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Bossypants Paperback – Illustrated, January 3, 2012
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Before Liz Lemon, before "Weekend Update," before "Sarah Palin," Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV.
She has seen both these dreams come true.
At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon -- from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence.
Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've always suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.
Includes Special, Never-Before-Solicited Opinions on Breastfeeding, Princesses, Photoshop, the Electoral Process, and Italian Rum Cake!
- Print length275 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBack Bay Books
- Publication dateJanuary 3, 2012
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-109780316056878
- ISBN-13978-0316056878
- Lexile measure950L
"The Dressmaker's Gift" by Fiona Valpy
A Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Charts bestseller. From the bestselling author of The Beekeeper’s Promise comes a gripping story of three young women faced with impossible choices. How will history―and their families―judge them? | Learn more
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In most cases being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way.Highlighted by 3,835 Kindle readers
Gay people don’t actually try to convert people. That’s Jehovah’s Witnesses you’re thinking of.Highlighted by 2,584 Kindle readers
(My ability to turn good news into anxiety is rivaled only by my ability to turn anxiety into chin acne.)Highlighted by 2,101 Kindle readers
Editorial Reviews
Review
PRAISE FOR TINA FEY:
"You'd be really pretty if you lost weight."―College Boyfriend, 1990
"Tina Fey is an ugly, pear-shaped, overrated troll."―The Internet
"Mommy, where are my pretzels?"―Tracy Morgan
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR BOSSYPANTS:
"I hope that's not really the cover. That's really going to hurt sales."―Don Fey, Father of Tina Fey
"Absolutely delicious!"―A Guy Who Eats Books
"Totally worth it."―Trees
"Do not print this glowing recommendation of Tina Fey's book until I've been dead a hundred years."―Mark Twain
"Hilarious and insightful. Laugh-out-loud funny -- oh no, a full moon. No! Arrgh! Get away from me! Save yourself!"―A Guy Turning into a Werewolf
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : 0316056871
- Publisher : Back Bay Books; 0 edition (January 3, 2012)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 275 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9780316056878
- ISBN-13 : 978-0316056878
- Lexile measure : 950L
- Item Weight : 10.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #21,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #94 in Humor Essays (Books)
- #246 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies
- #277 in Women's Biographies
- Customer Reviews:
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About the author

Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (/feɪ/; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live (1998-2006) , acclaimed for her impression of former Alaska Governor and 2008 Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, and for creating acclaimed series 30 Rock (2006-2013) and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015-present). She is also well known for appearing in films such as Mean Girls (2004), Baby Mama (2008), Date Night (2010), Muppets Most Wanted (2014), and Sisters (2015).
Tina Fey broke into comedy as a featured player in the Chicago-based improvisational comedy group The Second City. She then joined SNL as a writer, later becoming head writer and a performer, known for her position as co-anchor in the Weekend Update segment. In 2004, she co-starred in and wrote the screenplay for Mean Girls, which was adapted from the 2002 self-help book Queen Bees and Wannabes. After leaving SNL in 2006, she created the television series 30 Rock for Broadway Video, a situation comedy loosely based on her experiences at SNL. In the series, Fey portrays the head writer of a fictional sketch comedy series. In 2008, she starred in the comedy film Baby Mama, alongside former SNL co-star Amy Poehler. Fey next appeared in the 2010 comedy film Date Night and the animated film Megamind. In 2015, she created and produced the television series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, originally for NBC and eventually for Netflix.
Fey has received eight Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Writers Guild of America Awards and was nominated for a Grammy Award for her autobiographical book Bossypants, which topped The New York Times Best Seller list for five weeks. In 2008, the Associated Press gave Fey the AP Entertainer of the Year award for her satirical portrayal of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in a guest appearance on SNL. In 2010, Fey was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, becoming the youngest-ever recipient of the award. On January 13, 2013, Fey hosted the 70th Golden Globe Awards with her long-time friend and fellow comedian, Amy Poehler, to critical acclaim. The duo hosted again the following two years, generating the highest ratings for the annual ceremony in a decade and receiving similar acclaim.
Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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There were parts of the book that I did not enjoy reading. such as, her views on certain shall we say, “ animated characters.”
But luckily, she didn’t spend too much time devoted to such nonsense.
All in all, it is a great book that I’m sure will inspire any would be artist.
There is not so much a “plot” as much as there’s a progression of stories, all told with a unique voice and moral. The stories progress from childhood to professional, which lets readers find different ways to identify with Fey, making the book relatable for many different kinds of people. That’s one of the things I liked most about the book. As a woman, one of the best pieces in the book was the commentary about body image. Fey says “But I think the first real change in women’s body image came when JLo turned it butt-style. That was the first time that having a large-scale situation in the back was part of mainstream American beauty. Girls wanted butts now. Men were free to admit that they had always enjoyed them. And then, what felt like moments later, boom—Beyoncé brought the leg meat. A back porch and thick muscular legs were now widely admired. And from that day forward, women embraced their diversity and realized that all shapes and sizes are beautiful. Ah ha ha. No. I’m totally messing with you. All Beyonce and JLo have done is add to the laundry list of attributes women must have to qualify as beautiful. Now every girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits. The person closest to actually achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was made by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes.”
This excerpt is also a good example of the language Fey uses. Again, it’s very casual and relatable, creating a relaxed tone for everyone to enjoy. You often times forget that you are reading a real book, because it seems more like an editorial or essay. Another positive of the casualness of the book is that you can read at whatever pace you want. You can read a few stories and stop, or you can read the whole thing in one sitting. The lack of “chapters” and “cliffhangers” makes it a much more lighthearted read. There is such a strong presence of voice, which is a huge positive in my opinion. Also, it really helps that you are already familiar with Fey and her persona. She has a very strong voice and distinct sense of humor, it makes it even more enjoyable. Even if you have never heard of Tina Fey or her work before, you will find it witty and thought provoking. There is also a lot of interesting information about Fey’s professional life, such as her time with saturday night live, and 30 Rock. The lack of plot or characters does not hurt the value of the book. To me, it is driven by heart and smart humor. You learn a lot, you laugh a lot, and relate to a well known celebrity more than you thought you would. I would recommend this book to anyone of any walks of life, because everyone can take something from it as a “self help” book, as well as a incredibly entertaining and lighthearted read.
There is actually some good advice on being a boss:
"In most cases being a good boss means hiring talented people and then getting out of their way." (Page 5)
"This is what I tell young women who ask me for career advice. People are going to try to trick you. To make you feel that you are in competition with one another. "You're up for a promotion. If they go with a woman, it'll be between you and Barbara." Don't be fooled. You're not in competition with other women. You're in competition with everyone. Also, I encourage them to always wear a bra. Even if you don't think you need it, just... you know what? You're never going to regret it." (Page 88)
"But there is not one management course in the world where they recommend Self-Righteousness as a tool." (Page 128)
There is a touching chapter about her father.
"How can I give her what Don Fey gave me? The gift of anxiety. The fear of getting in trouble. The knowledge that while you are loved, you are not above the law. The Worldwide Parental Anxiety System is failing if this many of us have made sex tapes. "(Page 54)
There are stories about her time with Second City, Saturday Night Live, and 30 Rock, as well as a chapter on a glamor photo shoot, and some stories about being a woman.
"However, of all the places I've worked that were supposedly boys' clubs, The Second City was the only one where I experienced institutionalized gender nonsense. For example, a director of one of the main companies once justified cutting a scene by saying, 'The audience doesn't want to see a scene between two women.' Whaaa? More on that later." (Page 87)
"In 1997 I flew to New York from Chicago to interview for a writing position at Saturday Night Live. It seemed promising because I'd heard the show was looking to diversify. Only in comedy, by the way, does an obedient white girl from the suburbs count as diversity." Page 119
I connected with so many of her stories, but some of the stories that deal with things only a woman would understand were priceless like the strident pro-breast-feeding moms (Fey's name for them in her book is better - I would argue that it's not only breast feeding, but these dilettantes have moved into areas of food police, sports experts, and activity booking agents for their children) and the male producers not understanding why the Classics Kotex pads commercial for SNL was funny.
Here are two more quotes for women:
"I had noticed something was weird earlier in the day, but I knew from commercials that one's menstrual period was a blue liquid that you poured like laundry detergent onto maxi pads to test their absorbency. This wasn't blue, so... I ignored it for a few hours." (Page 14)
"My mother knew the importance of getting the right fit for a bra, so she took me to JCPenney and tried one on over my clothes. She tried a bra on me over my clothes in the middle of JCPenney. I thank her for this. This early breast-related humiliation prevented me from ever needing to participate in "Girls Gone Wild" in my twenties." (Page 104)
Admittedly, Fey didn't delve in deep to her personal life of her deepest thoughts, but that's okay. She shared the information and stories she was comfortable sharing. While I did see Fey on SNL, I'll have to admit I don't watch 30 Rock. (Hey, I don't watch much TV - not enough time in the day to do it all.) This didn't stop me from appreciating this very entertaining book and I'll look forward to another book from Tina Fey someday.
very highly recommended
"There is no one of-woman-born who does not like Red Lobster cheddar biscuits. Anyone who claims otherwise is a liar and a Socialist." (Page 252)
True, so true...
Top reviews from other countries
It's 275 pages and nearly 30 chapters so clear that this short book has been presented in a way that is easy to read which it is.
Tina Fey raises some dark issues in the narrative then uses the format of the short chapters to deal with them in a light and humorous way without ever really exploring anything in depth. This makes the book entertaining on a superficial way but no much more than that.
It seemed that the book was written to entertain rather than to inform. The lists, photo, script extracts, etc were good but such a short book didn't really need them - I wanted more narrative.
I was mildly entertained by reading this but got to the end without feeling as though I knew anything more about Tina Fey
"“Politics and prostitution have to be the only jobs where inexperience is considered a virtue. In what other profession would you brag about not knowing stuff? “I’m not one of those fancy Harvard heart surgeons. I’m just an unlicensed plumber with a dream and I’d like to cut your chest open.”"
or
“So, my unsolicited advice to women in the workplace is this. When faced with sexism, or ageism, or lookism, or even really aggressive Buddhism, ask yourself the following question: “Is this person in between me and what I want to do?” If the answer is no, ignore it and move on. Your energy is better used doing your work and outpacing people that way. Then, when you’re in charge, don’t hire the people who were jerky to you.”
The book is a mixture of autobiography and musings on life, particularly around comedy/acting and being a woman. It's all delivered with a healthy dose of humour, but parts of it end up being quite moving and profound too. I wouldn't say it either had me rolling around on the floor shaking with laughter or re-examining my life, but it's good fun and worth a read whether you're an existing fan or not.
With her inimitable sass, Fey walks you through key moments in her life flashing you a sardonic smile along the way. What is really great is that Fey peels back the layers of “celebrity” and lets you see the person behind it. She doesn’t do this with sad stories, tragic past and constant failures but by showing just how damn hard she worked to get to the level of success she is privy to.
It would be cheesy to say that her story is inspirational because to be honest we all want the lazy way to success – for it to just fall into our hands – but it is uplifting to see someone who seems so together saying that she is just human.
It is probably due to this level-headedness that makes Fey so likeable.
With her book Bossypants Fey adds another quiver to her bow of talent.
Bossypants by Tina Fey is available now.
Follow Tina Fey (@NotTinaFey) on Twitter.
I first read this a couple of years back, I had seen Tina in Mean Girls and had started binge watching 30 Rock. I love it, it is smart and funny and nerdy all at the same time.
All of the cast of 30 Rock are great but Liz Lemon, she has all the best lines! Who can forget Meat Cat and Cheesy Blasters?
Anyway I saw this book and wanted to learn more about the enigma that is Tina Fey, she is genuinely funny and I hoped that any book of hers would be the same.
Thankfully it is, it is hilarious, sweet and honest. Charting Tina's life from awkward teen to screen queen via motherhood, it is a great read.
Full of snort-worthy passages - my favourite would have to be the Mother's prayer - choose to read this alone if you are a sprayer when you laugh!


















