Sinopsis

From the host of NPR affiliate's Forum with Michael Krasny, a compendium of Jewish jokes that packs the punches with hilarious riff after riff and also offers a window into Jewish culture.

Michael Krasny has been telling Jewish jokes since his bar mitzvah, and it's been said that he knows more of them than anyone on the planet. He certainly states his case in this wise, enlightening, and hilarious book that not only collects the best of Jewish humor passed down from generation to generation, but explains the cultural expressions and anxieties behind the laughs.

"What's Jewish Alzheimer's?"
"You forget everything but the grudges."

"You must be so proud. Your daughter is the President of the United States!"
"Yes. But her brother is a doctor!"

"Isn't Jewish humor masochistic?"
"No. And if I hear that one more time I am going to kill myself."

With his background as a scholar and public-radio host, Krasny delves deeply into the themes,...