Bossypants

I just couldn't get into this book. As much as I love Tina Fey's acting, I wasn't thrilled at all with her book. Maybe I just was expecting more from one of America's great comediennes. ( )

I’ve been a big fan of Tina Fey ever since I saw her on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update. Since then I’ve enjoyed her television shows and movies, and I was really excited to hear that she was writing a book. Bossypants is an entertaining memoir in which Fey shares stories from her childhood, her college years, and the early days of her career as she dealt with negative attitudes toward female comedians. It also includes more recent stories and provides insight into her efforts to balance parenthood with a successful career as a producer and star of 30 Rock. This book had its laugh-out-loud moments, but there were definitely some more serious and insightful moments mixed in as well. This smart, funny read gave me even more appreciation for one of my favorite celebrities. ( )

I picked this book up for two reasons: Tina Fey is generally pretty hilarious; and Bossypants is just a great title. I’m pretty sure my siblings have been calling me that behind my back for years.

Typically, I’m a little reluctant to read books by comedians because I don’t love a whole book full of jokes. I’m happy to say that this book is funny, but it’s funny things about Tina Fey’s journey from growing up in Philly to being the creator/head writer of 30 Rock. Maybe this is because her background is not in standup, so she doesn’t feel the need to go over her shows with us. Regardless of the reason, I really enjoyed the format and the little journey I got to take through her life...

To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog. ( )

My Review: It's a Gamble

This rating means one thing: I'm rather ambivalent about the book. It also means that whatever you think you'll feel about the book before reading is probably how you'll feel about it after reading. If that makes sense.

I will say this before explaining the rating: I hear the audiobook, which is read by Tina Fey herself, is fantastic. If I hadn't been lured by the super-cheap Kindle sale of $0.99, I would've sprung for the audio version, because I think that would've really heightened my experience, especially in the cases where I was reading along and questioned whether or not Fey was joking. And that's just it, if I were to compare Tina Fey to someone like, say, Jenny Lawson (the Bloggess), the difference is staggering: Lawson's humor is all about the written form and how her personality influences the written form (not saying she wouldn't be a riot in person: I bet she is, but my experience with her humor is all written); Fey, on the other hand, is an actress and visual comedian. In that I see her jokes and I hear her jokes. I've not been introduced to Fey on a blog. Writing, even though, ironically, she wrote for SNL and 30 Rock, is not her performance medium. She writes humor that's meant to be performed, whereas Lawson writes humor that's meant to be read. And really, I have no business comparing the two, so let's move on.

That's not to say Fey doesn't say some very funny and poignant things in her autobiography: she does. I grinned a few times and enjoyed myself. I especially enjoyed those sections where she talked about SNL and her Sarah Palin skits. I never watched 30 Rock, so while that was interesting from a television perspective, it wasn't as engaging as it might've been had I watched the show. Also, Fey as a feminist I want to read loads more about. I think she'd be amazing to talk to in person, especially on this topic. :)

But your mileage may vary. It's certainly an enjoyable read for $0.99, and I'm glad I finally got to read it. But it didn't make me clutch my sides laughing my ass off, and for some reason, I was hoping it would. Maybe we should chalk this rating up to misplaced expectations? Still, if you're a fan of Tina Fey, you should get your hands on this: but get the audiobook. Because I'm pretty sure that would've had me clutching my sides laughing my ass off. :)

But I'll be honest: reading this book just for the chapter about photo-shoots is freaking worth it. :)

However, I hate this freaking cover. I would've bought this sucker in hardback if not for the cover, yo! ( )

I love Tina Fey and I was eager to read this book after reading her so honest and funny "Prayer for My Daughter" . I'm disappointed. Bossypants feels well padded with inferior material. Someone told her to dash this off while the iron was at moderate heat.

On her show, the zingers are so swift that perhaps she reasons they can't hurt for long. Here, she seems careful not to offend anyone. The male-female tiffs in the SNL writers' room don't even rate as gossip--and they're all friends today! Nor does she dare dip very deep into her feminism or political beliefs either. She doesn't want to scare off any readers. She's not a left-wing feminist wingnut, after all. And, tho she sure doesn't want to say too much, her parents are Republicans.

Also: you won't find out who at NBC forced her to drop Rachel Dratch as the original star of 30 Rock or what her relationship is with Rachel today Nor will you find out how the conception of the show changed through the seasons. Predictably, nothing about the incredibly stupid idea to marry off Jack Donaghy.

Viewers of her show (and probably her work on SNL) will be familiar with some of her childhood references, verbal ticks and fallback jokes (jawline acne, gay boyfriends, Maxim). She may have drained the well. Hard for me to imagine how she will come up with a fresh idea for a new show.

I think there are two problems at the root. 1) She doesn't have much life experience prior to showbiz success to draw on. From what we read in this book, she only had one short-lived crappy job post-college before being taken on by Second City. That was working at the Evanston YMCA--barely registering in the crappy jobs slush pile. 2) She was never a stand-up comic--someone forced to constantly produce new material and to observe everyday life oddities.

She was an improv actor, which perhaps didn't push her to draw enough to draw on more than her own life. Maybe SNL writing was topical stuff; maybe she thrived on building on others' ideas; her writing has always been for actors,so maybe it doesn't translate well into text or text as long as a chapter. I don't know.

In short: A easy airplane read but was expecting more from Tina Fey. ( )