A review by zombiezami
We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedy by Kliph Nesteroff

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

This was such an informative book. I used to watch Comedy Central Presents every day as a teenager, and I don't think I ever once saw a Native comedian. I was impressed with how the author created a throughline from Buffalo Bill shows to stand-up comedy. I also really enjoyed how there were many examples in the book of comedians who truly care about and are sensitive to the needs of their communities. Mainstream comedy often seems obsessed with being provocative for the sake of being provocative, to the point where some comedians don't even seem concerned with actually making people laugh, but more with making jabs at groups they're prejudiced against. I appreciated how many of the comedians in this book didn't fall into this kind of trope. I will definitely be checking out the comedians referenced here. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Hate crime, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Car accident, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Vomit, and Abandonment