Author: Cordelia Kenney
Last September, multifaceted actress, comedian and social activist Marlo Thomas released her sixth and most personal book titled “Growing up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny.” While Thomas has made herself indispensable to all causes that she supports and has been seen in a wide variety of media, her ultimate and most cherished asset is her appreciation of humor.
In her new book, Thomas explores laughter throughout her childhood and her career as a method of coping and growing.
According to her website marlothomas.aol.com, “Growing up Laughing” reached the New York Times Best Sellers list a mere eight days after its release. A reviewer from Vanity Fair declared that in this book “you’ll laugh and you’ll learn about comedy and you’ll have a tear here and there and a tug always” from Thomas.
The reviewer goes on to describe Thomas as a “courageous, generous, and thoroughly, deeply decent woman.”
Daughter of comedian Danny Thomas, Marlo grew up surrounded by funnymen, including George Burns, Milton Berle and Bob Hope, who were constant visitors at her family’s house.
Their presence seems to have left an impression on Thomas, as she shares some of these memories “with the boys” in her new memoir.
In an interview for the Los Angeles Times, Thomas elucidated the absolute importance of laughter in her life: “[Laughter] can cushion you against sadness and anger and oppression. All of the things that life throws at us.”
Indeed, laughter proves to be the best medicine for everyone; she went on to say “that is how people survive-with humor.”
Perhaps appropriately, then, Thomas is also now the National Outreach Director of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, founded by her late father.
In “Growing up Laughing,” Thomas connects not only her childhood memories and experiences with the potent power of a good laugh, but also includes current comedians and their own stories of what led them to comedy. Comedians included are Conan O’Brien, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Joan Rivers and Billy Crystal, among others.
Thomas says that humor has “anchored and sustained” her throughout her life. Because of its unequivocal force in her life, she ventures to share and delight in her comedic roots in “Growing up Laughing.”
According to Thomas, “these amazing stories – and the many stories of my life and career that followed – have been buzzing in my head for years, and at last I have written them all down.”
Along with her book, Thomas has launched a new website through AOL, which is aimed specifically towards women over age 35 and filled with interactive features to create a space for everyday women to discuss pertinent topics and have a laugh.
The website includes a “laugh of the day,” tips and advice on a multitude of issues ranging from nutrition to infidelity and conversations with Thomas herself. As always, the timeless Marlo Thomas is immersed in every aspect of her creative and social life, while still dedicating herself to the concerns of women and children.
Thomas’ accomplished résumé includes four Emmys, a Golden Globe and a Grammy for her album for children called “Free to Be … You and Me.” She has also received numerous awards and recognitions for her social work, which include the William Moses Kunstler Racial Justice Award, The Helen Caldicott Award for Nuclear Disarmament, the American Women in Radio and Television Satellite Award and the Thomas Paine Award from the A.C.L.U.
After publishing inspirational books for both children and adults, it will be with eager eyes that Thomas’ fans read her new book, finally providing a glimpse into this thoroughly accomplished and delightful woman’s journey.
So if you are looking for both an inspirational and hilarious new book, grab yourself a copy of “Growing up Laughing” and read more about the healing power of laughter.
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