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'Bossypants' by Tina Fey - Book Review

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Bossypants by Tina Fey

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Little, Brown
  • Bossypants by Tina Fey was published in April 2011
  • Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books
  • 288 Pages
Next time you're in a bookstore, pick up Bossypants, turn it over, and read the snippets of praise. If these don't get you laughing, this book is not for you. Bossypants is the biography and musings of Tina Fey -- comedy writer, Sarah Palin impersonator, actor, and mother. Her memoir takes us from her nerdy childhood to her experiences in theater and improv as a teenager and young adult, through her career at Saturday Night Live and ends up with how her popular show 30 Rock came to be. She waxes along the way about gay rights, equality for women in the workplace, and other less weighty topics of interest.

The chapter on her experience impersonating then vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live was especially interesting, and since I'm a 30 Rock fan, I enjoyed reading the chapters on its creation, as well. I laughed a lot during the chapter on her failure to live up to the breastfeeding standard, and I enjoyed how honest she was in expressing how conflicted she is about having another child. (She announced on her book tour that she is pregnant.)

My only complaint -- other than that at times it could be pretty vulgar, especially since I was reading it aloud to my husband -- is that the book is chock full of TV and movie references from bygone decades that younger readers (myself included) will not likely understand. I missed out on quite a few laughs because of it. Even my 35-year-old husband, a TV trivia buff, didn't get many of them. I interrupted my reading with, "I don't know who/what that is" more times than I can remember.

Given its light tone, this would be great to read on an airplane or anywhere you'd like something fun to help pass the time. All fans of Tina Fey, 30 Rock, or SNL will likely enjoy Bossypants, and if you're not familiar with any of the three, it might be time for you to find out what everyone's raving about!
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.

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