Tucker Max (of "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell" and "Assholes Finish First" fame) has been one of my favorite writers for some time. For those who haven't heard of Tucker Max, he was the first of many bro-tastic alcoholic party-boys with a decent writing ability who decided to start blogging about his hilarious alcohol-fueled instances of mischief and mayhem online, which consequently led to a three book deal. While reading Max's accounts may not be as fancy as taking all summer to read War and Peace, the stuff was purely entertaining.
Recently, a friend from school has made it her personal crusade to prove me wrong in my blunt statement that women aren't as funny as men. My argument was dealt its first blow after I read Tina Fey's "Bossypants" and now I must admit that my argument has lost even more steam after reading the first book by the writer who has been dubbed "the Female Tucker Max"-- Chelsea Handler.
"My Horizontal Life" tells about the drug and alcohol fueled sexcapades of a Jersey Girl in Hollywood. Handler is both an endearingly frank storyteller and a brilliantly entertaining subject (Some of her stories are proven true only by the fact that they are too ridiculous for anyone to have possibly made them up). MHL branches on a variety of topics whether its Chelsea's attendance of her gay friend's high school reunion or her brief sexual encounter with a little person (which, although hilarious, was done by Tucker Max first and loses some points for being unoriginal). I found myself very drawn-in by Handler's storytelling style and must even admit that some stories were a lot more interesting from a woman's perspective.
If I had one piece of criticism, it would be that the over-dependence on sexual stories leaves the reader wanting more instances of pure drunken mayhem. MHL may seem, at times, to be very one-dimensional. When I expressed this to the friend who recommended Handler to me, she stated that it is important that I read MHL first, but the balance is achieved in a much more pleasing manner in Handler's second book "Are you there, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea." Needless to say, I will definitely be reading that one as well. While Handler's stories are not for the faint of heart, stomach, or conscience, if you have the tolerance for raunchy humor like this, then My Horizontal Life is for you.
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