About Regina Barreca

Gina Barreca books include the classic book on women’s humor, the bestselling “They Used to Call Me Snow White But I Drifted: Women’s Strategic Use of Humor,” as well as “It’s Not That I’m Bitter, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World,” and “Babes in Boyland: A Personal History of Coeducation in the Ivy League.” Of the other six books she’s written or co-written, several have been translated into to other languages–including Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, and German. Called “smart and funny” by “People” magazine and “Very, very funny. For a woman,” by Dave Barry, Gina was deemed a “feminist humor maven” by Ms. Magazine. Novelist Wally Lamb said “Barreca’s prose, in equal measures, is hilarious and humane.” She edits the FAST WOMEN series for Woodhall Press.

Gina’s work has appeared in the The New York Times, The Independent of London, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Cosmopolitan, and The Harvard Business Review. She’s a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Connecticut, where she’s also won the institution’s highest award for excellent in teaching. Gina has delivered, often as a repeat guest, keynotes at events organized by the Women’s Campaign School at Yale and the National Association of Independent Schools, The Chicago Humanities Festival, Women In Federal Law Enforcement, Chautauqua and The Smithsonian–to name a few. Her B.A. is from Dartmouth College, where she was the first woman to be named Alumni Scholar, her M.A. is from Cambridge University, where she was a Reynold’s Fellow, and her Ph.D. is from the City University of New York, where she lived close to a good delicatessen. A member of the Friars’ Club, Gina can be found in the Library of Congress or in the make-up aisle of Walgreens.

Find Gina Online…

GINA SCHOOL offers open, early, and rolling admissions, perpetual latecomers, mature students, speed readers, book groups, gloriously erudite librarians, anxious applicants in need of reassurance, writers in need of prompts, and gift givers. Extravagantly illustrated, provocative, reassuring and witty, GINA SCHOOL— a gorgeously delicate yet voluptuous volume — is virtually impossible to resist as an emotional support book, a motivating tome, and a daily inspiration source. GINA SCHOOL reassures readers that they are not alone, they are not nuts, and that laughing together is as close as you can get to another person without hugging them. You never have to graduate from GINA SCHOOL and will return with delight, given that it pairs just as well with coffee and cake, cheese and fruit, espresso and champagne—and, if you wish, a cap and gown.

“Barreca is sharp analyst of women’s humor…observant, witty, acerbic, and knowledgeable.”
—Los Angeles Times

“You can count on Gina for essays that are fun, feminist, and provocative.”
—Roz Warren in Women’s Voices for Change

“Barreca is an unfailingly winning narrator…”
—Publishers Weekly

“Barreca learned to do what any sassy smartypants would: challenge stale ideas and press buttons.”
—Chicago Tribune

Buy the Book

How many attempts does it take to design a book cover?

Well, in the case of Gina School, three. Watch illustrator John Guillemette’s process in a behind-the-scenes video.

Gina School, Gina Barreca

Publication Information

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Woodhall Press
Publication Date: October 7th, 2025
ISBN-10: 1960456415

Gina’s Recent Articles

Gina Barreca Psychology Today
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As Seen In

The New York Times
The Washington Post
CNN
Oprah
NPR
Today
Entertainment Tonight
BBC
ABC
NBC
CBS
WNYC
New Hampshire Public Radio
Time
Ms.
Newsweek
The Daily Beast
The Huffington Post
Psychology Today
Jezebel
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Hartford Courant
Writer's Digest
Chicago Tribune
Publishers Weekly
Associated Press
Boston Globe
TEDx

Gina’s Other Books

Fast Famous Women
Fast Fallen Women
Fast Fierce Women
Fast Funny Women
If You Lean In, Will Men Just Look Down Your Blouse?
The Used to Call Me Snow White... But I Drifted
Babes in Boyland
It's Not That I'm Bitter...
I'm With Supid
Make Mine a Double
The Penguin Book of Women's Humor
Sweet Revenge
The Signet Book of American Humor
Don't Tell Mama!
Perfect Husbands
Untamed and Unabashed
The ABC of Vice
New Perspectives on Women and Comedy
Sex & Death in Victorian Literature
The Erotics of Instruction