Bossypants

By: Tina Fey

Narrated by: Tina Fey

Length: 5 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Spirited and whip-smart, these laugh-out-loud autobiographical essays are "a masterpiece" from the Emmy Award-winning actress and comedy writer known for 30 Rock, Mean Girls, and SNL". (Sunday Telegraph).

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!

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2011 Tina Fey (P)2011 Hachette Audio

FUNNY!

I enjoyed the start of the book but it won me over with the mom stuff. yeah.
I like Tina Fey generally, but I'm not a big fan of 30 Rock so I wasn't sure about the book. (for the record, I think the story lines are ridiculous, I think Alec Balwin is slightly annoying and I many of the 30 Rock jokes make me feel slightly uncomfortable.)

I didn't think this book had any of the problems that 30 Rock has. Tina Fey seemed a bit neurotic but mostly just funny. I like her sarcastic take on most things (exception being: She seems pretty amazed by Alec Baldwin in a way I don't get).

I was listening to the audiobook (earphones), in part, while my daughter napped. I laughed out loud several times and was actually worried that I'd wake her.

Like I said, I particularly laughed at some of the times she talked about being a working mom and the pressures of being a mom (working or otherwise) in society today. This stuff always gets me, because I found the first 6 months of motherhood to be really hard and I like hearing from otherwise successful people who also had a hard time. Especially if they make it seem ridiculous that other people made you feel bad then. yeah.

anyway, its pretty short. You should probably read it. the book generally had some pretty right-on moments that I haven't heard before. It wasn't heavily SNL, 30 Rock or even feminist (I wouldn't have minded the former or the latter). I kept feeling that she concisely poked at a bit of truth over and over again, in a way that was light, funny and real.

The Fey Pride Parade

There is so much to love about this memoir, which anyone who's interested in what it's really like to work your way up through the ranks of television comedy should find very illuminating, but I have to give particular kudos to the book for two reasons:

1. As a gay reviewer, I found Fey's portrait of her many young gay friends figuring out their sexual identity's a nice combination of funny, sensitive and honest. The time in a gay person's life when he/she has either figured out their sexuality but not had sex or started experimenting sexually but is not sure what it means for their identity can be very confusing. The fact that Fey both manages to create portraits of these young people that both point out their foibles while acknowledging why they might be so en-foibled (yes, I made up that term) is like a successful high-wire act that incorporates a chair and a dog.

2. Apropos of Audible, this is DEFINITELY a book that's worth hearing in the audio format, even if you've read it already. Fey's intonations, imitations and inflections are not only super-enjoyable if you're a Tina Fey fan but also add a richness to the text that's characteristic of writers who have experience writing for performers.

"It is a testament to my parents that they never reacted negatively to the 4 year Pride parade that marched through their home." -Tina Fey, "Bossypants"

Read the book, and STILL LOVED the audiobook!

Would you consider the audio edition of Bossypants to be better than the print version?

I'm not going to say that the audiobook was better than the print version, but there's nothing like hearing Tina tell her own story! And the clips of SNL just make everything even better!

Any additional comments?

Perhaps this doesn't matter to most, but I appreciate that Tina still managed to tell her whole life story and, yet, only minimally talked about her husband and children. Sometimes you can say a lot with every little if you do it right.

Enjoyable but not that funny

I've never seen 30 Rock, and I didn't see Tina Fey on SNL, so I didn't go into this listening experience with an established connection to the author. I found her memoir interesting and sincere but not laugh-out-loud hilarious, as I had hoped. Instead it was heartfelt and entertaining.

I appreciated how she tries to balance work and parenting. For example, she was planning for Oprah's appearance on . . . was it 30 Rock or SNL? I can't remember. Anyway, while preparing for that momentous guest appearance, she was also trying to put together her little daughter's birthday party, and Amazon hadn't delivered the Peter Pan decorations yet. Both held equal importance for Tina.

I very much enjoyed the life lessons she learned from doing improv (for example, always say yes and add something to the conversation). She also stood up for women in her field of comedy (she was told that no audience would want to watch two females in a sketch), and I respected that. Tina offered practical advice (always wear a bra to a job interview), and she was charmingly self-deprecating.

She also addressed her initial reluctance to play Sarah Palin on SNL and talks about when the two met on the set. (Palin offered Bristol's services as a baby-sitter). Also interesting was how she put together the 30 Rock team and the respect she has for Alec Baldwin.

If you love Tina Fey, I'm sure you will love this book. If you aren't familiar with her, I'm sure you will like this book.

Great book, just not what I was expecting.

Where does Bossypants rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

First off, it's a great read/listen. Tina Fey does an excellent job of reading and writing her Bossypants. I just went into it thinking there would be more laughs; What I got instead was light on the laughs and heavy on the heartfelt. Touching, honest and pretty funny, Tina Fey made a really nice experience.

What other book might you compare Bossypants to and why?

It reminded me a lot of Zombie, Spaceship, Wasteland by Patton Oswalt. I also expected that book to also be "Funny", but was incredibly heartfelt and enjoyable.

What does Tina Fey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think her performance and delivery of her own material give her personal experiences weight and volume. If someone else read this it would sound flat and disingenuous.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There's a part in the book where she talks about her relationship with her dad.

Any additional comments?

Pick this book up if you like hearing about amazing people working hard and being successful. It's an honest boook.

Tina Fey is hilarious & offers insight into comedy

Bossypants is a humorous and candid window into Tina Fey’s rise a comedy writer. Self-deprecating and honest, the book touches on everything from her start at the YMCA to her time at the famous Second City troupe to SNL and 30 Rock.

Fey coats hard truths with humor, making them easier to swallow, and throughout the book, she effortlessly advocates feminism. It’s clear to see she has lived and continues to embrace the idea that women shouldn’t be afraid to be heard in every facet of life.

Whether she’s discussing the childhood trauma of choosing the wrong cleaning solution or sharing the same stage with VP-hopeful Sarah Palin, Tina Fey keeps her reader in stitches and demonstrates why she’s one of the most successful women in television.

Best of the bunch

Would you listen to Bossypants again? Why?

Yes! I think most of the jokes in this book would still be funny the second time around!

What does Tina Fey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

There are so many things about her delivery that make this book great, and I think that anyone reading the book missed out on a great experience.

Any additional comments?

This is definitely one of the better actor autobiographies that I've listened to. Tina Fey tells a funny story while keeping you interested the whole time.

So Good I Couldn't Stop Listening!!!!!

Where does Bossypants rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is easily in the top 5! Tina Fey rocks!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bossypants?

Oh my God! When Tina starts her period and her mother gives her a box of pamphlets (which includes the pamphlet meant to instruct the mother on how to talk her daughter) I think I blew milk through my nose. This book is that good.

What about Tina Fey’s performance did you like?

EVERYTHING!!!!!!

Any additional comments?

I'm a guy- a straight guy at that. I laughed my ass off at this book all weekend. I've been recommending it to female as well as male friends ever since.Caution: Homophobes and right wing extremists may only find this book mildly entertaining.

Super Fun

Brief Overview: Tina Fey, former head writer at Saturday Night Live (SNL) and creator of the sitcom 30 Rock (of which I happen to be a big fan), writes about her awkward childhood, awkward school years, awkward post-college life and awkward professional life. Plus she dishes about SNL and the creation of 30 Rock, as well as the evils of Photoshop, the realities of a magazine photo shoot, how it felt to be at the center of the Sarah Palin impersonation zeitgeist during the 2008 election, being a woman in a man’s world, motherhood and why she will never go on a cruise again. (My personal favorite part was her wickedly smart-ass responses to various nasty comments posted about her on celebrity gossip sites.)

My Thoughts:This was such a fun listen!! I think this book would be best experienced on audio as Fey’s phrasing and asides add so much to the experience. However, she is a very fast talker and you’ve got to listen closely. This is the only audiobook where I frequently had to rewind to ensure that I caught everything. (Another plus to listening on audio: she includes the actual audio of the first Sarah Palin skit she did with Amy Poehler.) If you’re worried about missing photos, a PDF file is included with the audiobook so you can see the pictures referenced in the book—a feature that I very much appreciated. If you’re a Tina Fey fan, you want to listen to this book! If you’re not a fan, I think you still might enjoy it as Fey is a self-depreciating and very funny woman whose smarts, sarcasm and hard-won experience are on full display throughout the book. My only real complaint is that I wish the book was longer.

Hilarious. Got me through a tough day, laughing.

What did you love best about Bossypants?

I loved how Tina Fey narrated this audiobook. There were times when the lines wouldnt have been funny when reading off a page, but her delivery still had me in stitches.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bossypants?

The whole thing about Modess. And also the Anthrax scare at 30 Rockefeller.

Which scene was your favorite?

The part where Tina Fey was explaining to her new husband how dumb she thought Rose was in Titanic when she jumped back on board because that was exactly what I was thinking after I saw that movie.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yeah. Almost did, but alas, had about 50 mins left before I had to call it quits and go to bed.

Any additional comments?

Need more audiobooks like this.