Hilarity in bite sizes!. Review on Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea -Chelsea Handler

The first time I heard of Chelsea Handler was when I was watching The Tonight Show With Jay Leno a few years ago. I thought she was really funny and self-deprecating, and not at all like some women authors who either take themselves too seriously, even if they write comedy, or try to be over the top to sell more copies. This writer wasn't shy about insulting Leno, who if you've noticed is pretty smug and pompous and is always trying to one-up his guests. I found out later that she's an actress and a stand-up comedian, so she could give as good as she got.Chelsea Handlercurrently has a show on the E! network called Chelsea Lately, but we don't get that in India (at least I don't),but you can watch it online.

An aside before I continue telling you what I think about the book: The only reason I was watching The Tonight Show was because until then Leno hadn't retired from The Tonight Show. In fact it was just months before Conan O'Brien wasto take over. But then you all know what happened after Conan left New York to come to Los Angeles and start on The Tonight Show. In a few months, NBC and Leno forced Coco out and Leno was back on the show. And ever since, I've been sohurt that I'veboycotted the show and have been asking everyone who'll listen to boycott it too (please)!

Anyway back to Chelsea Handler and her book: Even in insult-mode on the Tonight Show, Chelsea was hilarious and didn't come off as aggressive or offensive. The rest of the time, when she spoke about her book, the man she was then dating, or her assistant, a tiny man she called Chewy, she was just too funny. That's when I knew I had to get hold of and read her book. Unfortunately, I called Landmark and Crossword and Danai, but they didn't have it, nor did any of the online bookshops I knew of like Indiaplaza or Rediff. And after that, I got busy with work and stuff, forgot about the book, and life went on... until recently when a friend told me he'd seen Chelsea Handler on The Tonight Show a few weeks ago and remembered I'd mentioned her a long time ago. This friend, bless him, also found her book "Are You ThereVodka, It's Me, Chelsea" for me on landmarkonthenet.com!

In case you're wondering about the title, it's a satire on the Judy Bloom novel, "Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret," a completely different kind of book that sensitively explores a young girl's issues in dealing with her mixed religious heritage. "Are You There Vodka..." is nothing as sensitive or serious as that. It's a laugh riot from cover to cover as you read about Chelsea's racy exploits from her teenage years onward and her overactive imagination (and overactive libido). Chelsea uses a light, conversational style and very simple, direct language. She does exactly what my creative writing professors always talked about: she takes what she knows, her real-life experiences, and puts them across directly, without pretentious language or unnecessary embellishment. I won't get into details about the writing style, all I'll say is it's a easy andreally funny read. And guys, this is not chick lit, it's genuine humor that'll appeal to either gender! It's been a long time since I got my hands on something this funny and I know I'll read and reread many more time and alsoget hold ofher other books.

I've also realized that "Are You There Vodka..." is an excellent book for people who don't have the time to really focus on a heavy book. Each chapter is an incident from Chelsea's life, so you don't have to struggle to remember what you read before for continuity. I usually leave my heavy reading for weekends, when I'm not exhausted after a crazy day at work. On weeknights I like to read something light and amusing before drifting off, so this has been the perfect book. It's also good when you're traveling and your reading is bound to be interrupted.

For the more sensitive among you, some stuff that Chelsea has written may be shocking, like the chapter called Costa Rica, when her father implies she's his wife to get an upgrade in a flight. And then there's an incident at a massage parlor that had me in splits in a chapter called Dim Sum and Then Some, and of course there's Chelsea's Mini Me, where she takes the sensitive subject of little people and is as politically incorrect as possible about it,and eventhough you know it's wrong,you can't help but laugh. If you can get over any prudish twinges you may have, you'll enjoy this book. If you're like me and thrive on anything outrageously funny, you're in for some real laughs :)