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A.K.A. Lucy: The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball is a book on Lucille Ball like none other.
This stunning package offers a rich, intimate, and highly entertaining look at the remarkable life and work of the television pioneer, the First Lady of Comedy, the legend, Lucille Ball—AKA Lucy.
Full of fresh perspective, gorgeously designed, richly informative, and with profiles spotlighting the many different facets of the woman, A.K.A. Lucy details how Ball changed the face of comedy and the entertainment industry. It sheds new light on the star's history, from her childhood through hard-scrabble days trying to make it in show business, falling head over heels in love and embarking on one of the great romances of the twentieth century, to becoming the biggest star in the world, a pioneer in television, and an icon for the ages. Filled with photos and highlighted by bright illustration and design, this is a volume almost as vivid and entertaining as the woman herself.
Kirkus Reviews reports, "Making effective use of such visual elements as photos, timelines, pull quotes, and lists, Royal shows how Ball was not just a Hollywood star, but also a modest, hardworking, kind individual," and calls it "a satisfying, brightly colored biography about a comedy legend."
A.K.A. Lucy is officially authorized by the estate of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
This book is for anyone who loves a truly human story.
It's, quite obviously, for fans of Lucille Ball and I Love Lucy, and more broadly for fans of comedy and women who make others laugh. Casual fans will uncover new findings and enjoy the finer details of Lucy's life. Obsessive fans will enjoy the format and flow, which is unlike any other Lucille Ball book previously released. It's packed with enough narrative to be a full-length biography, and with enough visuals to be a lovely coffee table book.
As Amy Poehler says, Lucy "was always pushing and learning." It is the aim of this book to do the same for its readers.
Sarah Royal wrote A.K.A. Lucy: The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball.
She is a pop culture historian focusing on women in comedy and author of the bestselling Creative Cursing: A Mix 'N' Match Profanity Generator, among other entertaining books and zines. She’s also the co-host of the podcast Enough Wicker: Intellectualizing The Golden Girls. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Royal remembers watching I Love Lucy reruns both with her grandmother during the daytime and on late-night TV Land broadcasts, and Lucy is one of her earliest memories of a woman being outlandishly hilarious. She's thrilled to have had this opportunity to delve into Lucy's world for a little while, and help bring a better understanding of this powerful, industrious, and deeply feeling woman to the world.
10/10/23
BROOKLYN, NY
featuring Shelly Zimmerman, Lucille Ball Historian and manager of megafan pages @luvsbway on Instagram and Lucille Ball on Facebook.
10/19/23
PORTLAND, OR
featuring Martha Grover,
author of the acclaimed memoir The End of My Career and publisher of the long-running zine Somnambulist.
10/17/23
LOS ANGELES, CA
featuring Jim Colucci,
author of the New York Times best-selling book Golden Girls Forever and of the upcoming 2024 release Love Boat Forever.
You can buy the book anywhere books are sold!
Preorder now prior to the 10/10/23 launch date if you haven't already:
To get in touch about A.K.A Lucy promotions, reviews, events, or otherwise, please send a message via the contact form.
To follow along with updates as to the release of A.K.A. Lucy, follow @saraheroyal on instagram or subscribe to her Substack.
