The Trials of Lenny Bruce: The Fall and Rise of An American Icon

"Generating a gamut of emotions, the entire package is an important documentation of a revolution in American culture." —Publishers Weekly "The book is indispensable." —Booklist "I thought I new this story pretty well, but I learned a lot from this book....A major contribution toward understanding the threat perceived by the 'powers' from simple artistic honesty." —George Carlin When it first came out in 2002, The Trials of Lenny Bruce not only established itself as the definitive work on Lenny Bruce's free speech trials, it led to the late comedian's posthumous pardon for his conviction on obscenity charges in New York by then-governor George Pataki. Originally packaged in hardcover with an audio CD, this 10th Anniversary enhanced eBook edition includes embedded audio from Lenny Bruce's most controversial performances, as well as exclusive author interviews with the colleagues, friends, and lawyers who defended him—including George Carlin, Hugh Hefner, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Albert Bendich. Also included in the enhanced eBook edition are archival audio clips secretly recorded during Lenny's New York obscenity trial. The Trials of Lenny Bruce is an important document of the free speech battles of an icon of American comedy who, by speaking his mind and fighting the good fight, paved the way for every standup comedian, satirist, and social critic who followed him.