If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t)

If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t) by Betty White      260 pages                        

I love Betty White.   I don’t actually know Betty White, but, I love who I know her to be.   Her character portrayals are always so fun, bright, light and with a totally unexpected dark side that will jump out like the Boogie Man every once in a while when you are least expecting it.    Her comic timing is impeccable.    She may not do stand-up per se but she could if she wanted to.    When she gets going it is a stand-up routine whether it is officially meant to be or not.   She embraces everything she does with an admirable gusto and to be as busy a person as she is every day – man!   I wish I had her energy.    This book is a kind of love letter to her fans.    All it is missing is a cup of tea and a plate of cookies and it would be two dear friends chatting the day away and enjoying a wonderful visit.   I admire the person she is and the commitment she makes to her craft (acting) and her causes (animal welfare).   In this book she shares glimpses of her life, her foibles, she dishes up funny stories about herself and is so endearingly human and down to earth she is like a neighbor next door.   She respects her fame but she doesn’t take it too seriously.   As she writes,  she knows who the person in the mirror is so she doesn’t believe all the press about herself.     She feels very lucky to be doing what she loves and getting paid for it.    She doesn’t lose sight of just how blessed her life has been.     Like all of us she has loved and lost and continued on.    She has had to take stands at times and turn down opportunities sometimes due to her schedule and sometimes due to her integrity.   The gal has grit.   She is now and will ever be one of my sheroes.    Lovely book, if you love Betty, you will also love reading this book and won’t be able to put it down until you are finished.   A lovely lady who shares honestly that she may not see quite as well, nor hear quite as well, nor remember faces quite as well, and, who does have the off day now and then but she shares such a joie de vivre you will smile and laugh out loud now and then the whole way through this love letter to her fans.   Excellent read.