Pull Yourself Up By Your Bra Straps: And Other Quacker Wisdom

by Jeanne Bice

Jeanne Bice is funny, vivacious, and larger than life. She+s also a self-made woman. Ten years ago, when she began selling her line of -Quacker Factory+ brand clothing on QVC, she barely had two pennies to rub together. But from the moment she hit the airwaves, she became one of the network+s most popular guests. While her sparkly, whimsical sweaters drew raves, viewers really tuned in for Jeanne herself-for her wit and wisdom, and for her inspiring story of pulling herself up+well, by her bra straps. Now Jeanne has compiled her signature stories and the lessons she+s learned into a quirky, quacky book that will resonate with her fans-thousands of women who call themselves -Quackers+ and greet one another by saying, -Quack, quack, quack!+Each chapter is a colorful lesson told in Jeanne+s folksy, endearing voice, with advice like -If you can+t lose it, decorate it!+ and -Take a leap+and grow your wings on the way down.+ Reading these stories will lift your spirits, bring a smile to your face, and empower you to make your dreams come true.

Genres: Nonfiction

188 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2005

About the author

Jeanne Bice was an entrepreneur, businesswoman and television personality. Bice was the founder of the Quacker Factory clothing line, which led to frequent appearances on QVC beginning in 1995. Quacker Factory has grossed more than $50 million in sales, as of March 2011. She was also a frequent guest on The Soup, appearing opposite host Joel McHale.

She was the mother of Tim Bice and the late Lee Bice.

Reviews

[Stacy Simpson · Rating 1 out of 5]

First off not really my kinda book. Nice to see a small time make it big. I was sad about the way her husband passed.

If you like book’s about people making it then this is right up your alley. Otherwise I would skip it.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and serious, this is an uplifting book that makes you think about life and the way we act on a day-to-day basis.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book on my reading/ check out history from my local library. I had checked it out in 2007, and obviously it wasn't what I was looking for at the time. Based on the title alone I reserved it, and upon picking it up once again questioned if I'd read this sparkly pink book.

Recently I'd suffered a death of a close family friend who was of Jeanne's generation, Jeanne is also a few years older than my own mother. I think what I enjoyed most is hearing about her generation. How things were for a Midwestern god fearing house wife in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. I had no idea who this woman was and it wasn't until I finished this book in one sitting that I Googled her and found this: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06....

I see a lot of people didn't care for this inspirational/memoir, but I think for me I found some comfort in reading about this loud loving woman and her journey.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't really at all what I was expecting, but it was still an inspiring read. Each chapter is a very short story that conveys an underlying message -- a lesson learned from Jeanne's life. Because of this format, some of the transitions seem sporadic. There were a few times that I thought, "Didn't she tell this story already?" The setup definitely makes for an easy read (which she admits to early on), but I think it would have been more helpful for the chapters to have been truly chronological. Some of the stories went hand-in-hand and I wouldn't have minded if they were combined, making a few of the chapters a little longer. Nonetheless, there were a few "gems" of wisdom in here that I appreciated acquiring!

[Judy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tossed this book aside after the first 30 pages. I've no idea why I picked up this book in the first place. I'm not into self help or self affirmations and I didn't find it particularly humorous. Take that into consideration when reading this review. Ask someone who likes this kind of stuff.

[Diana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I knew that the author had an interesting life, but this book didn't convey it.