Monologue: What Makes America Laugh Before Bed

Macks, a veteran writer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, explores the history of late-night comedy shows in America and the different styles of hosts and jokes that continue to draw audiences. He argues that late-night comedy provides a way to make sense of the ever-increasing news-media overload. He devotes most of the coverage to his former employer Jay Leno, but manages to draw out interesting views on many of the most popular hosts, including Johnny Carson, David Letterman, and Jimmy Fallon. Reader Heller rises to the task of narrating a book that is about comedy and contains its fair share of jokes, derived from Mack and the various hosts. When it’s clear who is telling the joke, Heller provides a hint of impersonation, just to give the listener the flavor of the speaker. In general, Heller has the comic timing down, which improves the laughs in this book, but he still must deal with a good deal of jokes, often one-liners, that themselves feel a bit flat. A Penguin/Blue Rider hardcover. (Apr.)