Non­fic­tion

Hot Pants in Hollywood

Susan Sil­ver
May 16, 2017

As one of the orig­i­nal writ­ers of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and oth­ers, I had a high­ly vis­i­ble suc­cess­ful career and most of the icons of the Baby Boomer gen­er­a­tion. Only through a con­tin­u­al search for a pro­duc­tive life the re-con­nec­tion with Jew­ish roots and deep involve­ment with Israel did I find a big­ger pur­pose. From work­ing with Holo­caust-relat­ed orga­ni­za­tions, ​“adopt­ing” three Israeli sol­diers by send­ing them to col­lege, and a grow­ing com­mit­ment to Israel I am liv­ing a full and reward­ing life. And life ain’t over yet!

film

Discussion Questions

Cour­tesy of Susan Silver

  • Did The Mary Tyler Moore Show influ­ence your life in any way? How?

  • Do you think Susan should have left her hus­band, Arthur?

  • What celebri­ty sto­ry did you like the best. Which were you most inter­est­ed in?


  • Do you think Susan was too hon­est in her sto­ries about her sex life? Did you think the Pro­logue was fun­ny or ​“tmi”?


  • One of her themes is ​“we are more resilient” than we think, what are some oth­er themes?


  • Would you let a stranger into your life as Ellie’s fam­i­ly did?


  • Did Susan’s recon­nec­tion with her Jew­ish her­itage inspire you to get more involved yourself?


  • Did Susan’s expe­ri­ence with her par­ents in lat­er life give you any sup­port or inspiration?