True Prep: It's a Whole New Old World

True Prep is Lisa Birnbach's follow-up to 1980's The Official Preppy Handbook. It's a sort of mirror volume to the original -- Preppy seemed written from a twentysomething's perspective about childhood, private school/prep school/proper college, and young adulthood; True Prep looks through a middle-aged lens at house, fashion, work and leisure, re-marriage, legacy ... and (always) one's alma mater, which attaches to a prep for life.

It's also a sequel of sorts, applying the prep perspective to societal changes since 1980 (including the "Interthingy") and providing an expanded collection of all-star prep mini-biographies -- a "Pantheon" from Anderson Cooper to Edith Wharton (whose quotes begin each chapter) that focuses on boomers and show more even gen-x, some of whom are the children of those featured in the original Preppy's Pantheon.

I loved Preppy and remember the tone as humorous satire. True Prep is fun too, and wry. But overall, I expected more material devoted to preps in 21st-century culture -- much is mentioned but little is developed (preps’ love of Polartec fleece is a terrific exception). Possibly, it's not there because they don't much engage in it, but then I wanted to see that. The omission reduces the fun; it combines with the middle-aged perspective to lend a reflective tone to this volume, and makes preps seem more enigmatic here than in the previous volume.

(Review based on an advance reading copy provided by the publisher.) show less

True Prep is an updated look at how the old guard of cotton-loving, dog-worshipping, G&T-soaked preppies change to the new order of things. Ms.Birnbach considers the prep attitude towards money (ambivalence), schools (good investment), wardrobe (your clothes fit), work (some careers will never be prep), decorating (ask Mummy), scandal (including rehab and prison), and food and drink (with some classic recipes for both). Also looks at weekends (and what to do to get asked back), entertaining, sports (including sailing and shopping), weddings, etiquette, the Internet and electronic gadgetry, political correctness, reality TV, and . . . polar fleece. And last but not least: a do-it-yourself eulogy.

Still a reasonably fun book, but far too egalitarian to be as wickedly funny as its fore bearer The Official Preppy Handbook.

Not as much fun as its precursor, but still amusing enough. As the other reviewer notes, it sounds middle aged rather than youthful, perhaps the next installment "Worn Prep", will lell us where THE retirement communities and nursing homes of tweedy distinction are to be found. I find "Stuff White People Like" considerably more comprehensive on the fads and fashions of preppiedom, since in many cases the stuff seems a lot more appealing to a subset of (mostly) white people than to the great pink mass. Among recent selections, for example -- the World Cup ("real" Americans hate the World Cup), camping, yoga with dogs, Mad Men, ironic tattoos, etc etc.

Not nearly as much fun as the Original Official Preppy HAndbook.