Chelsea Handler is Jewish and Mormon. She grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey. She wrote this book when she was 33.
She says things that our (older) generation doesn't
(wouldn’t) say. Is this because of a
generational difference or is she pushing boundaries?
Most of us didn’t think Chelsea Handler was funny. Some comedians DO NOT need to swear or be
obnoxious and others need to swear to get a “yuck, yuck” on their jokes. She is crass, obnoxious, racist, sexist, and
has nothing nice to say about anyone but herself.
- Behaviors can be cute, but that doesn’t mean that a whole
group (little people or elders) should be classified as “cute.”
- She finds amusement in hurting people (re-gifting at the
birthday party of the girl who had no friends)
We considered that her technique might be to point out where
the rest of society is hypocritical.
- She says what others are secretly thinking
- You might not say something to someone and she goes ahead
and says it anyway
- She has a crew filled with quirky people
- Love and family loyalty does come through (hopefully,
these are episodes and now they are over) – perhaps she wears her humor as a
protective armor.
Once the reader lets go that this is NOT a story about who
she is and where she came from, or that it’s a biography, and thinks of the
book as vignettes or short stories, it is easier to absorb. Her childhood life
shows imagination and fantasy. The book
could have been a compelling story about her life, but ended up being a series
of pickles she got herself in.
She is quite prolific as a writer with books about drinking,
sex life, and family.
- She has difficulty opening up.
- She is able to do commentary on news articles, but has no
reflection on herself
- Her show staff loves her, but hates her, too
- She throws parties for other people, but never shows up (a
female “great Gatsby”)
- She is empty and trying to fill herself up
- “Chewy” can equal her sassiness
- She is writing about her real life without commentary on
why she does what she does
- You wonder how much of the story is exaggerated
Compared to last month’s book (also a comedian, from
England)
- Her laziness is about coming to age in her thirties.
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