... a breezy tour.

Levy has done a sensitive job telling the stories of the nine pioneering women he has designated as those who cracked the glass ceiling of comedy.

What’s novel and valuable about Shawn Levy’s new book is that Joan Rivers is the end point, not the beginning.

Levy has done a sensitive job telling the stories of nine pioneering women he has designated as those who cracked the glass ceiling of comedy.

The book is insightful, moving, and well researched, with humorous anecdotes and fond memories of a group of women Levy clearly admires.

[A] riveting cultural history.

Both thorough and sympathetic, Levy’s work is notable for how it fills gaps in entertainment history, and the author also ably explores social and attitudinal changes that helped women finally be recognized for their contributions to comedy.