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Article: African American Humor: the Best Black Comedy from Slavery to Today.(Book Review)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Black Issues Book Review
- Article date:
- November 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Cox, Matthews & Associates. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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edited by Mel Watkins Foreword by Dick Gregory Lawrence Hill Books, September 2002 $29.95, ISBN 1-556-52430-7
Laughter is familiar territory for Mel Watkins. As author of On the Real Side: A History of African American Comedy, Watkins explored black comedy from Uncle Remus to Chris Rock. With his third book, African American Humor: The Best Black Comedy from Slavery to Today, Watkins includes anecdotes, stories, satire, jokes and sketches that are organized into four parts.
In "Playin The Fool," Watkins documents the folktales and rhymes spun by slaves that became what he calls "techniques for surviving," the physical brutality of slavery while ...