Foreword by Amy Poehler -- Introduction -- Lucy as pop culture -- Timeline of Lucille Ball's lifetime -- The early years: relishing family, practicing resilience -- Hustling, bustling & breaking into showbiz -- Queen of the Bs: the lesser-known Lucille -- Lucille Ball's film career highlights -- You can't spell desire without Desi -- All the firsts of television that I Love Lucy hath wrought -- Most famous episodes and sketches of I Love Lucy, dissected -- Red hair, Red Scare -- Pioneer of equality -- The second generation: Lucie and Desi Jr. -- Why, exactly, Lucy is so damn funny -- Continuing the comedy -- The later years -- How to be like Lucy -- Leaving a legacy -- Appendix A: Selected list of awards won by Lucille Ball -- Appendix B: Selected list of performances by Lucille Ball -- Appendix C: Lucille Ball family tree

An intimate and deeply original exploration of the life and work of the television pioneer, the First Lady of Comedy, Lucille Bal--A.K.A. Lucy. With stories illuminating the many different facets of the woman, [this book] details how Ball transformed the face of comedy and the entertainment industry. -- adapted from back cover