Yes,
clearly these books are similar. Female comedians who happened to be best
friends wrote them but they are also very different. That's why I wanted to
write a review of them together. Some might say that Tina Fey is funnier than
Amy Poehler and some might say that Amy Poehler is funnier than Tina Fey. I for
one LOVE them both.
Bossypants,
is hilarious throughout the entire book. Tina starts out discussing her
childhood and how theater played a huge part in her life. She states that she
had a strong father figure in her life and that most of the time she spent was
with her theatre nerd friends but other than that her life was great.
The
book is mainly a memoir of Tina's life and career and being a woman in a man's
world. She goes on to talk about the sketches she wrote for SNL and her time on
30 Rock, making friends and working long hours. But she talks about being a
women in the most incredibly hardworking world. “THERE
ARE NO MISTAKES, only opportunities.”
She
gives advice on doing your best and not letting other people step on you as you
work your way up. “So, my unsolicited advice
to women in the workplace is this. When faced with sexism, or ageism, or
lookism, or even really aggressive Buddhism, ask yourself the following
question: “Is this person in between me and what I want to do?” If the answer
is no, ignore it and move on. Your energy is better used doing your work and
outpacing people that way. Then, when you’re in charge, don’t hire the people
who were jerky to you.”
But
there's something missing from Tina's book that Amy's book has.
Insight.
Not to
say that Tina doesn't have insight, it's just her insight is clearly different
than Amy's. Tina has had a pretty good life from what I read. She's married and
has children and she found what she longed for, there was no search needed to
help Tina become who she is just hard work.
Yes
Please captures something else- a journey. An insight into life. Amy's book
has really stuck with me. She seems almost like a friend that I know. Her book
talks about her life, like her childhood, her parents and friends but she also
talks about her struggles with drugs as a teenager and now with divorcing her
husband.
“A person’s tragedy does not make up their entire life. A story
carves deep grooves into our brains each time we tell it. But we aren't one
story. We can change our stories. We can write our own.”
She
discusses the issues at hand with not only with women but teenagers and 20 yr
olds. “I think we should stop asking people in
their twenties what they “want to do” and start asking them what they don’t
want to do.” She talks about enjoying being young and frivolous.
Her book
touches on hard work and how important it is to love what you're doing. “You have to care about your work but not about the
result. You have to care about how good you are and how good you feel, but not
about how good people think you are or how good people think you look.”
And
she gives her best advice in dealing with your own demons whether that's
divorce, body image or relationships while also being hilarious. “That is the motto women should constantly repeat over
and over again. Good for her! Not for me.”
Her
book has shaped my way of thinking. It's a book that is making me who I am.
Yes
Please Grade: A+
Bossypants
Grade: A
These are must-reads! Go pick them up at
your local bookstore.
-Em
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