Part history, part classification system, part philosophy, Dauber tries to cover a lot in his readable, but at times repetitive book. Don’t worry; it’s filled with jokes. It’s a great overview of the different forms of Jewish humor and what they say about the Jewish people.

Each chapter is a general overview of Jewish humor in specific locations: America, Germany, Yiddish humor in general, Jewish humor under Hitler and Stalin, and Jewish Humor in Israel. She builds a few different theories for the relationship between the Jewish people and humor. At times, she seems to be saying that Jews have an eye for incongruity and this is what makes us so funny. Alternatively, she could be saying, humor is a form of release, a way of dispelling the tensions inherent in Jewish life. It’s an interesting book that both overlaps and compliments Dauber’s. Both could have further explored the rich history of rabbinic humor a little more closely, but, in their defense, those jokes can sometimes be a bit too niche. Some jokes, “you have to be there,” others require a deep knowledge of Talmudic commentaries. It’s hard to blame them for choosing the former, but interested readers should certainly find a way to acquaint themselves with the latter.