choose to enter the unforgiving realm of the satiristbrave men and women who dare to question the unfairness of government politics or the human social condition. Provenza, cocreator and codirector of the film "The Aristocrats", interviews 60 comedians. Well-known humorists Lenny Bruce, Bill Maher, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, Robin Williams, Stephen Colbert, Lily Tomlin, and Margaret Cho all have something very important in commonthe ability to make people think. Provenza's interviews are short, direct, and incisive and give readers an immediate understanding of what drives these satirists to risk controversy and their careers for their fellow human beings. Dion provides wonderfully stark photographs to accompany each interview. The book ends with a special tribute to the late comic genius George Carlin. VERDICT In direct, insightful snapshots of the often misunderstood branch of comedy known as satire, those who follow in the footsteps of Mark Twain and Jonathan Swift reveal how they pay the price for their honesty and wit.Richard A. Dickey, Washington, DC

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