Biography Humor

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Goodbye Soldier, written and read by Spike Milligan. "My name is Maria Antonoinetta Fontana, but everyone call me Toni." "I'm Spike, sometimes known as 'stop thief' or 'hey you.'" "Yeser, I know." The sixth volume of Spike Milligan's off-the-wall account of his part in World War Two sees our hero doing very little soldiering. Because it's 1946.....

When Roy Wood, Jr. held his baby boy for the first time, he was relieved that his son was happy and healthy but felt a strange mix of joy and apprehension. Roy’s own father, a voice of the civil rights movement in Birmingham, Alabama, passed away when Roy was only sixteen. There were gaps in the lessons passed down from father to son, and when holding his own child, Roy wondered: had he managed to fill in those blanks, to learn the lessons he would one day need to teach his boy?

Jerry Lewis (1926-2017) achieved superstardom in the 1950s and 1960s with such films as The Caddy, The Bellboy, and The Nutty Professor. Later, Lewis was almost as well known for his dedication to the cause of muscular dystrophy and his annual Labor Day telethon, which he hosted for more than four decades. In King of Comedy, Shawn Levy offers a provocative portrait of the influential comedian, analyzing the complex, sometimes disturbing world of Lewis—from his rise to fame and philanthropic work to the dark side of his career and personal life.

Cindy Hensley was just out of college when she met and fell in love with the celebrated Navy hero John McCain. They embarked on a thrilling life together that put her at the center of American politics for over four decades. Stronger, her moving and inspiring memoir, tells the story of her adventurous life with John for the first time.

For as long as Daisy May Cooper can remember, she's been fascinated with the unexplained. Ghosts, spirits, tea leaves, astrological charts, paranormal activity - you name it, she's been obsessed!

Marks mormor tyckte inte om erotik. Hon krävde av morfar att lampan skulle vara släckt. Och sen sprang hon och gömde sig. Gud så Marks morfar svor, där han jagade henne i mörkret. Trots att han varit med i båda världskrigen svor han på att en ryss i en vallgrav inte är något mot en mormor bakom en chiffonjé. Den 25 augusti utkommer Och jag läste att det var omöjligt att leva lycklig förutan dig. Där resonerar Mark Levengood kring ensamhet och samhörighet, hur vi som människor kan hitta fram till varandra bakom möbler eller andra hinder.

I Hjärtat får inga rynkor vecklas Marks universum ut, en värld där kinesiska Elvisimitatörer skimrar i kapp med Danmarks drottning, där Körskoleläraren Som Gud Glömde samsas med Jesus i Orlando (som Gud helst skulle vilja glömma). Här möter vi nya vårar som blommar i krematoriets park och grannens otäta hund som blir misstänkt för att vara en vandrande njure klädd i päls. Hjärtat får inga rynkor lär oss varför det är vådligt att tolka folk i form av blombuketter samt faran av att stå på huvudet om man inte bär trosor.

Not Just Sunglasses and Autographs is a captivating autobiography that follows the author's journey from bar bouncing in Boston to working on award-winning television shows and movies. This is an endearing story of overcoming the odds through dark humor, tenacity, authenticity, and happiness.

Are you tired of juggling anxious thoughts and daily mishaps—like life’s one giant blooper reel? Meet your new playbook for mental health: Half Crazy, Fully Human by Felicity Hartwell. Backed by real psychological insights—and a hearty dose of humor—this book dares to ask: what if laughing at life’s chaos is the best way to conquer it? From playful strategies that tame those intrusive thoughts to reimagining every “failure” as your own comedic outtake, Felicity Hartwell shows how a little laughter and a lot of self-awareness can turn meltdown moments into stepping stones.

Dion came up out of the Bronx in the 50s and tore through the music charts in a ferocious display of talent. He continued to make great music while slowly returning to his Catholic roots. His hard-won wisdom filters through his stories whether he's recalling how he went shopping with John Lennon and ended up on the cover of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band or what it was like to travel in the Jim Crow South with Sam Cooke.

Va Pu Kale narrates funny incidents from his experiences in a very fruitful way.

“Understated” and “tasteful” could never be applied to Annie, and that’s just fine with her. A colorful actress with a decades-long career in TV, film, and theater—including a recurring role on Seinfeld and a center-stage spot touring with The Moth—Annie offers her trademark unabashed takes on both everyday and typically taboo topics.

When 21-year-old Jay Mohr moved from New Jersey to New York City to pursue his dream of stand-up stardom, he never thought the first real job he'd land would be on Saturday Night Live. But, surprisingly, that's just what he did.

Randall Stevens, at 20 years old in 1966, was a wide-eyed, naive boy still a year away from being able to claim adulthood at that magic age of 21. Having come up with the idea to join one of the best state police organizations in the nation, he began the journey to become a Massachusetts State Police Trooper.

Rosemary Mac Cabe was always a serial monogamist—never happier than when she was in a relationship or, at the very least, on the way to being in one. But in her desperate search for ‘the one’—from first love to first lust, through a series of disappointments and the searing sting of heartbreak—she learned that finding love might mean losing herself along the way. This Is Not About You is a life story in a series of love stories.

Award-Winning Finalist in the Narrative: Non-Fiction category of the 2020 Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book FestIn 1988, a young, mid-level employee named Art Bell pitched a novel concept - a television channel focused 100 percent on just one thing: Comedy - to the chairman of HBO. The station that would soon become Comedy Central, with celebrated programs like South Park, Chapelle’s Show, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report, was born.

Bestselling children's author Andy Stanton has made a career out of writing differently—from the unconventional ‘hero' of his bestselling Mr Gum series to his penchant for absurdist plots, his children's books are anything but formulaic. When a friend introduces him to ChatGPT, the new large language chatbot, Andy is as sceptical as he is curious. Can this jumble of algorithms really mimic the spontaneity of human thought? Could it one day replace human authors like him for good? And are we soon to be ruled over by despotic robot overlords.

A Flamingo Under the Carousel will make you laugh, cry, and feel a thousand emotions in between. The thirty short stories offer a unique view of the world through the use of various genres These previously published short pieces are presented together for the first time. Ranging from the literary to the apocalyptical, it is a journey through the themes of crime, 1960's culture, rock music, and love. From flights of fancy in a mystical underground world discovered by young children to a generational suite of immigrant stories, humorous travel adventures to sports tales, and finally on to ...

G-Is for String is the story of a gullible college girl who dreamed of being a dancer all her life. When her friends encouraged her to enter an amateur dance contest in Rochester, New York, she fell into the world of exotic dancing and stripping. She spent the next thirteen years of life perfecting her performance art in places where artistry was a pleasant surprise.

Known for her sharp, witty and surreal view on everyday life, Lucy shares the unpredictable craziness of being a mum in this brilliant and laugh-out-loud 'mumoir'. Mums everywhere will recognise the madness of it all. Like when Lucy was hospitalised during her third trimester with chest pains but it turned out to be a burrito. Or when she was so tired at the park she forgot her own child's name.