Book Review: Bossypants by Tina Fey

My Book Retreat

Tina Fey is a very funny actress and an incredible comedy writer. So when my book club chose her memoir, Bossypants, as the October book, I was excited to learn more about her and her background. Fey delivers with stories about her childhood, her time doing improv, her work on television and even a bit about her family life. But as many of us mentioned during our discussion about the book, she only touches on these things at the surface. She never really digs down deep into any of the topics she brings up.

Despite the lack of depth, I did enjoy Bossypants ~ some chapters more than others. She talks of her childhood and teen years, including some interesting experiences with a theater camp. She also tells how she got into comedy, and a bit about her experiences on Saturday Night Live and Thirty Rock. I loved hearing the background on her role as Sarah Palin on SNL, and she revealed a bit about the sexism female comedians experience. She even gives us a glimpse into her personal life, which I especially enjoyed.

I will say I had read several reviews that said Bossypants made the reader laugh out loud, but I didn’t find it that funny. There were some humorous stories and I probably did actually laugh out loud a couple times, but it’s certainly not a book that kept me laughing from beginning to end. I’m not really sure that’s the point. As I mentioned during our book club discussion, I would love to read a humor novel written by Fey. But that’s not what Bossypants is. It’s a memoir, a chance for her to share some funny and interesting stories from her life. And I enjoyed it for what it is.

My rating: 3/5

Discussion questions for Bossypants

This review was written based on a copy of Bossypants that I borrowed from the library.