
I too still have a hard time believing it took me this long to discover Handler, who I am now, completely obsessed with. Handler is not only an author but stars in her own late night cable talk show, “Chelsea Lately” which premiers on E! Entertainment Network.
“My Horizontal Life” is a series of short stories about one night stands the author took part in throughout her life. The first chapter begins with a hilarious rendition of the first time she caught her parents having sex because her sister dared her 5 dollars to break into the room and take a picture. Handler writes, “I may not have known what sex was, but I did know that I needed to step up my wardrobe in order to be taken seriously in the first grade”. Her father was so angry as a result of the incident that Handler and her sister hid in the basement for hours in fear of being punished. Growing up the youngest of 5 brothers and sisters, much of her writing refers back to her half Jewish half Italian family. Throughout the book Handler would constantly mock her father for thinking he was a used car salesmen, her sister Sloane who suddenly turns Mormon and later her roommate whom she refers to as “dumb-dumb”.
Initially I was shocked at the brutally honest raw language, along with description that Handler uses in the book. However this is also what makes it so appealing, it’s tell all, including every embarrassing detail that most of us would rather not share with the world. Handler’s ability to open up about her sex life and feel completely comfortable relating it to others in a humorous way, is what attracts readers to the book. I can’t begin to count the amount of times she left me hysterically laughing and each sex-capade was funnier than the last. Deb Yanessa, a Junior at Ursinus said that, “I liked her sarcasm and sense of humor. The stories were completely wild but believable due to the way she told them”.
Aside from the memoir only being based on one night stands, Handler includes many major transitions in her life such as moving from New Jersey to Los Angeles and even to New York City. Handler also writes about the many of the highs and lows that take place during this time from being completely broke and living in Martha’s Vineyard to finally starting to perform standup comedy. I enjoyed being able to get a feel of who Handler was from her descriptions of what it was like growing up in suburban New Jersey and her successes as well as failures in careers humanized her tales even more. So if you’re looking for a quick, laugh out loud scandals read then “My Horizontal Life” is perfect for you! back to The Grizzly
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