Bossypants by Tina Fey

Bossypants by Tina Fey

I first fell in love with Tina Fey through her portrayal of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live. Then I became obsessed with her show 30 Rock and made a point of watching any of her movies I could get my hands on. So, obviously, I had very high hopes when I began reading Bossypants. I was not disappointed.

Fey’s anecdotes from her childhood and teenage years left me rolling in bed in laughter. She gives a hilariously nostalgic and relatable account of growing up awkward and female. She takes a stand against the unrealistic societal view of the “perfect woman” by portraying herself as everything opposite. She fondly makes fun of her fun of her childhood bowl cut and when she “once left a restaurant in the middle of dessert to get Krispy Kreme before it closed.” While many may consider Fey self-deprecating, I find her sense of humor refreshing. Fey is not putting herself down; she just doesn’t take herself too seriously.

Fey beautifully tells of her time with Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock without falling into arrogance or annoying humility. She attributes her success with Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock to lucky breaks, including resembling a vice presidential candidate, and miracles, like bringing Alec Baldwin onto the cast of 30 Rock. Fey describes navigating the tricky waters of being a female leader in the public eye. As someone who usually hates autobiographies for their arrogance, I found Bossypants down-to-earth without being annoyingly humble.

If you’re looking for a laugh and a little bit of inspiration, I highly recommend Tina Fey’s Bossypants.