How to Be Golden: Lessons We Can Learn from Betty White

by Paula Bernstein

If there's one thing the nation can agree on--we all love Betty White! This spirited homage to Betty captures her unique humor, timeless wisdom, and impish irreverence that's made her one of America's longest lasting and most beloved stars.

An unparalleled American icon, Betty White started show business in 1939 in radio and was a pioneer in the early days of TV. Over eight decades, she's appeared on countless sitcoms, game shows, and talk shows, including the iconic comedy hits The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls. Her accolades over the years include two Emmy nominations, a Grammy, and induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame, while she had her best decade yet as a becoming the oldest person to host SNL, starring in a Super Bowl ad, and winning praise with her popular supporting role in Hot in Cleveland. Through it all, her "don't take yourself too seriously" attitude appeals to legions of fans, spanning all generations.

How to Be Golden recounts her engaging life story while weaving in her words of wisdom and insight about love, friendship, work, family, sex, acting, aging, beauty, and more.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, Adult, Humor, Self Help

Audible Audio

First published October 5, 2021

About the author

Paula Bernstein's latest book, "How to Be Golden: Things We Can Learn from Betty White" will be published by Running Press in October 2021. She is also the author of "Love is All Around And Other Lessons We've Learned from The Mary Tyler Moore Show," ( Running Press, 2020) and the co-author (with Elyse Schein) of "Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited" (Random House, 2007).

A veteran entertainment journalist, Bernstein has been on staff at Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and IndieWire. She's also been a contributor to Fortune, Fast Company, and Filmmaker Magazine, among other publications. She lives with her family in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Rachael Fryman]

One Sentence Summary: A quick look at the life of the one and only Betty White.

Reminds Me Of: A fan-written bio with little quizzes like they have in magazines.

Three Reasons You Should Read This:
1) Betty White, obvi.
2) I learned several things I didn't know before.
3) It's a quick read and then you'll have this beautiful cover on your read shelves!

One Thing You Should Know Before You Pick This Up:
The author created this biography based on interview other people have conducted with White, but she herself did not interview Betty. She does have an extensive list of sources in the back to support her information.

Content Warnings: Death of a loved one, Cancer

Soundtrack: Obviously it's just the Golden Girls theme on repeat.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Betty, but this feel too luch like a quoting of Betty's own books. I feel like half the page would be footnotes of where the info was copied from. Having just finished Betty's If You Ask Me, there were multiple direct quotes and rehashed stories.
Meh.

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 3 out of 5]

RATING: 3 STARS

A fun novelty read for any Betty White fan. The author never met or interviewed White so all her information comes from sources and quotes already published. There is a brief biography of Betty White with a brief outline of career and highlights and quizzes. It’s a fun book to look through but not detailed for anyone wanting to know more I’m depth stuff.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from the publisher. - I have not listened to it yet, and will review once I get a chance!

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Betty White is truly a national treasure. I adore her. The fact that this lovely gift book comes with Betty White quizzes makes me love it even more! The perfect little pick me up to avoid the cruel, cruel world.

[Katrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This jumped around a lot and I did not appreciate the author's side commentary. The quizzes were really repetitive on audio.
I wish I'd just read one of her memoirs instead.
Audio

[dilan · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved everything about this book!! thank you again debbie ! great pick !!!

[Emily Mellow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean, it's cute and it's an easy read, and I learned a bit about Betty White. But it's not life changing or super inspiring.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

HOW TO BE GOLDEN by Paula Bernstein ("Love Is All Around: And Other Lessons We've Learned from The Mary Tyler Moore Show") is an enjoyable tribute to beloved TV icon Betty White. It's a tasty and fast-paced biography, supplemented with pop quizzes, advice (her exercise regime: "I have a two-story house and a very bad memory, so I'm up and down those stairs"), notable quotes ("The older you get, the better you get. Unless you're a banana") and trivia (White played Rose Nylund on four different TV series: "Golden Girls", "Golden Palace", "Empty Nest" and "Nurses").

White is a true television pioneer, with an entertainment career spanning over nine decades. HOW TO BE GOLDEN is publishing three months before White's 100th birthday. In 1949, she became a regular on the TV variety show "Hollywood on Television" and took over hosting duties in 1952; that live show ran six days a week in a five-and-a-half-hour time slot. Also in 1952, she formed a production company to create and star in the sitcom "Life with Elizabeth." With that sitcom, she earned her first Emmy Award. White was 51 when she joined "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", little dreaming that she'd still star in two more long-running sitcoms ("Golden Girls", "Hot in Cleveland"). White won her seventh Emmy when she hosted "Saturday Night Live" at age 88.

This breezy tribute focuses on White's career rather than personal life. Her 18-year marriage to Allen Ludden is covered in eight paragraphs. Fans will delight in the buoyant writing, fun facts and pleasing book design layout.

HOW TO BE GOLDEN celebrates Betty White's nine decades on TV with a fast-paced and breezy overview complemented by fun trivia and pop quizzes.

[Laurie Moreland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed very much learning more about the great Betty White. She was a fantastic woman!

That being said, the book itself was not my favorite for a couple of reasons: I felt like the writing was merely an assimilation of various other already-written books by others and not very original. Maybe the little quizzes were an attempt to make it stand out as unique, but I found them (especially since I listened to the book) tedious and predictable. It also seemed to me that often the author had a little fact or tidbit she wanted to slip in, but didn't know quite where, so she just threw it at the end of a chapter or somewhere that it didn't fit. It also felt a bit like cheating that the author at times just made a few lists instead of doing actual writing.

[RJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this look into the life of Betty White. Who doesn't love Betty White? She was a fabulous and fascinating woman. I was a little disappointed that the author hadn't really spoken to Betty White and didn't have anything really fresh or new to say - it was a collection of quotes and information about Betty White, no more no less. It's a bit disjointed and doesn't really flow as a book because it is broken up under a lot of different headings. But it did have a lot of information and, because it's broken up like that, you can choose to read as much or as little as you want at a time.

Overall a quick, fun read for anyone interested in the First Lady of Television!

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charming read about Betty White. Although she is no longer alive, her legacy lives in the hearts of many, including mine. My husband Steve purchased this book for me, and it was fairly quick to read.

I enjoyed the content, and I was impressed with the bibliography at the end of the book. The only reason I didn't give this book a 5-star rating is that I wanted to know more about her than her characters, and more about her work with animal welfare.

Overall, this is a fun and lovely read.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. It’s an easy, light read but could definitely use some editing. There’s some totally unnecessary commentary from the author (after quoting White, the added “Saucy!” definitely not needed).
My biggest problem with the book were the multitude of exclamation marks. There’s one in almost every paragraph. Is this a light biography or an advertisement?

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this when Betty White was still alive, finished after she passed. There is so much more to her than many might realize. She is the original woman of television. Her career is expansive and admirable. The book is at first glance a light read, but there is a ton of television history in this little volume, and plenty of inspiration.

[Kayla Doerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took awhile for me to finish. I had just finished listening to Betty Whites books, "Here We Go Again" and "If You Ask Me, And I Know You Won't." This book has most of the same information in it. The quizzes are fun though.

[Lizandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hate to admit I judged a book by its cover!! Haha so pretty I had to pick it up, however was a bit underwhelming for me, first book I read about Betty White and left wanting more. Looking forward to starting the golden girls, as I’ve heard and read how loved the show was.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
What a fun little book! I listened on audio and with the quizzes and fun trivia, this may be better to be read physically so you can take part in those. I enjoyed learning about Betty White and her history in the movie business. She’s a wonderful person and an inspiration!

[Sara Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A basic timeline of the life of Betty White with little quizzes throughout. The book was written by someone who never had the opportunity to interview or even meet Betty. The book gives a little detail about some of the parts that Betty held throughout her lifetime.

[Carly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Betty White was born before polyester and sliced bread were invented - what?!

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun quick read with bullet points.

[Emilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful light biography based on Betty White's life, which in my humble opinion captures her voice: humorous and light, yet witty and wise. Great light read for those missing the Golden Girls era.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun mix of Betty history, quizzes, trivia, and some rehashing of Betty books I've read. A fun read overall.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically a chronological list of everything Betty White said and did during her career, with a few “Which Betty Are You”-type quizzes thrown in for good measure.

[Katlyn Casagrande · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just recaps a lot of Betty's other books and interviews, isn't really anything new, but still interesting and fun to listen to (audiobook) although all the quizzes were annoying

[emily ✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

✩ 3.0 ✩

So whenever you’re getting tired and you’re thinking of leaning back from the world, just remember Betty, and lean in.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can you not love a book about Betty White?

[J.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. This would be a fun gift book for a fan of Betty. I was expecting more biography, but this was more like career highlights and quotes plus quizzes. Still a fun quick read.

[Violetta]

Given as a gift in 2021

[Jill relph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny lady, she will be missed.

[Andi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Betty! Book informational

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was like a love letter to Betty White fans. A real fun read.