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May
18
In Which Tina Fey Brings Out My Inner Therapist
2011 at 5am Posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky
Published April 2011 by Reagan Arthur Books
Weirdly disturbing cover aside, Tina Fey’s Bossypants is pretty great. Not perfect, but very enjoyable, and if it’s an indication of what’s to come from Ms. Fey in the future, I’ll happily subscribe to the mailing list for her next couple books right now.
Described most often as a memoir, Bossypants is not so much a narrative as it is a collection of vignettes about Fey’s (mostly awkward) life, her career in comedy, and her take on the working mother’s balancing act. Her voice is authentically present from the very first page—how refreshing, a celebrity book actually written by the celebrity!—and it just wouldn’t be right to discuss it without sharing some examples. Behold:
- On women’s responses to the question of when they knew they were women (asked during research for writing Mean Girls): “Almost everyone first realized they were becoming a grown woman she some dude did something nasty to them.”
- On supposed diversity in the definition of beauty: “All Beyonce and JLo have done is add to the laundry list of attributes women must have to qualify as beautiful.” And who can live up to that? Well, “The person closest to actually achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was made by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes.”
- And what about the idea that if you hang out with gay people, they’ll try to make you gay? “Gay people don’t actually try to convert peole. That’s Jehovah’s Witnesses you’re thinking of.”
- Words of wisdom for women working in male-dominate fields? “Don’t be fooled. You’re not in competition with other women. You’re in competition with everyone.”
So, Bossypants is a fun read. I tore through it, giggling most of the time, but it left me with the bookish version of Chinese food. I loved it while it was happening, but I wanted more an hour later.
Actually, that’s not true. I wanted more pretty much immediately. And while I do mean “more” in the sense that I’d love to read another Tina Fey book, what I really mean is that I wanted more out of Bossypants—more depth, more discussion, more of a look at issues Fey only touches on briefly. Don’t get me wrong—I never expected a book by a comedy writer to be a philosophical inquiry into contemporary life or a feminist polemic, but it’s obvious and undeniable that Fey is really fucking smart, and she has a knack for handling hot topics with a humorous twist, and I would have loved for her to go there.
Also? The fact that she posed pin-up style for a feminist magazine validates the “obviously you don’t understand feminism” responses I have sent to a handful of hate mails related to the pictures atop this here blog.
Whether discussing politics, strange pre-comedy dayjobs, her family (I want to be Don Fey’s friend!), her experiences as a manager/producer, or her take on the politics of motherhood (the only way to shut up the breast-is-best fanatics is to tell them you adopted, in case you’re wondering), or what it’s like to pretend to be Sarah Palin, Fey left me nodding and saying, “Tell me more about that.” And if you’ve ever been a therapist (ahem) or been in even semi-decent therapy, you’ll know that that phrase should really replace “how does that make you feel?” as the half-winking therapy catchphrase.
So, I wasn’t disappointed by Bossypants, not in the least. But I know that Fey is capable of more, and damnit, that’s what I want! *cue Veruca Salt oompa loompa-related foot stomping*
I’m assuming we’ll be hearing more from Tina Fey (if she hasn’t started the next book already, I’ll eat my shorts), and I just have to say this: next time, Tina, don’t hold out on me!
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I went into this one knowing the format, so I wasn’t disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I co-write books with celebs, so I think it’s perfectly fine that they often get some assistance. I mean, most have a story to tell, but aren’t necessarily writers. Anyway, I liked the way Tina Fey created a book that was more essays and snippets as opposed to a linear story of her life. It may pave the way for similar celeb tomes, sort of like the one by Rob Lowe. It gives a more well-rounded view of a life in entertainment that most of us don’t experience first-hand.
I like the vignette format (and believe me, I’m glad that celebrities who are not writers get assistance—I just think it’s wonderful when a celebrity is also a great writer)…just wanted more from it.
I totally agree with you, Rebecca. I really enjoyed the book but felt like Tina Fey did not want to get intimate with all of America. I’d really like to see what she could do with a novel (a la Steve Martin).
I was a little surprised by her continuous reference to men reading the book (ie thanking them for buying it because they are dudes). To me, that’s like thanking a guy for being feminist. Yeah, it’s refreshing and different but we should be expecting it from them – not just appreciating it when offered.
Michelle´s last [type] ..Review- Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
I loved the second half of the book on, the “Career” part of BOSSYPANTS. I would have been happy if the book had been the same size, but focused on the work aspect of her life, I could have used about 20 more anecdotes like Amy Poehler going black in the eyes, Lorne Michaels convincing Tina to come back to SNL after the anthrax snafu, and Tina having to play Palin and plan her daughter’s birthday party in the same week.
Also, people got pissy about the adorable pictures in your header? Good Lord, if people got that mad about things that actually mattered, we might have people, like NOT starving in Africa..
I love Tina Fey, and I hadn’t read any reviews of this book (besides seeing the cover plastered all over the place). Might be a fun, light weekend read. Thanks!
Brooke (Books Distilled)´s last [type] ..Book Review- The White Bone
Well said! Those are my sentiments about the book exactly. I just finished reading it a few days ago, and like you, I wish Tina Fey did go more in depth in a number of the topics she covered in her book. My particular favorite chapter was about her honeymoon, or that supposedly fun thing she’ll never do again.
Totally agreed. Just…More!
One of the most satisfying sections was the bit about working at the YMCA. That was a full, satisfying chapter. Many others just cried out for more….moreness!
The audiobook is absolutely the way to go here. Her performance elevated the material.
More “moreness” is the perfect way to put it, Paul. I should have known you’d come through with that.
I love Tina Fey!!! Yeah the cover photo looks disturbing but anyway… I’d look for this book in my local bookstore I swear.
Vivian´s last [type] ..Anmeldelse af ny smart søgemulighed hos Vivirocom
I’ve had a similar thought about these comedic works before: there’s smart stuff being said, but only superficially. I get the sense that she is an intensely smart person—bring on the smart. Her critique of Kim Kardashian is funny, but fleeting. I bet, and it seems you sense it to, that she could say really interesting things about these matters if she wanted to.
The Reading Ape´s last [type] ..Do You Think About Literary Techniques as You Read and Review
That’s precisely why it’s so maddening, Ape—it is *obvious* (like, I can practically taste it) that she could be fascinating on these topics of she would just GO THERE.
Thank you for acknowledging the creepiness of the cover. And I couldn’t agree more- it’s nice to see a celebrity write their own book, and it’s perfectly acceptable for those lacking the necessary talents to get assistance (as long as they share credit).
Christine @ BB´s last [type] ..xoxo- Christine
[...] In Which Tina Fey Brings Out My Inner Therapist at Book Lady’s Blog. Fun, smart review of Bossypants. (Bonus: check out an interview with the arm model manhandling Tina Fey’s face!) [...]