This book is part autobiography and part guide to being Tina Fey, sort of. She includes pictures for context from various points in her life and a lot of her tips having to do with being a boss in a world mostly full of men. Tina does not disappoint and gives plenty of laughs throughout. I often laughed out loud and then had to reread passages to my husband because of how funny I found them. I don't know if I can even pick a favorite funny part! She has the talent of not only being funny on a screen, but also on the page. This probably has to do with the fact that first and foremost Tina Fey is a comedy writer, which I was unaware of until reading her book. This style of writing also allows her to be candid in a way that does not feel uncomfortable because she is able to laugh at herself.
Tina intersperses personal chapters with anecdotal or random chapters, which makes the book feel inconsistent but also lends the book its charm. Some of my favorite random chapters are: "The Secrets of Mommy's Beauty" and "I Don't Care if You Like It".The overall theme of many of these chapters is just to be who you are, unapologetically, because that is what Tina did and now her life is awesome. In "The Secrets of Mommy's Beauty" Tina lists 12 secrets for how to be beautiful. My favorites are #9) When it Comes to Fashion, Find What Works for You and Stick with It, and #12) The Most Important Rule of Beauty, which is, "Who cares?".
Bossypants is not all laughs and glamour though, there is some really serious stuff nestled between its pages. Tina writes a lot about her struggles both in and out of the comedy world with sexism. She begins these struggles as a young woman and tells of the time she knew she was a grown woman when someone yelled something nasty at her, saying that this is the moment most women know they are grown. (I can attest that this is true in some respect. I first had someone yell something gross at me when I was 16. Even though I had felt grown up before then, what 16 year old doesn't, I knew that now the world saw me as one.) Tina recounts a time that a director told her that three girls in a scene was too many and later goes on to talk about a scene she was in with three girls (I know what you are thinking but not in that way). And of course she talks about creating her own television show "30 Rock" and what it meant to be the boss of so many people. There are other moments as well but these in particular really stuck with me. I think a woman like her in comedy is just what we need to start changing the sexism so inherent in that scene. One of the best ways to start making change is just to tell you story, which is exactly what this book is.
Tina touches on other elements of sexism such as competition between girls, photoshop, ageism surrounding older women in comedy (and by older she means 40), motherhood and working, judgemental mothers, and so much more. I don't want to give it all away because then you would not read the book and you should read the book!
A couple more of my favorite moments are her story about her honeymoon in the chapter aptly titled, "My Honeymoon, or A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again Either"; and her story about impersonating Sarah Palin on SNL which is told in the chapter, "Sarah, Oprah, and Captain Hook, or How to Succeed by Sort of Looking Like Someone".
The only complaint I have is that this book is too short! I felt as though the end was just there. It ended in a non-satisfying way and I was left wanting more. But I don't know if that is really a complaint, more of a compliment.
Overall, I highly recommend Bossypants. If you love Tina Fey, you'll love it. If you are a feminist, you'll love it. If you like laughing, you'll love it. Tina Fey is a wonderful writer. I finished the book and started watching "30 Rock" on Netflix. I now want to rewatch "Mean Girls" and seek out any and everything else she has done. She is brilliant and I cannot wait to see what she does next.
