Post #53 – Women’s Memoirs, Book Raves – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
Reviewed by Michelle Rockwell
Memoir Writing Made Funny
If you perused The New York Times Best Seller list today, you’ll notice that third and fourth place in the paperback nonfiction category are both occupied by Chelsea Handler. Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea is riding in third place. It is the second of three memoirs written by the stand-up comedienne and late night talk show host of the Chelsea Lately show. Her first book, My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands sits at number four.
Growing up in New Jersey, Chelsea was the youngest of six children born to a Jewish father and a Mormon mother. Her father sold used cars from the family’s front yard, and her mother took several “naps” each day. She frequently reminds readers that she was raised by her older siblings and often took on the role of parent. “There was more adult supervision at the Neverland Ranch than there was in my house growing up.” (pg. 27). As a result, Chelsea’s quick wit and sharp tongue served her well from a very early age.
Chelsea Handler freely admits to being a compulsive, yet hilarious, liar even now. In her most recent book, Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, she says, “Every once in a while, I like to send out an all-staff email to find out who the dumbest people working on my show are” (57). She then proceeds to convince several staff members as well as her boyfriend, who happens to be the CEO of the E! network, that a gynocologist will be coming to the studio to provide routine pap smears.
In Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea we get a glimpse into the origins of her well-crafted and hysterical storytelling art form. At the age of nine, Chelsea was targeted by the mean girls at her elementary school and labeled as “poor,” “ugly,” and “dog.” She writes, “The idea that showing up at school in a piece of shit jalopy led to me looking like a dog didn’t make much sense in my mind. It really irked me that I had to be punished because my father thought he was a used car dealer and insisted on driving us around in the cars that he couldn’t sell. I wanted to tell my classmates that I didn’t like his cars either, and I certainly didn’t like being called a dog. I hadn’t had a low opinion of myself before then, but after being called the same nickname for six months straight, you start to look in the mirror and see resemblances between yourself and a German shepherd.” (pg. 3) What follows is a farcical and heartbreaking attempt to convince her classmates that she is in fact an actor working with Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell on the sequel to the movie Private Benjamin.
Some might say that Chelsea Handler is crass and crude. And they would be right. After all, My Horizontal Life is about a series, a really long series, of druken one-night stands. However, while her stories tend to include random sex, sarcastic remarks about fat people, and an abnormal, if not psychotic, aversion to redheads, children, and dogs, I believe readers are drawn to the author’s vulnerability that is often masked by her humor.
In Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea the author describes her 12-year-old “babysits” for a violent and socially retarded 14-year-old neighbor boy and his little brother and we worry for her safety. She uses politically incorrect terms like “midget” and “nugget” to describe little people. She befriends a little person named Kimmy who becomes wildly drunk and unruly. Chelsea mistakenly believes the young woman is a victim of circumstance and needs her help. The author sets out to protect her. She even gives the “nugget” money to free her husband from jail. Later, she is surprised to find the husband is still in jail and Kimmy has absconded with the money to Costa Rica and taken a job as a scuba instructor.
As a person, I am drawn to Chelsea Handler’s humor. Readers who don’t take themselves or society too seriously will find her musings wickedly funny. Comediennes are an overlooked, yet valuable, resource for writers. They teach us about the art of writing because comics craft every word, every line, every pause and inflection. They have to. It’s the nature of their business. A comic performing on stage has absolutely nothing to hide behind. Handler’s writings will show you how to bring stories or essays full-circle and produce tight endings. As a writer, I am drawn to her ability to poke fun at herself and the ridiculous circumstances she finds herself in. Because of this, I now feel freer to approach my own memoir with more courage and satire. She allows us to sympathize with her as she reveals a heart of gold behind her humor. I would encourage writers to read Chelsea Handler’s books and experiment with ludicrousness and irony in their own writing.
To find more information on Chelsea Handler, visit her webpage at http://chelseahandler.com/
