READ THIS: “I Didn’t Bargain For This!” by Mitzi Perdue
“I Didn’t Bargain For This!” by Mitzi Perdue!
For starters, you can surmise that any book with an exclamation point in its title is a) written by a seriously enthusiastic person, b) really fun to read and c) so likeable that you’ll hope the author is going to be the first person you see at the next cocktail party you go to, if you are lucky enough to live in Manhattan. It is true of this work by Mitzi Perdue.
If you know Whom You Know and loyally read us, you know Peachy Deegan is not a fan of anyone with style but no substance. We like people that are real and have something going on in a big way. And then we like to tell you about them! Mitzi Perdue is no Paris Hilton, just like Peachy Deegan is no Snookie. This is not the story of a society socialite-this is the story of someone that has gone out and done something in this world with great brain power, and a degree from Harvard we might add. Mitzi may have been a Boston Debutante and is known as the daughter of the founder of the Sheraton Hotels and the wife of Frank Perdue, but after reading this book and meeting Mitzi we would say that the founder of the Sheraton Hotels was the father of Mitzi Perdue and that the builder of Perdue Chicken Company was the husband of Mitzi Perdue. She was brought up to earn it and win it and she has all of her life as far as we can tell from reading this book! One in half a billion chances happen to someone, and it looks like they happen to Mitzi.
She’s got perfect pitch. She was making Hollywood deals as a child at 8 Louisburg Square in Beacon Hill. She got an A+ on her first exam at Harvard. Mitzi is so superhuman that in her senior year at Harvard, not only was she a fulltime undergraduate, but also she had a fulltime job at the Treasury Department in Washington, and took a full course load as a graduate student at George Washington University all concurrently. It might seem easy to hate someone that is this sickeningly successful and seemingly unreal, but you cannot help but love her when you read this book. And if you for some reason do not have a pulse and do not love her, you will at the very least be able to learn from her...Paris, are you reading?
Top Ten Reasons Why We Adore Mitzi from reading this book:
1. Mitzi also loved rabbits as a child and hers was in the shape of a hot water bottle
2. Her mom loved Filene’s Basement; guess who did a term paper on it in college (Peachy!)
3. Mitzi does not believe in no-shows; she is good for her word
4. She doesn’t ever write outlines either
5. Mitzi is so cool she was the only girl in her economics class, and she thought it was an ideal situation!
6. She worked for the CIA, no not that one, the FUN one-Cigar Institute of America-and it was her job to eat at the Four Seasons and she wrote about it too
7. Mitzi has a Miss Piggy enlightenment
8. She always takes the high road
9. Like Babe Ruth, when she strikes out, Mitzi is thinking about hitting home runs.
10. Every time she uses the word whom in this book it is used correctly. Not only does that hold true, but she never puts who where whom is supposed to be. We told you she is one smart cookie. And you better believe we look for this too!
Top Ten Things You Will Learn by reading this book:
1. Why Sheraton Hotels is named that instead of Henderson Hotels
2. Don’t give up after 40 leads; Go for 100!
3. How to be a great conversationalist
4. How to get three boxes of fan mail when everyone else shares one box
5. How to persuade everyone else at the dinner table to stop talking to the President of the United States so he can eat his dinner
6. How to be a good sport and eat a fish eyeball
7. The importance of being grateful, also through her sister Augusta
8. Why trust is more significant than love
9. How to give a smashing soiree and make every single person of an organization feel included
10. How to answer the question: “You rich, why don’t you give me all your money!”
And she is human-she says that in her life with the exception of Frank that she has oscillated between really nice guys that bore her and exciting, high-achieving ones who are jerks. Doesn’t this happen to everyone? She is real: she stays at Motel 6, and the relationships she has are so important to her. Tales of her life are terrifically candid and wonderful. And she is confident enough to include a photo of herself in a bathing suit in too, and classy enough to be wearing a one-piece.
You’re going to adore her too, and learn something. And, you should be aware that she is quite a regaling storyteller! You’ll hear great tales of the Venetian desk, actual tea from the Boston Tea Party during the American Revolution, why a bottle of Coke can be the most beautiful sight ever, and Peachy’s personal favorite is the one with Duncan Henderson on 63rd and Madison. If you went to college with Peachy you know all about how much fun the telephone can be…We are not going to tell you all of her stories as we prefer to tease you with bits of them: we want you to read this book!
The table of contents are the most detailed we have ever seen. When Mitzi was a columnist, her column was in the top ten of 400 for being picked up-you better believe her book is just as great. We loved “I Didn’t Bargain For This!” more than a tongue can tell, more than two shakes of a lamb’s tail and more than all the bats in all the caves of China. If you have no idea what we are talking about, that’s one more reason for you to go buy the book! Whom You Know Highly Recommends “I Didn’t Bargain For This!” by Mitzi Perdue! You will love it too.
