There was a lot I loved about the book. The essays are thought-provoking. The insights into the comedy business are enlightening and gave me a feel for how difficult it is to succeed in comedy. The writing style is conversational; I really felt that Jena Friedman was talking directly to me. And some parts of the book are funny, but the book’s value to me were Friedman’s insights and adventures, not the humor. I fell into the trap of I’ll just read one more chapter. It was never just one more - the book really was hard to put down. Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the digital review copy.

A humorous set of essays describing the author's experiences in the comedy industry without blanching away from difficult topics.

Not Funny is an immensely enjoyable and humorous set of essays. The essays tackle topics that are decidedly not funny including gender inequity, racism, harassment, endangered reproductive rights, and so on.

Jena Friedman’s writing is clear and introspective. While I appreciated all of the essays, the standout for me was “Brief Interviews with Hilarious Men” where Jena interviews her favorite comedians asking them the sexist questions women in comedy are constantly asked by the press. If you like to laugh (and also be sad about the various workplace inequalities typically facing anyone who isn't a white man) give this a read!

Thank you very much to Atria and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced read!

Friedman shares many short essays about her experiences in the comedy world, particularly instances of how as a woman she was treated and or felt. It really brought to light that we have not come as far as people think, the questions she has been asked are disappointing. I very much appreciated the essay where she asked those questions to make comedians. They were in shock that she had been asked those things. I think that essay really brought to light how females are treated in the comedy world. I appreciate that Jena is strong woman who fights for herself and continues to persevere. Can't wait to see more from her!

I will be honest, I did not know Jena Friedman by name when I was sent the eARC of this book but it turns out I did know her work (big Borat fan). This was an interesting, eye opening memoir of her experience being a woman in an extremely male dominated profession. Definitely worth the read.