bossypants

If you aren’t totally sold on Tina Fey as a comedian or just as a relatable human being, read this book because it’ll change your mind in a heartbeat. This book is so personal and she is so vulnerable in her sharing of some of the most intimate moments of her life, but it is also really smart and funny and has fabulous things to say about how women should behave in the workplace and what it means to be a mother. Here we see Tina Fey not as the woman who jumped at the opportunity to poke fun at Sarah Palin and pose for sexy (sexist?) magazines, but a very thoughtful, sometimes shy, always alternating between emotional and analytical woman who has learned how to deal with societal pressures to be beautiful, be brave, be not-bossy, while never forgetting to be herself. The sections on her summers spent working with a theater program and her time at SNL were fascinating, but my favorite moment of the book comes when she describes her friendship with Amy Poehler and how she would defend that woman to the death if need be. I had seen a few episodes of “30 Rock” and was not blown away (but still obsessed with Mean Girls of course), and after having read this and learned what it means to her and finally know what the real Tina Fey is like, I wish her all the success in the world, and if watching her show and encouraging others to support her work are what it takes to get her to a position where she can provide opportunities for other women, I am all for that.