In an interview with the New York Times, Fey admitted that she found writing the book to be an unexpected challenge, saying the process "was a much higher, steeper roller coaster" than other projects. "I kept saying, 'This is going to ruin me. I'm ruined!' 'Well, I hope you're all happy'--like, to no one in particular. . . . No one forced me to do this, but I kept acting like I had been forced to do it." The interviewer notes that "[s]he decided to write a memoir, she said, after considering book offers for years; turning 40 made a difference. 'I felt like, I guess I've lived long enough to have some experiences,' she said, with no hint of underembellishment."
Some reviewers have questioned whether Bossypants is really a memoir. While Fey does tell readers some revealing stories, she does not attempt to tell us the full story of her life. What is her purpose in sharing this book with us in what she calls her "last five minutes" of fame? And how does her particular style of deflective humor support this purpose better than a more traditional and "serious" memoir might have?
As Craig Wilson said of Bossypants in USA Today, "It's not every day you read something that makes you laugh out loud every other page. Then again, Tina Fey doesn't write a book every day." So we hope you will read this book and join the discussion: Tuesday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m. at Main Library; Thursday, April 19, at 11:00 a.m. at West Ashley Branch Library, and here on the blog.
