My Horizontal Life (Handler)

Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:

• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)

Also consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for My Horizontal Life:

1. Start with Chelsea Handler herself. Why does she pursue her quest for one-night-stands? What is she looking for? What does sex mean to her—or what do the encounters mean to her? In fact, do they have meaning?

2. Consider your reactions to Chelsea. Do you find her open approach to sex funny...appealing...depraved...misguided...or do you see her as a woman who has taken charge of her own sexuality? Do you approve or disapprove of what she's up to? Or do you take a neutral stance, believing it's not for readers to pass judgment?

3. Some readers have complained about Chelsea's lack of compassion or shallow hedonism. Others have found her refreshingly frank. What do you think? (Basically, the same as question #2, just worded differently.)

4. Do you have any favorite encounters in the book? Which do you find most humorous? Which episodes are the least appealing or most disturbing? What do you think of the various men she attempts to have sex with—any favorites...least favorite?

5. Talk about Chelsea's myriad friends and family members, and their reaction to or even participation in Chelsea's exploits.

5. Does My Horizontal Life play into stereotypes in terms of African-American and gay men or midgets?

7. Does Chelsea undergo personal reflection or growth throughout the book? What eventually makes her decide to pursue a more conservative lifestyle, perhaps to settle down with one man? Is there an inner life that Chelsea reveals so that you come to know her as a rich, complex character?

8. Some have compared Handler's book to Sex and the City. If you've seen either the TV show or movie, how does My Horizontal Life compare? Is there a particular character in SATC that Chelsea reminds you of?

9. Does My Horizontal Life deliver or disappoint?

10. Okay, readers: time for some personal revelations on your part. Anything in Chelsea's life similar to your own?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)


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