Bossypants

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Bossypants
Bossypants Cover (Tina Fey) - 200px.jpeg
Author Tina Fey
Audio read byTina Fey
LanguageEnglish
Genre Autobiography
Publisher Little, Brown and Company
Publication date
April 5, 2011
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint
Pages277
ISBN 0-316-05686-3
LC Class PN2287.F4255 A3 2011

Bossypants is an autobiographical comedy book written by the American comedian Tina Fey. [1] [2] [3] The book topped The New York Times Best Seller list, and stayed there for five weeks upon its release. [4] As of November 2014, the book has sold over 2.5 million copies since its debut, according to Nielsen BookScan. [5] Additionally, Fey's Grammy nominated narration of the audiobook has sold over 150,000 copies on Audible.com. [6] A paperback reprint edition was released in January 2012, from Reagan Arthur Books, an imprint of Little, Brown. The front cover, photographed by Ruvén Afanador, [7] features hand model and actor Joe Rosario.

Contents

Background

Fey holding a copy of Bossypants on her book tour at a Barnes & Noble in New York City April 8, 2011. Tina Fey 3 Bossypants 2011 Shankbone.jpg
Fey holding a copy of Bossypants on her book tour at a Barnes & Noble in New York City April 8, 2011.

In 2008, the prospect of a Tina Fey book was reportedly the subject of a bidding war among publishers, which led to an advance of $6 million. [8] As part of her deal with Little, Brown & Co., a gift was made to the New York-based Books for Kids Foundation. [9]

Reception

Janet Maslin for The New York Times calls Bossypants "a spiky blend of humor, introspection, critical thinking and Nora Ephron-isms for a new generation." [1] Katie Roiphe for Slate is favorable toward the humor in Bossypants, especially how Fey wields jokes as a personal display of power. [10] The book was also praised by Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times , who wrote, "...any concern that Fey, like so many before her, has been ruined by fame is quickly dispelled by Bossypants, a book that reminds you why Fey has succeeded where so many have failed — because she is precise, professional and hilarious." [11] Ellen Wernecke of The A.V. Club similarly said of Fey, "The artistry of her autobiography-turned-polemic raises the bar for every comedian who dares put cursor to Word doc." [12]

It received a more mixed review from Carole Cadwalladr of The Observer , however, who opined, "There's lots to enjoy, particularly if you are, as I am, a Tina Fey fan girl. It's just the bookiness of it. Fey is out of her genre, and it shows: it takes an age to get going, and it's less like prose non-fiction than a sketch comedy in book form, with a disproportionate number of one-liners, not all of which work." [13]

References

  1. 1 2 Maslin, Janet (April 3, 2011). "'Bossypants' by Tina Fey – Review". The New York Times. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  2. ↑ Fey, Tina (2011). Bossypants . New York: Little, Brown and Co. ISBN   978-0-316-05686-1.
  3. ↑ Fey, Tina; Narrated by Tina Fey (2011). Bossypants (Audiobook). London: Hachette Audio.
  4. ↑ "Bestsellers: Hardcover Nonfiction". The New York Times. April 24, 2011. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  5. ↑ Lewis, Andy (November 13, 2014). "Amy Poehler, Lena Dunham Books Debut on Par With Tina Fey's Megahit". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  6. ↑ Bosman, Julie (October 2, 2011). "Stars Will Read Amazon Unit's New Audio Book Series". Media Decoder (blog). The New York Times. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  7. ↑ Semigran, Aly (December 18, 2011). "Best of 2011 (Behind the Scenes): 'Bossypants' Cover Photographer Ruven Afanador". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020.
  8. ↑ Kelly, Keith J. (October 1, 2008). "Fey Eyes Big Pay Day: Publishers Toss $6m Book Offer for '30 Rock' Star". New York Post. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  9. ↑ Neyfakh, Leon (October 3, 2008). "Little, Brown Will Publish Tina Fey Book". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on October 4, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  10. ↑ Roiphe, Katie (March 30, 2011). "Tina Fey's Tough Girl Feminism: The rough humor in Fey's new book Bossypants is exactly what the movement needs". Slate.com . Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  11. ↑ McNamara, Mary (April 4, 2011). "Review: 'Bossypants' by Tina Fey is funny and heartfelt". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  12. ↑ Wernecke, Ellen (April 28, 2011). "Tina Fey: Bossypants". The A.V. Club . Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  13. ↑ Cadwalladr, Carole (April 23, 2011). "Bossypants by Tina Fey – review". The Observer . Retrieved September 30, 2016.