Book cover of They'll Never Put That on the Air: An Oral History of Taboo-Breaking Comedy

Book description

In the 1950s, Lucille Ball couldn't even say the word “pregnant” on TV. But by the 1990s, Carrie Bradshaw and her posse could say everything there is to say about sex—and demonstrate most of it. How have broadcast standards changed from the dawn of television till today? Through interviews with…

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Why read it?

1 author picked They'll Never Put That on the Air as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is an utterly spellbinding collection of personal interviews with people who shaped history’s most groundbreaking television.

If there was a boundary to be broken or taboo to be smashed, the story of how it happened can be found here. Every time I flip through this book I find myself rushing to watch the episodes described by the pioneers in its pages.

From Matt's list on queer characters on television.

If you love They'll Never Put That on the Air...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

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Karl's War by Neil Spark,

Karl's War is a coming-of-age-meets-thriller set in Germany on the eve of Hitler coming to power. Karl – a reluctant poster boy for the Nazis – meets Jewish Ben and his world is up-turned.

Ben and his family flee to France. Karl joins the German army but deserts and finds…

Book cover of Girl in the Ashes

Girl in the Ashes by Douglas Weissman,

Odette Lefebvre is a serial killer stalking the shadows of Nazi-occupied Paris and must confront both the evils of those she murders and the darkness of her own past.

This young woman's childhood trauma shapes her complex journey through World War II France, where she walks a razor's edge…

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