"In 2011, a musical full of curse words and Mormon missionaries swept that year's Tony Awards show and was praised among major media outlets as a triumphant return of the American musical. Has everyone gone insane? Or is this show a new milestone for musical theatre? Brian Granger's book explores the inherent achievements (and failures) of The Book of Mormon--one of the most ambitious, and problematic, musicals to achieve widespread success. The creative team members-Matt Parker and Trey Stone of the animated TV show South Park, and composer Robert Lopez, famous for his irreverent, Sesame Street-parody musical Avenue Q--were collectively known for their aggressive use of taboo subjects and crude, punchy humor. Granger uses the metaphor of boxing to explore the metaphorical punches the trio delivers and to ruminate over the less-discussed ideological wounds that their style of shock absurdism might leave behind. Granger offers a new theory about the formation of racialized representations and how the musical participates in that larger cultural process. This careful examination of where The Book of Mormon succeeds and fails is sure to challenge discussion our understanding of musical comedy and our appreciation for this cultural landmark in theatre"--.