What if the literacy and social justice work educators are trying to do via literature is being foiled by its often tragic seriousness? What if the emotion work students are being asked to do when engaging with such literature is debilitating for some of them? One might argue that many students' reluctance to read and their lack of success at reading may often be rooted in the bleak literary landscapes they are asked to visit. In this article, the author argues for the use of humorous texts to help students develop critical reading/viewing skills and to promote social justice issues.