Book Review:: Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler

In her newest book, Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, Chelsea Handler takes on family, friends and the hilarity that ensues when the two worlds collide.

TV personality and comedian Handler recalls her childhood spent trying to fit in, despite her parents sabotage at every corner–the off-brand snacks, the denial of essential childhood toys that ‘everyone else’ has. And her quest to convince her parents that a Cabbage Patch doll was not negotiable.

But, Chelsea was the awkward kid, the unpopular girl who spent her playground time wrapped around a tetherball pole trying, in vain, to get ‘the feeling’ that her friends introduced her to during a somewhat awkward slumber party.

It’s obvious that Handler is over all of the awkward now, relishing it in the people she meets. In one chapter, Chelsea describes a vacation to Turks & Caicos with a group of her friends, her assistant, one of her brothers, her (then) boyfriend Ted Harbert (president and CEO of Comcast) and the driver she uses whenever in New York. As with anything Handler does, the trip is not ordinary. The group meets up with a couple of wild Southern women and hilarity ensues.

4/5–Please note that her explicit and familiar style may not be for everyone.

This is the first Chelsea Handler book I’ve read, and I learned quickly that I can expect her trademark wit, sarcasm and a surprising refreshing honesty. You immediately feel as if she’s oversharing, but somewhere about one-third of the way through the book, you realize she’s treating the reader more like a friend.

Published April 2010, by Grand Central Publishing. 247 pages. Available in ebook format and hardcover at Barnes and Noble.