Was a cute book
Mostly made up of little information about these women,
Could have been better or made more interesting.
Including how they would have had to jump thru more hoops compared to women today

This is a great rundown of some of history's most famous funny ladies. I'm a huge fan of pretty much every comedienne listed in this book, but my favorite part was getting introduced to some actresses and comic acts that I hadn't heard of before (both past and present). This is such a love letter to comedy and it's impossible not to smile when you think of some of the most classic bits in Hollywood history (Lucille Ball at a chocolate assembly line, Carol Burnett walking down the stairs with a curtain rod for her "Gone with the Wind" parody). My only complaint is that there was just one quote from the comedienne herself to go with each woman's description. I think the book could have benefitted from more information taken directly from the source's mouth - it would have provided even more depth to the history. There were some tidbits I hadn't heard before, particularly where certain funny ladies went to school or got their start. Overall, this is a fun book for any comedy lover.

They say don't judge the book by its cover. Well, that is exactly what I did when I first encountered "The League of Extraordinarily Funny Women" on NetGalley. Not only was it eye catching, but Lucille Ball is one of my idols and drew me in. The portraits of each comedian are simple, yet the illustrator managed to capture something recognizable in each and every portrait. As an outsider to the stand up culture, I found myself looking up performances or show clips which were quite entertaining! This book was was truly inspiring, and It is crazy to imagine how far female comedians have come in the last 100 years.

A great little book exploring funny women and celebrating the groundbreaking work these women have made. I definitely learned a lot from this book and recommend highly.

This was an awesome look at some of the funny women from history. I enjoyed learning about others but for me the only funny lady is Lucille Ball.

The call back to Lucille Ball with the illustration on the cover and a pull towards any female forward work drew me in immediately. Strong women, read this. Then tell everyone you know to read this.

This is a very generous survey of comic women. What it gains though in breadth, it loses in depth
But it was a interesting read, recommended for anyone who enjoys comedy

This was one of the best books I reviewed in 2019. I highly recommend this book. The art was also very witty and smart.

This is not the kind of book you just read at a sitting. You dip into it, while having tea or a hot chocolate, and you savour it along with your hot beverage. I loved the book - it inspired me as i read about these brave comediennes making their mark. As I read page after page on how women who should have known better, should have been held back, should have done something safer had the courage and the passion to put on their funny hats and go out there and do whatever it took to get people to laugh; it made me want to be courageous too. This book inspired me to write more, to bring out my own dreams of making people laugh - on print, on the stage - in whatever way I can. I may not be planning to follow in the footsteps of these women, but you don't have to want to be a comic to enjoy this book - anyone who has a dream that they think isn't easy, isn't exactly celebrated can read this book and be encouraged.

There is knowledge in laughter, and these women blazed a trail for women! I cannot recommend this book enough, and I am adding several copies to my Christmas list for some special ladies in my life! A fun, informative and interesting read!

I already knew, and am a fan of, a lot of these women. It was great not only reading about those, but also learning about funny women that I hadn't heard of.

This book has great little vignettes about a wide variety of women in comedy. I recognized quite a few from the entertainment industry but it was nice to learn a little bit about about some that I hadn’t. This gives an overview of the careers and work of the featured ladies. I loved the illustrations that were included.

Quite a few SNL alums included, nice to see what else they have been working on and get a history of what led them to the show. Also included my favorite, Mindy Kaling!

This would make a good coffee table book because guests could read through a person or two and not get in too deep. It’s also perfect to pick up and read a few bits here and there.

I was given a digital ARC from netgalley to review.

💭It was very well written
💭very informative
💭inspiring
💭made me discover so many new people in the comedy genre that i had no idea of
💭a good read if you want to pass time
🌟4/5
I'd like to thank @netgalley for the ARC

The League of Extraordinarily Funny Women: 50 Ladies Who Used Comedy to Change the World, by Sheila Moeschen, is a wonderful introduction to these groundbreakers.

First, make sure you know what you are getting. This is not a comprehensive work, in either depth or breadth. There will be deserving women you probably think should be included. There are lists under each grouping that includes many others. The 50 chosen are for what they did to move women in comedy forward as compared to simply being popular and funny. The biographical sketches are just that, sketches. How big would a book have to be to get in depth on 50 successful and complex women? If you want that, maybe get 50 biographies. But the beauty of this work as it is is that in addition to the names we know there will be some we either haven't heard about or didn't appreciate everything they accomplished (usually behind the scenes).

By the way, there will likely be some included that you don't personally "like." Who cares, this book is not about popularity itself. If you can't appreciate what someone has accomplished just because you don't like their form of humor, well, that helps explain what is wrong with the world. "If I don't like how you do your thing, then I dismiss all of your accomplishments as insignificant." Regurgitate that!

The brief bios cover how they overcame what has always been a man's business and what they have done to help pave the way for future generations. It was fascinating to learn some of the less public aspects of their legacies. I was also pleased to learn new names with which I was unfamiliar. I'm always thankful for that type of new knowledge.

So if you want to read a brief bio about 50 of the most important women of comedy then I think you will enjoy this. If you decide to read it through, as I did, it is a nice quick read. I use books like this (short story and essay collections included) to fill in short time slots where I don't want to get back into one of the novels I'm reading nor do I want to concentrate on one of the nonfiction books. This makes a great "I have a few minutes..." book.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

I loved the way this book was put together. I learned a lot about people i already 'knew' and I got to meet new, amazing women I have not met before. I will definitely buy this book.

My Thoughts:
‘The El Paso Herald was the first to break the happy news in 1916: “Women’s Sense of Humor is Steadily Developing” ran the chipper headline. What a relief!’ – From ‘The League...’ What is not to love about a book that begins this way – and this is just the Introduction.

Well, I have to admit a feeling of relief when I looked at the 50 women listed (let us not talk about the extra extraordinaries for now!) and actually knew(well, at least heard of) most of them.

But as I read the book, I realized I did not know much about them at all. To be honest, almost nothing. This book helped me dispel that ignorance, with its brief, concise yet informative biographies of these trailblazing comedians.

While it is about comedians, it is not a ROTFL type of book. Rather, it is one where the author deftly weaves her wonderful sense of humor into the struggles and successes of these women’s stories.

We get so much more than an insight into the hows,whys, wheres, whats and whens of their comedic lives; and of their impact on the world around them. That all this is done within two to three pages for each comedienne portrayed while keeping you engaged throughout and smiling every so often is testament to the brilliance of this book.


The colorful and stunning portraits of the women by Anne Beatley are frame-worthy indeed, capturing the women, to say it in one word, perfectly; and the layout of the book is simply classy.

And the highlighted quote for each woman made me go WOW – these are Women Of Wisdom; Women Of (W)Humor! And by the end of the book:- WOWW – A World Of Wonderful Women!


An Additional Thought:
This is kind of like a ‘kal, aaj, aur kal‘ story of women in comedy. And for those who are wondering just what I am rambling about, those are Hindi words meaning ‘yesterday, today and tomorrow’. (And yes, the words for yesterday and tomorrow are the same; it is context and the rest of the words around them that make the difference when we use them)!

In Summary:
I enjoyed Sheila Moeschen’s brand of humor that touched everything in this book; right from the very beginning introduction to the acknowledgements at the end. And loved her sharp writing that conveyed so much so concisely! Anne Beatley’s colorful illustrations are like the icing on the cake.

A great giftable for those who you know will love to read about these women, who love comedy, or for who love biographies. A great reference book to have in libraries. A book to read from end to end or to dip in and out of when you wish – both work well 🙂

So go ahead and order the book for yourself or for that loved one you know will enjoy this read!

Disclaimer: Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review.

This was a fun book to read. I got to learn about fifty hilarious women and how they have blazed the trail for each other and other women looking to join the comedy world. This book is full of women like Nora Ephron, Carol Burnett, Lucille Ball, Melissa McCarthy, Ellen DeGeneres, and Wanda Sykes. There are a few different sections that separate these fifty women into the types of comedians they are: Sneaky, Sassy, Super Smarties, Courageous, Creative, Character Comics, Dauntless, Defiant, Daringly Disruptive, Magnificent, Marvelous, Mighty Misfits, and Brave, Bold, Brazen Badasses.
I enjoyed reading this book because I love learning about women who have made a difference, especially if that difference helps other women. Just like most things, when comedy and comedians and late night television shows first started becoming a big deal, women were left out. Women weren’t allowed in front of the cameras no matter how funny they were. Women as comedians seemed to be a joke to most men even though behind the scenes, women were the ones writing the jokes for the so-called ‘funny men.’ This book is great for anyone looking to learn more about the women who blazed the trail for the funny women we love today.

Thank you, NetGalley and Running Press for the opportunity to read and review this book in return for an honest review.

I received this ARC from Netgalley.

I was excited to get to read this book based on the cover art alone. The portraits of female comedians throughout were lovely. Kudos to the designer!

Unfortunately I wasn't as impressed by the book. It's clear that the author has a passion for the topic, but most of the mini bios read like wikipedia entries and I was left wanting more. A profile on Lena Dunham for instance, left out the more controversial aspects of her writing, choosing to focus on achievements instead. I don't know that I learned anything more than the basics for each comedian: where they went to school, what comedy/improv troupe they were in, highlights of successes, and a list of awards. It felt really repetitive, and was not as entertaining as I was expecting it to be.

Overall, it's not a bad book, just somewhat forgettable.

This book is a collection of a select few funny women. Each woman selected get's a couple page shoutout. While
I was familiar with most of these funny ladies, it was nice to be introduce to some new faces. I think I just wanted more. Maybe some advice from the ladies themselves would have put knocked this book up a couple pegs. I did love the illustrations for this. They were unique and eye-catching.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This compendium of fabulously funny women includes a colorful painted portrait of each lady and a description of her work and what makes her extraordinary. Put this in the hands of anyone who says women aren't funny.