Fun way to address serious issues

My Man Jeeves by P G Wodehouse – Although this is not a book that made me laugh aloud, I must admit I caught myself smiling through the entire novel.

I think it is the satire on class and the reversal of roles that makes this book so funny.

Jeeves, a butler in an aristocratic house solves all of his employer’s social problems. It becomes fun to see just how Jeeves will get his bungling employer out of his social mishaps.

Wodehouse’s novel, first published in 1919 is still a refreshing read and an admirable satire of the wealthy.

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight – Filled with self deprecating humour, Shoe Dog is the autobiography of Phil Knight, one of the co-founders of the shoe empire Nike. There’s something unimaginably funny about a billionaire poking fun at his life and his methods for becoming rich. Knight masters this as well as he managed his business.

Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord by Louis de Bernieres – When I first read Senor Vivo…, which stands on an equal footing of de Bernieres’ famous and popular Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, I felt this novel depicted a certain period of Trinidad and Tobago’s history – The Dragon Can’t Dance era when our joy outweighed our sorrows and crime almost seemed laughable.

This author captures the keystone cop effect of the police (that we once knew all too well) but shows how serious and sad crime becomes in a dysfunctional place.

Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman – Although this is a book written for children from eight to 12, I have included it because parents can enjoy the experience of a funny book with their children.

In this book, Gaiman pokes fun at the silly excuses that children often give. In Gaiman’s hilarious novel, a father goes out for milk and spins one wild story after another about why it took him so long to come home. The action-packed illustrations enhance the story. If you have a reluctant reader in your family, you might want to read Fortunately the Milk to your child and share the laughs.

Gaiman is a popular writer with adults who will recall books like Neverwhere, Anansi Boys and Coraline.

Roald Dahl’s books are also good choices for introducing children to funny literature.

A Primate’s Memoir: A Neuroscientist’s Unconventional Life Among the Baboons by Robert M Sapolsky – Initially the baboons seem to have the upper hand in Sapolsky’s non-fiction account of his studies among baboons.

While the revelations are eventually sobering, Sapolsky is able to take readers down a funny road to get the serious, even horrific point he is trying to make.

Students of literature and students preparing for any of the many exams coming up this year should read A Primate’s Memoir…to understand how author’s present tone and mood in literature.

After reading the books on my most humorous book lists for the past two weeks, I hope you will find that humorous books are not only important for the comic relief they bring to our lives or their ability to nudge reluctant readers into tackling a book.

They are important for their ability to often highlight important themes and conflicts that would be too dry or painful to write about seriously.

Humour is often an effective way to make a very serious point.