Bossypants

I love 30 Rock. Sometimes, I think it fully encapsulates the essence that is me. I think it touches deep down in my inner insecurities, my feminism, my love of the absurd, and my long-time crush on Alec Baldwin.

Alas, this book, 30 Rock it is not. And while Tina Fey has a unique, quirky, delightful TV writer voice, her authorial voice hit me more as a bit catty, and not terribly insightful. I know. I feel awful saying that. I feel like I'm bashing Nora Ephron, Annie Lammott, and all other savvy, sassy comedienne-turned-wise-women writers. Bossypants, a semi-structured autobiography, goes for some jokes, and mostly nabs them (I did LOL now and again). But when it tries to hit on the bigger issues - raising a kid, or celebrity, or feminism - it often fell short. The feminism thing in particular. I had high hopes, because Tina Fey is a crusader against criticisms like Christopher Hitchens' (RIP) re: “women can't be funny”. The sometimes eviscerating satire of femininity and gender norms on 30 Rock proves that. But, in Bossypants, Tina Fey brings up some interesting points but then seems to shy away - I guess I wanted her more angry, less apologetic? I dunno. Maybe I just disagreed with her laissez faire attitude towards Photoshop? It just felt like, had she gone at it with more gusto, I could have been convinced. Instead, I just felt a bit meh.

The tone of the book is light and frothy, with a touch of the self-satisfied, and so it's a fast, generally pleasant read. But I couldn't shake that sense of let-down. Ah well! Back to the genius of 30 Rock I go!