Betty White's Pearls of Wisdom: Life Lessons from a Beloved American Treasure by Patty Sullivan
Betty White’s award-winning career spanned seven decades. From the early days of television on the game show circuit to her unforgettable roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Golden Girls, and Hot in Cleveland, she was the first lady of television. With her irreverent wit and comedic timing, Betty was a force of nature forever cherished by fans young and old.
However, most people do not know the truly remarkable woman behind the public persona. Now, the veil is pulled back in Betty White’s Pearls of Wisdom: Life Lessons from a Beloved American Treasure (Forefront Books Distributed by Simon & Schuster), a beautiful portrait of the comedy icon by Patty Sullivan, her longtime friend and adopted family member.
Closer Look at America’s Golden Girl
Patty met Betty in the late 1960s, and “her Sullivans” — Patty; her husband, Tom (whom Betty played matchmaker to); and their two children — became Betty’s adopted family, enjoying a rich relationship and amazing closeness for 53 years, until Betty’s final days. Through the intimate stories Patty shares, we see Betty’s fun-loving banter over a game of Scrabble, her wisdom imparted on a moonlit Christmas sleigh ride, and her passionate advocacy for all members of the animal kingdom.
As Tom Sullivan notes in the book’s foreword, “Although we were all impacted by America’s Golden Girl, it is Patty who has brought Betty’s pearls of wisdom to these pages, allowing you to understand the unique bond of love and mutual appreciation developed over many years between these two extraordinary women.”
“Let me hasten to note that this is not in any way a biographical profile of Betty White or a tell-all by an insider. What is offered is insight into a unique person who goes far beyond the wonderful actress who has brought such joy to the American public. The Betty seen here reveals a private person who chose her Sullivans as a family to love and nurture.”
“Betty’s pearls of wisdom have both changed and enriched our lives. The holes in our heart at her loss will never truly heal, but the pearls that are expressed in this loving work are memories that will never dim with the passage of time.”
About Patty Sullivan:
Patty Sullivan was born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in Tucson, where she attended the University of Arizona. During a summer spent on Cape Cod, she met her husband, Tom Sullivan, who was attending Harvard at the time but pursuing a career in the music business. At the same time, they met Allen Ludden and Betty White, who became mentors and beloved lifetime friends, inspiring Tom and Patty’s own loving marriage of 53 years. Tom and Patty have two grown children, Blythe and Tom Jr.
Patty has had a wonderfully full life and along the way, was blessed with an incredible relationship with the remarkable Betty White, her mentor and surrogate mother, prompting her to write this loving tribute, Betty White’s Pearls of Wisdom: Life Lessons from a Beloved American Treasure.
