May 9, 2012

Book Review: Lizz Free or Die


Lizz Free or Die

By Lizz Winstead

RIVERHEAD BOOKS

In 1991, while watching CNN’s coverage of the first night of Desert Storm on a bad blind date at a sports bar, political satirist Lizz Winstead had an epiphany: “Are they reporting on a war, or are they trying to sell me a war?” Thus began her obsession with “breaking down the media breakdown” that led her to cocreate The Daily Show in 1996. In this charming essay collection, Winstead traces her evolution from the “unladylike” baby daughter of a large Catholic family in Minnesota to a comedian who found “a way to use humor to speak truth to power.” She tells of getting an abortion after being knocked up by her hockey player boyfriend in high school, spending a fortune on her dogs’ waste problems, and saying goodbye to her dying father—all with insight and understated humor.

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In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

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