Funny How? Sketch Comedy and the Art of Humor

the 2016 presidential election, and the visible white supremacist reaction to Trump’s appointment, Wood argues that it continues Mabley’s legacy by speaking truth to power. Without apology, these comedians forgo respectability politics or the desire to “find common ground” with audiences who might have historically contributed to anti-Black, antiqueer, and antitrans thought (110). Instead, they use their comedic expertise to hold white people accountable for their complicity in white heteropatriarchy. Scholars looking to laugh and learn will enjoy Cracking Up. It curates a community of Black feminist stand-up comedians and activists and draws attention to key disruptors of white supremacist thought. Both visually and thematically, Mabley is a presence across the text, from the pixilated image of Mabley on the cover of the book to the final screen grab of Wanda Sykes’s impersonation of Mabley from a 2019 episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Wood honors Mabley while telling a more complex story about Black women in stand-up comedy. Through laughter and pleasure, Wood asserts that “the black feminist comic demands more. Nothing short of pure freedom will do” (50). Wood’s book cracks us up, bringing us together and pushing us to toward a more hopeful and joyful future.