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What's So Funny?: A Cartoonist's Memoir Hardcover – March 8, 2022

by David Sipress (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 120 ratings
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“David Sipress’s engaging, illuminating, and hilarious memoir will perhaps clarify what dark forces are at work when it comes to becoming a cartoonist rather than a podiatrist, a billionaire tech mogul, or someone who is deeply into collecting owl figurines. And if it doesn’t, you will love it anyway.”— Roz Chast

From a longtime New Yorker staff cartoonist, an evocative family memoir, a love letter to New York City, and a delightful exploration of the origins of creativity—richly interleaved with the author’s witty, beloved cartoons.

David Sipress, a dreamer and obsessive drawer living with his Upper West Side family in the age of JFK and Sputnik, goes hazy when it comes to the ceaselessly imparted lessons-on-life from his meticulous father and the angsty expectations of his migraine-prone mother.  With wry and brilliantly observed prose, Sipress paints his hapless place in the family, from the time he is tricked by his unreliable older sister into rocketing his pet turtle out his twelfth-floor bedroom window to the moment he walks away from a Harvard PhD program in Russian history to begin his life as a professional cartoonist. Sipress’s cartoons appear in the story with spot-on precision, inducing delightful Aha! moments in answer to the perennial question aimed at cartoonists: Where do you get your ideas? 

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Mariner Books
  4. Publication date
    March 8, 2022
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0358659094
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0358659099
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“[H]is cartoons act more as punctuation marks to the narrative, written in prose that is also economical and amiable (and occasionally devastating)…It’s an endearingly vulnerable tale of being molded by one’s family of origin, then crawling out from under its suffocating weight.”
— New York Times

"David Sipress, one of the most brilliant cartoonists in the history of The New Yorker, has written a beautiful memoir, equally moving and hilarious. It’s like spending time with the funniest and kindest person you’ve ever met.”
— Andy Borowitz, New York Times bestselling author of The Borowitz Report 

“Cartooning is a serious business, as David Sipress reminds in this engaging and frequently moving memoir. Sipress has not only crafted a winning self-portrait of the artist, he also writes about his complicated family life with deep affection and unsparing honesty. What’s So Funny? will make you laugh, and it will break your heart, and it comes with lots of Sipress’s cartoons too, which are worth the price of admission in and of themselves.”
— Tom Perrotta, author of Election and Little Children 

"An affectionate, introspective memoir from the acclaimed cartoonist...In crisp, clean, anecdotal prose, [Sipress] chronicles his life story, his mischievous cartooning, and the germination of his ideas, with many included for readers to appreciate...This addictive, witty, David Sedaris–esque story is a hoot." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Sipress draws on his gift for evoking the predicaments of human nature to tell beguiling stories about his life and career…a delightful jaunt through an inspiring artist’s mind.” — Publishers Weekly

"David Sipress's engaging, illuminating, and hilarious memoir will perhaps clarify what dark forces are at work when it comes to becoming a cartoonist rather than a podiatrist, a billionaire tech mogul, or someone who is deeply into collecting owl figurines. And if it doesn't, you will love it anyway.”

— Roz Chast, author of Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?   

“This droll, emotionally bare memoir by the longtime New Yorker cartoonist is a master class in how artists can use their personal lives to fortify their work.” — Shelf Awareness

"[Sipress' cartoons] make you cringe and chuckle all at once." — Boston.com

About the Author

DAVID SIPRESS has been staff cartoonist since 1998 for The New Yorker, where he has published nearly 700 cartoons. He lectures widely on cartooning, and his autobiographical writing has appeared frequently on newyorker.com.    
 

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mariner Books (March 8, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0358659094
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0358659099
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 0.75 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 120 ratings

About the author

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David Sipress

David Sipress

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David Sipress has been a staff cartoonist for The New Yorker since 1998, where he has published nearly 700 cartoons. He lectures widely on cartooning, and his autobiographical writing has appeared frequently on newyorker.com.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
120 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Eric Selby
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Brilliant Memoir
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2022
Verified Purchase
I have been a New Yorker cartoon lover for decades, attempting for several years to have at least one of my cartoon captions selected for those last page puzzle contests. Without success. So when I heard the interview with David Sipress on Terry Gross's "Fresh Air," I immediately ordered a copy and plan to order a few more as gifts to friends who are of an age with the author and me. This is one of the most unique memoirs I have ever read--and I've read a lot of them. David Sipress was born in New York City and except for a stint at Harvard where he dropped out as a graduate student, he has always lived there. So this is also a New York City/New Yorker memoir. His passion was creating cartoons. But it took him 25 years of submitting weekly for the editors to finally realize that they were missing a golden opportunity by bypassing his cartoons. The memoir is full of them including that famous one in which the speaker says "The sun rises on the Upper East Side and sets on the Upper West Side." Jews especially will love this memoir with the father who came across the Atlantic as a child and became a successful merchant, a father who seldom sees the positives while the mother sees much that is upbeat. What a wonderful experience it has been to read this memoir--one I shall re-read and re-read again I suspect.
8 people found this helpful
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Patricia J. Vachunek
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny but Poignant
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2022
Verified Purchase
We should all look at life with Sipress’ attitude in this book. A man looking for something and someone to understand him and the cartoonist life he ached for.
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Pam
4.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Dramatic
Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2023
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Interesting story, writing is good so it is an easy read, just a little boring in parts. I’d still recommend it.
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thypoentie
5.0 out of 5 stars touching, piquant, with some laugh out loud moments
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2022
Verified Purchase
Insight into the multigenerational trauma of many Jewish immigrant families, the triumphs, the efforts at security, the imprisoning gender roles, and the love. All chronicled with a sweet and powerful humour.
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Honolulu Hank
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a laff riot
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2022
Verified Purchase
This is a really good book. In addition to the humor expected of a New Yorker cartoonist, there is serious exploration of the impact of his family life growing up.
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Margo
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful and Insightful
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2022
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This is a compelling memoir of a New York childhood, made even more engaging because it's illustrated throughout with the author's brilliant cartoons.
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Parula72
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful memoir
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2022
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Insightful and well written. Honest. I will recommend this book to several people including my family (very similar background although not NY) and my psychiatrist colleagues.
One person found this helpful
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Stefanie UWS
4.0 out of 5 stars It was mostly a family memoir
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2022
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I was expecting more about his cartoons. But even though it turned out more about his childhood, family and the era he grew up in; I enjoyed it.
One person found this helpful
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