{"product_id":"the-black-pack-artel-great-9781978838147","title":"The Black Pack: Comedy, Race, and Resistance","description":"In the middle of the conservative Reagan era, five comedic pioneers--Eddie Murphy, Paul Mooney, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Robert Townsend, and Arsenio Hall--joined forces to revolutionize American popular culture. Known as Hollywood's \"Black Pack,\" they were more than just funny--they were fearless. With iconic projects like \u003ci\u003eIn Living Color\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eComing to America\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Arsenio Hall Show\u003c\/i\u003e, the Black Pack shattered Hollywood norms, using sharp social satire to boldly critique America's persistent racial inequalities. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Artel Great delivers the first comprehensive look at this groundbreaking collective, uncovering how their politically charged comedy attacked underlying assumptions of race in the United States. He reveals how their work confronted dehumanizing narratives of Black identity, unapologetically empowered Black voices, and expanded creative possibilities for Black artists in a white-dominated industry. Rather than compete with one other, these Black comedians together built a comedy ecosystem that nurtured young Black talent. Their alliance transformed anger into art, wielding comedy as a form of resistance while crafting some of the most provocative and enduring cultural productions of the twentieth century. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Black Pack\u003c\/i\u003e illuminates the group's unprecedented commercial success and the systemic barriers they defied, revealing how they inspired new generations of Black artists and changed the face of American comedy along the way.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Artel Great\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 197883814X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781978838147\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Rutgers University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/17\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 218\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs","brand":"Artel Great","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46571014193407,"sku":"9781978838147","price":69.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_b91212b9-08ac-4dca-a62c-e1766e24cdf9.jpg?v=1738807008","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-black-pack-artel-great-9781978838147","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}