“Bossypants,” by Tina Fey chronicles the life and times of the author. Fey discusses everything from her own childhood to her experiences as a working mother. Fans will be glad to hear that this includes her time at SNL and 30 Rock, as well audio from her first sketch on SNL as Sarah Palin.
Pros:
- I found the book more consistently funny than Poehler’s “Yes Please.”
- I was pleasantly surprised that Fey provided cogent and useful advice, for both acting and life. This included the basics of improv: say yes, make statements, and have fun.
- The book is written from a feminist perspective, happily challenging sexist notions like, “women aren’t funny.”
Cons:
- My hackles were raised when Fey started talking about her experience with the LGBT community and she used the term, “sexual preference.” I’m not that upset about it, however, as she later grappled with her own homophobia in the same chapter (i.e. letting her gay friends have their own lives and loves, and not just being the celibate “sassy gay friend”).
- In the chapter, “Amazing, Gorgeous, Not Like That,” Fey makes light of body image issues by way of Photoshop, saying it, “won’t affect people under 70, since everyone knows how prevalent Photoshop’s use is.” I can’t say I agree with this, for two reasons.
- I don’t agree with the premise that, “everyone knows how prevalent it is.”
- I think there is a difference between knowing something intellectually and really internalizing it. Just because I know an image is photoshopped doesn’t mean it can’t trip up my anxieties about my look (or influence broader cultural expectations and norms about appearance). Fey herself talks about how celebrities influence societal expectations about women’s bodies (e.g. JLo’s butt, Beyonce’s thighs, etc), so why is it such a stretch that the use of photoshop would only magnify those expectations?
- [nitpick] The book is dated by her discussion of her portrayal of Sarah Palin on SNL. It makes complete sense why Fey discusses her time in the role, but I couldn’t help but sigh when she discussed how “weird,” the 2008 election had become. I was reminded of a quote from, “America (The Book),” by Jon Stewart:
- “Discussion question: name three things about contemporary politics that seem like they’re as bad as they could possibly be, but which we’ll look back at in ten years with nostalgia for how simple a time it was.”
Conclusion:
I think Poehler’s book, “Yes Please,” was more ambitious; it used more complex story-telling techniques, for example. I found Fey’s book contained more actionable advice, and was funnier overall thereby earning it the edge in my book. Ultimately, if you are a fan of Fey or her work, or you just want a steady stream of laughs, this book is worth a look.
Check it out: here.
You may also enjoy…
- “Yes, Please,” by Amy Poehler
- “Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded,” by Hannah Hart
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