Nicole Reads A Lot

so many books, so little time

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Title:Bossypants
Author:Tina Fey
Publication Date:April 2011
Publisher's DescriptionBefore 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.

(Includes Special, Never-Before-Solicited Opinions on Breastfeeding, Princesses, Photoshop, the Electoral Process, and Italian Rum Cake!)
My rating:****.5

I bought the audio version of this book, which was read by Tina Fey herself, and I am really glad that I did. While I’m sure that I would have enjoyed this book regardless, the audio version made the experience feel more like listening to a friend than just  reading something. I found her insights on being a woman and the person in charge very interesting, especially in light of the experiences she shared about having worked for others. I’ve never given too much thought about what it’s like to be a female working in comedy, and this book was eye-opening for that information alone.

While this book was laugh-out-loud funny, it was also a little heartbreaking at times. Ms. Fey has had to put up with some truly outrageous behavior throughout her career; it’s amazing to me that, at this point in history, any industry can be so blatantly sexist (because I’m not sure how much has changed since her Second City and early SNL days). It’s also interesting to hear hear agonize about the coexistence of her career and family in a way that I don’t think would even occur to many males in a position similar to hers. Tina Fey is a really smart, really strong, insanely funny person, and I’d recommend this book to pretty much anybody.

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