Bossypants

In this humorous memoir, Tina Fey writes about a plethora of topics and stories, all the way from her childhood in Pennsylvania, to her starting her comedy career in Chicago, to her success all over the world. By telling her own stories with witty commentary, Fey also provides a lot of advice about femininity, love, career, and growing up. It is incredibly engaging right off the bat. The cover of the book pictures Fey with a suit, tie, bowler hat, and two large male hands holding her head up. This gives the reader a good idea of the central themes of the book. Fey is one of the most prominent females in the industry, and was a pioneer for women in comedy. The cover is not only humorous, but can be considered commentary about how she is in a very male dominated field. Even the title, “bossypants” is a funny yet accurate representation of Fey’s life. Fey also does a good job of engaging the reader with the first page. With the first line reading “welcome friend”, Fey establishes a very casual tone that makes you feel as if she is a dear companion or an older sister writing to you. She cracks a few jokes, asking the reader why they bought the book. This also says a lot about the structure of “Bossypants”. It is not organized in a way that is especially formal, which to me, makes it easier and more enjoyable to read. There is not so much a “plot” as much as there’s a progression of stories, all told with a unique voice and moral. The stories progress from childhood to professional, which lets readers find different ways to identify with Fey, making the book relatable for many different kinds of people. That’s one of the things I liked most about the book. As a woman, one of the best pieces in the book was the commentary about body image. Fey says “But I think the first real change in women’s body image came when JLo turned it butt-style. That was the first time that having a large-scale situation in the back was part of mainstream American beauty. Girls wanted butts now. Men were free to admit that they had always enjoyed them. And then, what felt like moments later, boom—Beyoncé brought the leg meat. A back porch and thick muscular legs were now widely admired. And from that day forward, women embraced their diversity and realized that all shapes and sizes are beautiful. Ah ha ha. No. I’m totally messing with you. All Beyonce and JLo have done is add to the laundry list of attributes women must have to qualify as beautiful. Now every girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits. The person closest to actually achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was made by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes.” This excerpt is also a good example of the language Fey uses. Again, it’s very casual and relatable, creating a relaxed tone for everyone to enjoy. You often times forget that you are reading a real book, because it seems more like an editorial or essay. Another positive of the casualness of the book is that you can read at whatever pace you want. You can read a few stories and stop, or you can read the whole thing in one sitting. The lack of “chapters” and “cliffhangers” makes it a much more lighthearted read. There is such a strong presence of voice, which is a huge positive in my opinion. Also, it really helps that you are already familiar with Fey and her persona. She has a very strong voice and distinct sense of humor, it makes it even more enjoyable. Even if you have never heard of Tina Fey or her work before, you will find it witty and thought provoking. There is also a lot of interesting information about Fey’s professional life, such as her time with saturday night live, and 30 Rock. The lack of plot or characters does not hurt the value of the book. To me, it is driven by heart and smart humor. You learn a lot, you laugh a lot, and relate to a well known celebrity more than you thought you would. I would recommend this book to anyone of any walks of life, because everyone can take something from it as a “self help” book, as well as a incredibly entertaining and lighthearted read.

REVIEWED BY KINDLE GAL (originally posted on Kindles & Wine Book Blog) Oh, Tina Fey ... You are pretty freaking awesome. I have to say, I started this book on my Kindle and did the whole Whispersync for Voice thing, where I'd switch over to the audiobook whenever I ran a quick errand or was doing a mindless task. I honestly wasn't sure how I'd like switching back and forth between print and audio, but for a book like this one, it worked great. And because I'd split my time between the two formats, I can say without a single doubt that BOSSYPANTS is waaaaayy better heard than read. The book starts out as a collection of short stories or essays, detailing some random events in Fey`s childhood, high school, and college years. And when I say "random," I truly mean RANDOM. In fact, I found myself getting easily distracted during the early part of the book. The chapters were disjointed and less funny than I'd expected. Fey had a fairly "normal" upbringing and experience growing up, and as great as that is for her as a person, it doesn't make for good comedy. (It'd be like me telling all of you random stories from my childhood, high school, and college years. Zzzzz...) I actually started to worry BOSSYPANTS was going to fall victim to my DNFing ways of 2015! But then the good stuff happened. When the book hit 40%, I was hooked. The chapter titled "A Childhood Dream, Realized" told how Fey landed a writing position at SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE in 1997. I loved getting an inside peek at how this happened and her candid retelling of experiences during her nine years working on the show from a writer's perspective, which I found endlessly fascinating! Instead of being gossipy or full of drama llama (which I imagine other books by former SNL performers might be), Fey framed these moments within her world view of what it was like to be an independent, strong woman in a workplace dominated by men. She became the head writer of a show whose most recognizable stars shifted from being men when she started (e.g., Jimmy Fallon, Will Ferrell) to women when she left (e.g., Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig). Yeah. That was just the beginning of what ended up being a truly interesting and entertaining last 3/5 of the book. Fey goes on to tell about how 30 Rock came to be, why she really didn't want to impersonate Sarah Palin (and how last minute it ended up being), how she balances motherhood with a job where she is the producer, writer, and star (when the book was published, 30 ROCK was still in its prime), and some funny family moments, all of which I really enjoyed! I absolutely LOVED listening to Tina Fey read BOSSYPANTS. She has an incredibly expressive voice, and I found myself laughing out loud more often when I had my earbuds in versus when I was reading. Another bonus with the audiobook is that the audio from the Sarah Palin sketches from SNL are included, which was a fun surprise! (In the book, there's an image of Fey and Poehler as Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton from the sketch followed by the marked-up script.) Besides the slow start to the book, my only other complaint is that Fey`s voice sometimes trailed off and was too quiet on the audio. This usually happened when she made an aside or quick comment that turned out a little mumbly. But she also did some fun things when she ad-libbed on the audio, like here: "I cannot emphasize to you how well this went, because I'm using a lot of exclamation points but you can't see them because this is an audiobook." Love that Tina Fey. ☺ BOTTOM LINE BOSSYPANTS is rather short, coming in under 300 pages in print and only 5½ hours on audio. Although it starts out slow, the back 3/5 is fantastic! Anyone who is a fan of Tina Fey should definitely give it a try, and I'd HIGHLY recommend you do it as an audiobook. Rating: B+ (4½ stars)

Bossypants by Tina Fey is part memoir, advice column, personal reflection, and cultural essays, but every part of this nonfiction narrative is humorous. Fey's writing style is comfortable and pleasant but at the same time she is side-splittingly funny. Fey does briefly cover growing up in Upper Darby, PA and she shares some unexpected but hilarious advice about how to keep your teenage daughter a virgin. There is actually some good advice on being a boss: "In most cases being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way." (Page 5) "This is what I tell young women who ask me for career advice. People are going to try to trick you. To make you feel that you are in competition with one another. "You're up for a promotion. If they go with a woman, it'll be between you and Barbara." Don't be fooled. You're not in competition with other women. You're in competition with everyone. Also, I encourage them to always wear a bra. Even if you don't think you need it, just... you know what? You're never going to regret it." (Page 88) "But there is not one management course in the world where they recommend Self-Righteousness as a tool." (Page 128) There is a touching chapter about her father. "How can I give her what Don Fey gave me? The gift of anxiety. The fear of getting in trouble. The knowledge that while you are loved, you are not above the law. The Worldwide Parental Anxiety System is failing if this many of us have made sex tapes. "(Page 54) There are stories about her time with Second City, Saturday Night Live, and 30 Rock, as well as a chapter on a glamor photo shoot, and some stories about being a woman. "However, of all the places I've worked that were supposedly boys' clubs, The Second City was the only one where I experienced institutionalized gender nonsense. For example, a director of one of the main companies once justified cutting a scene by saying, 'The audience doesn't want to see a scene between two women.' Whaaa? More on that later." (Page 87) "In 1997 I flew to New York from Chicago to interview for a writing position at Saturday Night Live. It seemed promising because I'd heard the show was looking to diversify. Only in comedy, by the way, does an obedient white girl from the suburbs count as diversity." Page 119 I connected with so many of her stories, but some of the stories that deal with things only a woman would understand were priceless like the strident pro-breast-feeding moms (Fey's name for them in her book is better - I would argue that it's not only breast feeding, but these dilettantes have moved into areas of food police, sports experts, and activity booking agents for their children) and the male producers not understanding why the Classics Kotex pads commercial for SNL was funny. Here are two more quotes for women: "I had noticed something was weird earlier in the day, but I knew from commercials that one's menstrual period was a blue liquid that you poured like laundry detergent onto maxi pads to test their absorbency. This wasn't blue, so... I ignored it for a few hours." (Page 14) "My mother knew the importance of getting the right fit for a bra, so she took me to JCPenney and tried one on over my clothes. She tried a bra on me over my clothes in the middle of JCPenney. I thank her for this. This early breast-related humiliation prevented me from ever needing to participate in "Girls Gone Wild" in my twenties." (Page 104) Admittedly, Fey didn't delve in deep to her personal life of her deepest thoughts, but that's okay. She shared the information and stories she was comfortable sharing. While I did see Fey on SNL, I'll have to admit I don't watch 30 Rock. (Hey, I don't watch much TV - not enough time in the day to do it all.) This didn't stop me from appreciating this very entertaining book and I'll look forward to another book from Tina Fey someday. very highly recommended "There is no one of-woman-born who does not like Red Lobster cheddar biscuits. Anyone who claims otherwise is a liar and a Socialist." (Page 252) True, so true...

Here's the thing about autobiographies from the world of show-business. There are usually at least three parts. The first is about their childhood, the second about the tough years as they crawl their way to the top, and the final part mostly deals with their life as a celebrity. Tina Fey is an incredibly smart, talented, funny woman but "unfortunately" her childhood was fairly ordinary and this part of the book was the weakest. If you want a good comparison you can read, or even better, listen to Kathy Griffin's book: that woman had some real problems growing up. The second part of the book - crawling to the top - is better. Tina did work hard to become a success and clearly had to overcome some serious obstacles not the least of which was the common held assumption that women could never be as funny as men. There are certainly a few laughs here, but I sense that her ability to write and deliver sketch and situation comedy material is where her true talents lie. As someone who uses quite a bit of humor in lectures I know that for many delivery and timing is at least half of what makes them funny. Because of this, you might be better served purchasing the audio version of this book and have Tina reading her story aloud (I decided after reading so much about her life, that we are now on a first name basis). The best part of the book is when she arrives at Saturday Night Live. I, for one, have always been fascinated by the writing process and by the incredible challenge of putting on a live show every week. Tina Fey learned some valuable lessons from her mentor Lorne Michaels and also from her great success producing and staring in 30 Rock. This part of a the book is pure gold. If the entire book were at this level I certainly would have given it five stars. This is a good book, but not a great one. I enjoyed it but based on Tina Fey's work and the enthusiastic reviews here and elsewhere I was expecting more. I would give it a 7 out of 10. Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin

I purchased the audio book and found myself laughing inappropriately while out in public. You know how when some people are talking on their bluetooth headsets but you think they are talking to you? Or worse, you think they are crazy self-mumblers? While listening to Tina Fey's Bossypants outside the security bubble of my own home, I'm sure many strangers shot me crazy-looks when I burst out laughing all by myself for no apparent reason in the dry dog food aisle of my grocery store. Why do I suggest purchasing the audio book instead of the actual book (or purchase both if you can)? If you are a Tina Fey fan, she narrates the book in her own funny, quirky way. Her comedic timing is excellent and adds depth to her punchlines that you may not be able to extract as wholly from a text format. You can just imagine her talking to you the way Liz Lemon does on 30 Rock. If you are not a Tina Fey fan, the audio book is an equally great purchase because you get to hear her many impressions and sarcastic tones. I also get the feeling that many of the jokes in Bossypants are better listened to instead of read. For example, hearing Tina deliver a funny sentence makes that sentence more humorous than reading it because reading it might just make me think, "Oh... what a weird sentence. I don't get it." I am going to purchase the book book even though I have the audio version because I like the feeling of owning the tangible property of someone's written mind. I also like the feeling of being able to flip through pages of bound paper. In Bossypants, Tina Fey takes you through how she got started, her father, SNL, 30 Rock, Sarah Palin, being a woman, the birth of her daughter, breastfeeding, and more. Her audio book was a great experience for me because it was funny and stress relieving. I liked that I could lie back on my sofa, plug her in my ears, and listen to her story without falling asleep and ruining my sleep schedule for the week when my eyes were sore from a day of staring at the computer in the office. Don't me wrong, I wasn't cracking up at every single word in the book. There were some chapters that were just okay, but nicely dotted punctuations of funniness made the book great. I have this feeling that had I read the book first instead of listening to it, I would not have liked it as much. At any rate, I would recommend Bossypants as light reading or listening for anyone. If you are a 30 Rock fan, this book will be perfect for you. It's a great window into Tina Fey's life and perspective and makes you appreciate how and why this woman is so lovable. I AM a fan of Tina Fey and 30 Rock, but I were not a fan, I would still have enjoyed this book.

I don't read a lot of nonfiction because I like to read a interesting plot with twists and bends where I cannot see the ending, but desperately want to reach it. If I know how it ends, I don't care about reading it nearly as much. Tina Fey's Bossypants begins chronicling her early life, and eventually leads to her early, struggling acting career. While, as an actor, it is nice to see that even Tina Fey once struggled with her career, I also know that she's going to make amazing things happen, so half of me completely gets every moment of panic, and half of me just doesn't buy it. Tina Fey is just as hilarious as you'd expect, her anecdotes are funny, but I find her lack of self confidence both adorable and annoying. Part of me thinks, hey, you have an Emmy-award winning show running 7 seasons, shut. up. And part of me is happy to know that I'm not the only one who suffers these cripping moments of artistic lack of self-worth. That being said, by the end of the book I wanted nothing more than to grow up to be exactly like Tina Fey. She is fierce, funny, and overall a normal person who works very hard at doing what she loves. It was inspiring reading her journey from a young girl hanging out with the theater weirdos to playing with the big boys and producing her own show. I loved that she struggled with everything that woman in the arts struggle with. How do you balance a family with a 80-hour-a-week schedule? Are you screwing up your child? If you have a second one, will you completely derail your career? I often read this book before an audition, because it made me happy instead of stressed and it also gave me a huge sense of empowerment being a woman in the arts. Thank you, Tina Fey, for showing me that this journey is full of many, many bumps but is in the end, worth it, and a hilarious ride.

As one of the multitudes of people who love Tina Fey, I couldn't wait to read this book, and as usual in these cases I regretted reaching the end. But there it is. The book is like the woman--at least the one we know from television--outrageously funny, edgy, shocking but never atrocious, quirky, and super energetic. So smart, Tina Fey manages to write an autobiography that feels genuine, that lets you in on her childhood, marriage and in-laws, new motherhood, and, well, there's that hit show she produces on television--while at the same time being hilarious and full of whoppers. Literally, there's never a dull sentence, or one that doesn't end in some crazy surprise. You get to enjoy both the warm memoir experience and almost nonstop comedy at the same time. Because good comedy always contains tragedy, Tina Fey really does convey pain: the awkwardness of coming of age and feeling like a geek; the exhaustion of working long days as a new mother; cruel personal emails from people who don't like her work. She handles all things either with humor (some of it very blunt) or with genuine warmth, which starts out feeling like a surprise until you realize that she really is a nice person, at least as revealed here. She writes sometimes quite frankly about her Republican parents and her country-folk in-laws ("I would like it explained to me in writing what's so great about apple butter"), and manages to be funny without ever ridiculing or belittling them. In fact, you come away realizing she respects and loves them. In the delicious section about her SNL impersonation of Sarah Palin, Tina Fey recounts how careful she was to protect Palin from booing or other disrespect from the audience, both to avoid the appearance of setting up the governor and because of her basic decency. (She points out that comedy is much stronger when it is not political.) Still, she received hate mail for what she "did" to Palin. She writes, "I am not mean and Mrs. Palin is not fragile. To imply otherwise is a disservice to us both." The book provides a great inside look at how much work it is to put on a comedy show, and what obstacles women face in that male-dominated world--without once being tiresome or preachy, or running down any male. What she does do is persuade the reader that women are truly funny. Tina Fey frequently includes the word "exhausted" when she describes herself; so maybe one of her best gifts is to make humor look easy.

Okay, I can't *actually* see Tina from my house. Or maybe I can. At least as much as Sarah Palin can see Russia from *her* house. Tina Fey's first comedic book of memoirs was very entertaining, insightful, and humorous. She has such a dry, sarcastic wit that, while I find her funny, not everyone probably does. She's never hurtful, though, at least not towards anyone besides herself. It takes a true comedian to be able to laugh at himself/herself. And Tina does an exceptional job in this book, even if it is undeserving. What I liked best about this book is discovering Tina's roots (not those gray hairs that she covers up, but where she comes from and how she got to where she is today). She's very humble and, fortunately for her, her efforts paid off. Before landing a writing gig on Saturday Night Live in 1997, Tina was doing improv at Second City in Chicago. This excited me because I actually visited Second City for a show in early 1997 and now it makes me wonder if I saw her perform before she became famous. I guess I'll never know... And I hope she didn't s-u-c-k at the show I attended. I also learned from Tina in this book about the scar on her face, which I never noticed before or read anything about. Where have I been? No worries. I'm sure the experience humbled her even more and she's a much better person because of it, so the person who did it can s-u-c-k it (in the words of Kathy Griffin ). She's still a beautiful person, regardless. Each chapter in the book is about some story or event in Tina's life, the best for me being before her 30 Rock days. These were the most humorous and insightful into what makes Tina tick, although the 30 Rock stories provide some interesting behind-the-scenes information, as do the SNL stories. I hope Tina continues to offer these books of wisdom and can come up with some other interesting and humorous stories of her life before becoming famous. They're inspiring for us wannabe writers.