The amazing Betty White may have passed a few years ago, but her long legacy will live on forever. She pioneered in early television, and her long career in Hollywood has cemented her in history. What lots of people don’t know, however, is that she also wrote books. Most of them are memoirs about her incredible performing career, full of the same humor and warmth that characterized White herself. Read on for more.
If You Ask Me (and Of Course You Won’t)
Emmy-winner Betty White draws from lessons she’s learned as she discusses topics like aging, television, friendship, love, fans, animals, and what being a celebrity is like. She pairs them with funny stories from her seven-decade Hollywood career, including things about herself from her beauty regimen — she never knew what her actual hair color was, and she didn’t want to know — and about the story that led to her hosting SNL despite declining the job before.
Here We Go Again: My Life in Television
This 1995 memoir covers the behind-the-scenes of White’s career, from her start on radio to her first TV show, Hollywood on Television, starring in famous shows such as Life with Elizabeth and The Golden Girls, and so much more. It’s full of lovely anecdotes about other celebrities and friendships, off-screen stories of her life, and packed with her trademark humor; this book shows a new side to this wonderful woman.
Betty White: In Person
Betty White has called herself a “closet writer,” and this book conveys her love of life, people, and nature in short remarks on both serious and inconsequential topics. She discusses her support for zoos and wildlife conservation, doesn’t involve professional pettiness by saying that the casts of shows like The Golden Girls were super friendly, and her pet peeves like sloppy diction and mirrored sunglasses. It includes everything, and we can learn so much about this woman.
Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo
Betty White has always loved animals, and she’s had countless pets and given so much of her time and resources to animal welfare. Her love of animals also extends to zoos and how they help conserve endangered species and allow humans to safely see how incredible and diverse animals from around the world are. This book is a love letter to zoos, their workers, and their animals, from Gina the Elephant, who went on walks with Betty, to Jacob the Boa, with a love for hugs.
Betty White was a wonderful woman who not only had a long career but also made her mark on the world in so many ways. These books can help us remember her in ways that TV cannot.
Click here for an article on children’s books about Betty White.
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