Bossypants by Tina Fey

Book Jacket

Before Liz Lemon, before "Weekend Update," before "Sarah Palin," Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher.  She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV.

She has seen both these dreams come true.

At last, Tina Fey's story can be told.  From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon--from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence.

Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've all suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.

Review

I love Tina Fey as an actress, and I can now say that I love her as a person (and as a writer, of course).  Everyone who has seen her perform knows that she has a sense of humor, but Bossypants proves that she extends that sense of humor to the mundane, or even painful, parts of life.  Since I think that look at the world through funny glasses is the safest way to keep your sanity, I loved this book.

I was a casual watcher of Saturday Night Live during high school, and I only got into 30 Rock recently.  Her focus in the last half of the book on these two big parts of her life was entertaining, but what I loved most were her chapters on the bits of life we can all relate to (or at least, women can).  She talks about beauty standards and romance fails, hilariously horrific travel stories, and surviving less than ideal jobs.  Her willingness to mercilessly mock herself makes for great reading.

It's more than just comedy, though.  She makes some really excellent points about sexism and prejudice.  Her self-flagellation never gets heavy-handed.  She just knows that she is often ridiculous, and is honest about it.  That's a lesson we could all stand to learn, I think.  If we all embraced our weirder traits, the world would be far more interesting!

Since I normally review middle grade or young adult books, I should note that Bossypants has adult language and adult humor throughout.  You've been made aware, now make your choice!

Four out of five midnight hikes up a dangerous mountain with a boy you like who doesn't like you.

Release Date:  April 2011
Reading Level:  Grade 10+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection:  B FEY


Don't believe me?   Check out these reviews of Bossypants:

Just Another New Blog
The Book Pirate