~Post by Sophia
Before Bossypants, I had never been a huge fan of Tina Fey. Though I enjoyed Mean Girls and admired her work on Saturday Night Live, I found the characters on her sitcom, 30 Rock, too outlandish and self-absorbed to find sympathetic or even watchable. However, reading her book, I found her reflections on the role she occupied to be compelling.
The great contribution of Bossypants is that it provides an intimate look at two comedy institutions—SNL and the Chicago improv group Second City—being changed by the woman who changed them. From the outside, publicly changing the male face of Saturday Night Live was no easy feat. But while most of what Fey details about working as SNL’s head writer we might have guessed, Fey confirms and fleshes out that experience. She once had a hard time pitching a joke about maxi-pads, for instance, simply because a co-worker didn’t know what they were.
For any one, male or female, who has dreamed of achieving what Fey has, the book ‘s insights are a godsend. Bossypants isn’t a how-to or business guide, but it might as well be. As SNL head writer, Fey gained many astute lessons—under Lorne Michaels, no less—and she shares these lessons in her book. See the poignant and of course hilarious essay “A Childhood Dream, Realized.”
In the fall, up-and-coming comedy writer Mindy Kaling published her own book of autobiographical essays. You can’t consider Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? without thinking of Bossypants, its recent predecessor. Similarly, you can’t help but think of Kaling’s career in light of Fey’s. When I asked one of my co-workers why she was compelled, as I was, to read Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, she replied, “She’s sort of like Tina Fey’s little sister.”
Kaling necessarily follows in Fey’s footsteps as a writer and producer of a successful, male-driven televised comedy—in Kaling’s case, The Office, on which she also portrays the garrulous shopaholic Kelly Kapoor. Both Fey and Kaling draw upon sketch comedy, with Fey looking to performers such as John Belushi and Gilda Radner as role models, and Kaling finding inspirations in shows like The Kids in the Hall.
The two have also moved with apparent ease into the recent landscape of recognizable comedy stars. (Amy Poehler is another example; she has yet to write her collection of humorous autobiographical essays; although both Kaling and Fey offer tributes to her in their own works.)
In structure, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? closely resembles Bossypants. Personal history and the realization of professional aspirations serve as the overarching thread. These personal histories are punctuated with essay asides showing off the comedians’ distinct personalities. For instance, literary-minded Fey parodies David Foster Wallace’s essay “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again” to tell the story of her cruise-ship honeymoon, whereas Kaling details her makeup regimen and wardrobe fittings.
Fey’s autobiography is more weighted with serious insights into the profession of comedy, whereas Kaling is more interested—you might say distracted by—the profession’s perks (Long before Kaling’s book, there was her blog, Things I Bought That I Love). And that’s okay. We expect less seriousness from Kaling, not only because of her particular comic persona, but also because of her junior status within professional comedy. She has yet to produce her own sitcom, or become a senior writer.
As a stand-alone book, however, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? is an entertaining read. Kaling excels at satirizing the cultures she knows best: that of her Indian-American family; New York, where she lived after college; and Hollywood, where she now presides. Being a writer and producer for The Office, Kaling knows how Hollywood execs’ minds work—to the point that she can name off a list of movies that should and probably will be made for profitability’s sake (these include Bananagrams 3D, Sharks vs. Volcanoes, and I Ain’t Yo Wife!).
Though Kaling undoubtedly buys into the lifestyle afforded her, for some reason you don’t begrudge her this—she shows off enough level-headedness and kind-heartedness in other places that you’ll look the other way. This is especially true when she writes about her close friendships and relationships with co-workers.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? is a winter’s equivalent of a beach read—a guilty pleasure, for sure, it’s light enough to read in between holiday preparations. (In fact, another of my co-workers listened to the audio version on his way to Thanksgiving in Dallas). And if you haven’t yet read Bossypants, put it on your holiday wish list. Both will leave you with a fuller portrait of the world behind your favorite sitcoms.
BookPeople 