Title: Bossypants
Author: Tina Fey
Genre: Non-fiction – Autobiography
Publication Date: 2011
Let me start by saying that I am just the teensiest bit obsessed with Tina Fey. The first time she popped up on my radar was when she was on Saturday Night Live, doing the “Weekend Update” skit as well as her fabulous impersonation of Sarah Palin.
I don’t watch SNL these days, but Best Friend and I have all the episodes of Fey’s new show, “30 Rock.” If you haven’t seen it, you’re missing out on one of the funniest, most clever shows on television today.
Unexpected awesomeness
I love Tina Fey’s sense of humor, so I was totally pumped when I heard that her book, Bossypants, was being published.
I expected humor, and got it in spades. From puberty talk to first job, from her first day on SNL to her breast-feeding and family vacation adventures, Fey had me giggling from cover to cover.
But the humor was just the beginning. Fey has made a fabulous name for herself in the world of comedy. This world, especially improvisational stuff like SNL, is very much a “boys’ club,” and I’d wager that Fey had to work twice as hard to get where she is today.
I loved that she talked about Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph and Rachel Dratch, because they really did turn SNL into a show where they were funny, instead of funny women. Poehler in particular (whose quote is the subject of this review) kicks ass, takes names, and is hysterical.
Bossypants is part autobiography, part laugh-fest, and part searing social commentary. As if I could expect anything less from the incomparable Tina Fey. She’s my newest feminist hero, and I think she should be yours, too.
Kick-ass Quotes:
“Once your hair and makeup are done, you’ll slip into your first look. It will most definitely be one of the dresses that didn’t even come close to fitting you, so [the assistant] will bridge the gap with a thick piece of white elastic and some safety pins. Don’t ever feel inadequate when you look at magazines. Just remember that every person you see on a cover has a bra and underwear hanging out a gaping hole in the back. Everyone. Heidi Klum, the Olsen Twins, David Beckham, everybody.” (p. 151)
“I have a suspicion—and hear me out, ‘cause this is a rough one—I have a suspicion that the definition of ‘crazy’ in show business is a woman who keeps talking even after no one wants to fuck her anymore.”
What do you think about SNL? Have you watched “30 Rock” yet? You should!
Am currently reading Bossypants … Tina Fey is hilarious and smart. She really has done so much for woman, as a whole. I love how she renames her husband every other page!
Thanks for stopping by, Izzie. I’d always found Tina Fey to be funny, but I never really realized how big an impact she had on Saturday Night Live. I love that she’s a feminist without being all crazy about it. The entire chapter about her honeymoon is awesome, but I confess I like her stories about going through puberty just a bit more. I kept giggling hysterically and reading parts aloud to my (slightly confused) Best Friend.
This one is definitely on my MUST read list. 🙂
You’ll definitely love it, Susan. I think the chapters on holiday travel to see family will hit home. 🙂
I was into Tina Fey really early on as well, when she became the first female head writer in SNL history and took over the Weekend Update desk. I remember when I first saw the Mean Girls trailer. I was making fun of it and blowing it off. Then I found out Tina Fey wrote it and I saw it opening weekend. I can’t wait to read this book. This is the best kind of non-fiction I enjoy reading.
“Mean Girls” definitely rose in my estimation when I found out that Fey did the writing. She’s hilarious, and I wish I could be her best friend.