Bossypants: Tina Fey

Once in a generation a woman comes along who changes everything. Tina Fey is not that woman, but she met that woman once and acted weird around her.

Before 30 Rock, Mean Girls and '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 all suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.

Few celebrity biographies are very good, but they are popular Christmas gifts, and they're normally a decent diversion (depending on your affection for the subject). Tina Fey's isn't the worst, by a long stretch, but it shines more in comparison to the woeful alternatives around.

It helps, of course, that Tina Fey is entertaing and endearing, and her story is boring enough that she doesn't feel much need to dwell on it, instead using it as a springboard for things she has thoughts about.

Fey's early (love) life is actually the most interesting part. By the time she has achieved (critical) success with 30 Rock and popular acclaim through her SNL impressions of Sarah Palin much of that steam has run dry. At this point we get some interesting stuff about how comedy writing works, her thoughts on certain issues and a brief recounting of her time in the public eye. There's little new here (although the fact that she initially didn't want to play Palin, and only ended up practicing the sketch three times before it was performed is pretty great).

Overall, it's far better than it could be, but does more as a book of comedic essays (on everything from airbrushing, to protecting your daughter) than a straight autobiography.

Also, the quotes on the back encouraging you to buy it made me laugh hysterically.

Also Try:
Caitlin Moran, How To Be A Woman
Jade Goody, Catch a Falling Star