Fifty-five years ago, a sitcom called I Love Lucy transformed the television landscape and made its leading lady, Lucille Ball, a superstar.

No one could have known that Ball, formerly a showgirl, B-movie queen, and radio actress, would become one of the world's most beloved performers, and take her place in a rare pantheon reserved for the likes of Elvis, Marilyn, and Chaplin.

This book, by acclaimed Lucy author Michael Karol—Lucy A to Z: The Lucille Ball Encyclopedia, The Lucille Ball Quiz Book, Lucy in Print—examines Ball's impact and dissects what it was, and is, that makes Lucy not only an icon of laughter, but a powerful tonic in a troubled world.