Book Review: 3 Things You Can Learn From Betty White
This week I decided to read "If You Ask Me, And Of Course You Won't" by Betty White as the year is coming to a close and every year we get older. I felt like this book would be appropriate to help finish out the year on the Rising to Be blog. I will be discussing Betty On The Rise, Betty's Love For Animals Everywhere, and One True Love In Life. And be sure to read my last blog on 'Women & Money' by Suze Orman.
Betty On The Rise
Before Betty White was on the big screen she started at a local television station working hard as an assistant. Betty's career began in the late 1930s, her very first starring role was in the 1950s on 'Life with Elizabeth'. And in the 1970s on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in the 1980s on The Golden Girls and her latest show was Hot in Cleveland in 2010. After strong efforts from her fans on Facebook, Betty White soon became the oldest to host Saturday Night Live.
Betty's Love For Animals Everywhere
I was surprised to discover that Betty White wanted to be a zookeeper before she decided to become an actress. And how she couldn't become a forest ranger since she is a woman and becoming an honorary one on behalf of the Forest Service. Betty even advocates for animals and spread awareness on endangered species; serving as a trustee for the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association. Or that she created an entire scrapbook called 'Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo', bursting with photos and memories of her beloved animals. And in her spare time researching and learning about the animals that fascinate her.
From reading Betty White's book I was very surprised how much she loved and cared for animals. Like giving her money and time to keep animals safe and that she even has an entire room filled with stuffed animals. I have always admired animals/pets from afar since the pet I was allowed to have was a fish and turtle that ran away. I wish that one day I will be able to connect with animals the way Betty has in her life.
One True Love In Life
I was incredibly surprised to discover Betty's reason for deciding to not remarry, she's often asked this and answers "Once you've had the best, who needs the rest?". She was married to Allen Ludden for 18 years. Even though she been married twice before meeting Allen, she married Dick Barker in 1945 who was a U.S. Army pilot and 2 years after she married Lane Allen her Hollywood agent. Divorcing Lane in 1949, which surprises me by what she said since she's been married multiple times. I assumed that she would've only been married once and not three times to find her true love in life.
Would I Buy Or Read Again?
I don't see myself reading this book again, I just felt like perhaps I'm not old enough or a big enough fan of hers to enjoy this book fully. Or maybe its because I'm black and I see that there are other actors and actress that are her age but never get the same acknowledgement that she has gotten over the years. People like Phylicia Rashad who is 70, Cicely Tyson who is 93, Diahann Carroll who is 83, and Alfre Woodard who is 66 aren't highly publicized. I've been a fan of hers from afar, I've seen partial episodes of Hot in Cleveland and Golden Girls but not enough to love this book. So I'll say this if you are a die-hard fan of Betty White this is the book for you, I didn't get any revelations on her life it all seemed very predictable.
Catch up on my last blog on "Women & Money" by Suze Orman.
If you have any book suggestions add them below in the comments, and look out for new book reviews every Sunday. And remember “As we ‘Rise to Be’, we are becoming who we want to be” -Christina B. Rising🤗
