As an art book, 4 stars. As a reference manual, 2 stars.

The artwork depicting female comedians is wonderful.

I don’t trust a book that references a Carol Burnett Netflix show that never aired.

This book kind of remind me a little bit of Goodnight Stories of Rebel Girls.
Unfortunately this book did not do for me. The artwork is beautiful, however the content itself is okay.
I really appreciate someone's hardwork for doing this though, and I am sure there is a lot of people who will enjoy this book and even love it. So, if this interest you, just pick it up :)

The League of Extraordinarily Funny Women: 50 Ladies Who Used Comedy to Change the World by Sheila Moeschen is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. I found this a great travel back in time and a review of great women of today. This book goes back to the turn of the century and gives the reader a brief history of how each female comedian got into the business. Usually a page or so. There were a few I didn't know but most was a wonderful trip down memory lane! I am 62 and remember laughing at Carol Burnett, Phillis Diller, and Lucy Ball! There are so many more! The current comedians too! I enjoyed learning new information about these wonderful women! It was a feel good book!

This book is extraordinary! I love that it includes women of the past and present and that it gives a genuine backstory and what they have accomplished. Each story is a glimpse and a summary of each woman's life and career. Different types of funny ladies are grouped in their respective sections and there are many ladies in each one. Each section also has other notable women that don't have stories included. This would be a great book for an aspiring comedienne or anyone who wants to read about the accomplishments of women in what used to be a male-dominated industry. I also love that the portraits of each woman are painted instead of a photograph. It gives an artsy feeling and captures their features well.

DISCLAIMER: I was provided a digital copy of this book by NetGallery in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I'm a little lukewarm on this one.

While I loved the art in this book, I found the stories to be a bit flat.

I admire women who make their way through the comedy circuit and especially admire those who use their platform to empower women. (ie. Tina Fey)

This is not a book I will be promoting to my circle of friends. There are too many other important things to read.

Dating back to the early part of the twentieth century, Women had their trials and tribulations for working their way up to being accepted as a stage presence of comedy. As funny as that myth may appear, many were classified as being incapable of genuine humor. What little they truly knew.

The author brilliantly highlighted dozens of past and present women of comedy with a sketched illustration and a short biography. It was well done. Though not a requirement, Saturday Night Live appeared to be the proving ground where many aspiring comediennes had cut their teeth. I recommend taking this journey through the last 100 years of laughing our way through women comediennes in our country. You're sure to find a few of your favorites.

My thanks go out to NetGalley and Perseus Books, Running Press for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.