cover image Diary of a Mad Diva

Diary of a Mad Diva

Joan Rivers . Berkley, $26.95 (304p) ISBN 978-0-425-26902-2

Comedian, bestselling author (I Hate Everyone...Starting with Me), and award%E2%80%93winning TV host Rivers continues her tirade against the world in this farcical day-by-day diary. Delivering more of the same outrageousness she's known for, Rivers' satire touches on everything from slavery to the holocaust, eating disorders to immigration. While no topic is too taboo, the term "politically incorrect" undermines how far she's willing to go in her faux-bigoted act. Fat jokes, potty humor and raunchy gags abound in her celebrity-driven shtick, which picks on the same (mostly female) targets, old and new: Anne Hathaway, Miley Cyrus, Lindsay Lohan, Kirstie Alley and Barbara Streisand are all on the receiving end of her judgment. While some of her antics still zing, most of the routine here, which relies less on her wit than pure provocation, falls flat. No one rails quite like Rivers, but readers are advised to go slow lest the material stale fast. (July)