bossypants.

let’s start with the positives: the book is light and fun with anecdotes about SNL, 30 Rock, her family, and getting her start in improv. the writing is sharp and witty, replete with her trademark one-liners. 

the bad news: it is not a meaty read. see above regarding “light and fun.” we already see that side of fey through her writing for TV and movies and i was hoping to learn more about her as a person and it merely scratched the surface. people presumably write books about themselves to share things with an audience but i didn’t feel like i got to know her at all. not to mention that the last two sections of the book ran in advance in the new yorker which made me feel a little cheated.

bottom line: like most of her fans, i expect a lot from tina fey because i adore her so much. i don’t expect her to be the spokesperson for women in writing or women in comedy or working mothers because she is already out in the world doing those things and setting an example that way. i am disappointed that she sat down to write a book and kept me at arm’s length as a reader while glossing over her experiences in the aforementioned roles she juggles.