True Prep: It's a Whole New Old World

Ms. Birnbaum must have phoned this one in. The first Preppy Handbook was amusing. This sequel or update isn't worth the dynamite it would take to blow it up, and Ms Birnbaum's political opinions which permeate the content are as lame as her "Handbook." As she obviously isn't "preppy" herself, one wonders who she was observing or talking to in order to write this silly "book." Don't waste your money.

I can only assume that Lisa Birnbach intended her first Preppy Handbook to be a scathing, sarcastic shot at the upper crust. Of course, a large number of Americans would rather become upper crust the insult them and a phenomenon was born. Thirty years later, it seems, Lisa decided that instead of ripping Preps again that she would seek to redfine them...as if she had that power. Thud.

True Prep does virtualy nothing to update the original (although some would argue that updating Prep is a contradiction in terms). In it, Birnbach spends 250 pages saying three things. First, gay people can be preppy too (duh). Second, non-white people can be preps too (duh). Third, 99% of the truly significant preps are lefties (right down to the obligatory shot at George W. Bush). While there is no ideological litmus test to be prep, digging deep to find that 90+% of the "new pantheon" as hard core leftists is just an attempt to define something to be what it is not. Jane Fonda, Ted Turner, Michelle Obama fine. Al Franken...not even close. People who sold secrets to the Russians????? Etc, etc.

There is one chapter of interest, that on Prep and technology. Beyond that this book is 12 pages with photos of clothing, 18 pages of less clever attempts to duplicate the humor of her first book. About 150 pages of Birnbach trying to win back her soul because she gave real Preps something to revel in rather than make them the butt of the joke.

Disappointing, one-sided and not funny. I will be returning it.

This book, in its attempt to be all-inclusive, fails to match the original. Preps, by nature, are not all-inclusive so why try to change the demographic now? The original Preppy Handbook, which is still worn and occasionally glanced at in my library, is true satire and spot on. Any real preppy can see themselves or their families on its pages: that can either be a point of pride or embarrassment. As someone who entered a prepster New England college in 1980, this book also became a Bible, of sorts, to those who weren't "true preps" -- that was a source of amusement, really, because the real preps didn't try so hard in the fashion realm. They still don't, they just exist in a bourboned preppy haze with occasional bohemian rebellions. [And yes, somewhere in a box I still have my old L.L. Bean blucher mocs, well worn and probably taped...]

While Lisa Birnbach went to preppy schools, I don't believe that she can qualify as a "true prep" herself [really, now, would a "true prep" even write such a book?] So there's that irony. Also, I wonder if her original collaborator had been involved if the writing would have been funnier.

Either way, it will satisfy anyone's clamoring for retro times, or the Reagan years, and will probably spark yet another go-round of Fair Isles sweaters and pearls for the less fortunate. And expect it under a lot of Christmas trees this year, nicely gift-wrapped for the Mummy or Daddy who have everything. They will have a good laugh and then bring it to the summer house and leave it in the bathroom.

In addition to my general dislike of this book, I found two glaring errors (one referring to the Dan Topping estate in Greenwich which Leona Helmsley bought and a description of the location of Oracle. The publisher promised to fix the errors in subsequent editions but I doubt that there were any.

...Which this is most certainly not. However, the title alone explains that this isn't the same world. Maybe that was my first hint?

While I don't think its the worst book ever written and some parts are smirk-worthy, the bulk of it is nonsense that isn't quite on par with its predecessor.

This is at best a book you buy for someone to make a point about their lifestyle... or as a really good joke.

When Lisa Birnbach's first book came out thirty years ago, I found her homage to Preppie culture to be fresh and fun to read. As someone who grew up in Colorado, her tongue in cheek survey of East Coast WASP culture revealed to me an exotic subculture located very far away. Thirty years have passed and Preppies are no longer so distinct and remote. Prep culture has gone so main stream that Birnbach can make a credible argument that Barack and Michelle Obama are Preppies.

The first third of "True Prep" does a good job of describing the Prep ethos. In that aspect not much as changed in thirty years. However, Birnbach lost me when she went on to spend so much time on the material culture of Preppies. Fashion is an important aspect of any subculture but Birnbach's unrelenting emphasis on brand names became rather tedious. Surely Preppies are much more than the brand names they wear. For anyone else interested in looking at Prep culture thirty years on, I would recommend Paul Fussell's "Class: A Guide Through the American Status System".

I admit it, I was really looking forward to "True Prep" because I loved the Preppy Handbook which really took a very funny look at a small subculture. The pictures and observation where funny and I still enjoy looking at it today. True Prep has no focus. It like someone saved up a bunch of clipping for a year and then pasted them together like a scrap book. I expected witty observations on what the 40/50+ Preppys who read the first book were wearing, vacationing and how they were raising their children. Instead I got directions to J.Crew and a bunch of pictures of people wearing trench coats. Trench coats? Really? Does that makes you preppy? Yes, it is classic apparal but not anything out of the usual. Now anyone can be a Prep if you have a pulse and shop at J.Crew. To the authors, why not tell it like it is for the small group who really are "Preps"? Sure it would have angerd people who would of complained that the book was elitist or why wasn't their group included. The best books are ones that make a statement even at the risk of making someone angry.

Loved The Preppy Handbook. True Prep, however, is quite dry, and not in a good way. It certainly didn't make me laugh, and in fact it barely held my interest. There were a few things I liked: the preppy mix tape list, the cool then/cool now list, the true prep master reading list, and the fashion rules. For the most part, I found the rest of the book boring. The whole concept of prep is built on constancy and tradition--there just isn't much more to say, even 30 years after The Preppy Handbook. I'm glad I got it from the library instead of buying it.

Grammatical mistakes do not make the prep. Looks like the publisher did not hire true preppies to correct the English.

Just get Birnbach's original Preppy Handbook - that was an original work of love and passion. It had real talented editors.

Reading it now again, thirty years after it was published, you can see the preppies are a dying species.

True Prep attempts to find the new, secret preppies where there are none, just indirectly driving home the point that the real preppies are nearly extinct and hard to sight.

This is just demographics - with an incredible rise in immigration and the ascent of Jews and Catholics and other groups in banking, publishing, art patronage and all other cultural institutions, the true preppies have been eclipsed, outbred, made obsolete. No way to sugar coat their demise.

Even if the people have died off, the preppy look and decor and mannerisms will always be important icons for the upwardly mobile. Preppies will be apotheosized in the same way American Indian icons have lived on in sports and popular culture, perpetuated by people without blood heritage and without historical appreciation. It is a full karmic circle, given the preppies' ancestral genocidal acts against the native peoples. This "native people"'s end has also come.

I am going to cut Birnbach some slack and imagine she had a decent book written before marketing firm urchins got their tentacles on it and watered it down to Gossip Girl crap.

Some of the drawings, like the diagram of the dog's head, were amusing. The "Pine Coast" section about second homes was pretty accurate, I thought. As for the sordid remainder, Catechumen's one-star review covers the ground superbly.

The worst sequel since Godfather III. It's full of ridiculous, left-wing, politically fatuous nonsense, such as mentioning Stephen Colbert and Michelle Obama in any book with the word "prep" in it. As a true prep myself (Punahou, Thayer, Episcopal, Penn, Paris, Rome, and Prague with five doctorates), a distinguished emeritus prof, and a Mayflower Descendant, I have to say the authors of this junk have no idea what a true prep actually is. The definition is a lot narrower than they want to admit. For their first effort, they just produced a book full of things they'd heard about, but never personally experienced. The first book was entertaining, if mostly wrong. This second one is not even entertaining but hopelessly boring, and it defines the concept of wrong conclusions based on wrong facts for all time. Reviewed favorably by the New York Times and The Huffington Post? So was Hillary Clinton, and look where that got her. Besides, nobody sensible reads those rags nowadays. Ever since the publication of the first book, I have thought something that is even more true now with the second: Poor Lisa. Everybody was too polite to burst her bubble by telling her that the Kennedys were white trash, so she never knew that true preps really do have to be WASPs; and as they say in Boston and Philadelphia, correct parentage is everything, because the door of authentic American society slammed shut for all time in 1850.

Blood and Sunlight: A Maryland Vampire Story

It's cool to see books like this back on the shelf. It takes me back to the days when you could pick up a copy of 101 Uses for a Dead Cat, The Official Preppy Handbook, and Snigglets- culturally satirical books that could have fun with just about anything.

This book tries to do that but it felt more like a tired rehash about a culture that won't be relevant to many of its readers. I think the idea certainly bears a retelling but without a fresh, original take, it's just stale popcorn.

Having been a big fan of the Official Preppy Handbook, I greeted this book with eager anticipation. It was not at all worth the wait. This book is more like a shopping catalogue than an affectionate parody. The whole point of "prep" is that nothing ever changes, and nothing needs to. The Prep world exists outside of mainstream trends and is largely about preserving tradition, so there's really no need for an update anyhow.

I was a kid when the "Official Preppy Handbook," came out. Although I later learned there were people who took it seriously, I found it very funny. It's always good to know there are so many euphemisms for vomiting or getting drunk. Also, it was nice to know how to get kicked out of boarding school. And the importance of being both sarcastic and effortless (cardinal preppy virtues).

Since 30 years have passed, there have been changes to who we were, i.e. WASP. "True Prep," a companion book to "The Official Preppy Handbook," details what's changed and what's stayed the same. Included here are such items as The True Prep Pantheon, including the President and First Lady; a list of not-so-obvious prep school alum (including Stefani Germanotta, a.k.a. Lady Gaga) how prep school has changed, fashion tips (don't fret if cashmere is too pricey; try cotton and merino wool); careers for the new millennium, including no-nos (governor has too much possibility of a sex scandal). Plus Mummy's new careers, cell phone etiquette; and advice for the Gossip Girl cast. Oh yeah, and unacceptable euphemisms for "dead." As in all of them.

The book isn't quite as hilarious as the first one, but despite occasional slips into preachiness (NO TEXTING AT THE TABLE), it's an amusing blend of all things old and new prep.

Not as much fun as its precursor, "The Official Preppy Handbook", but still amusing enough. As others have noted, it sounds middle aged rather than youthful. Perhaps the next installment will be entitled "Worn Prep", and 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 (partly) white people than to the great pink mass. These days, prepness has more to do with economic status and educational background than with ethnic heritage.

While I was amused by THE PREPPY HANDBOOK thirty years ago, I find TRUE PREP a laughable attempt to (re)engage an audience, any audience. Save your money (fortunately, the book was a gift); more importantly, save your time.

I was a huge fan of the original Preppy Handbook -- I laughed about it and secretly got caught up in the pink-and-green style of the 1980s. So this book, I thought, would be a really fun read -- like catching up with an old friend.

How wrong was I! The book just does not age well. There's been too much history in the past 30 years, and the world is a very, very changed place. It's not the Reagan era, and reading about rich people and their closed-minded follies is a bore.

The idea was to modernize things in the Preppy world and address things like openly gay preppies and divorced grandparents and what have you. But the elitism that was so funny before just doesn't fly in the new millenium. I found the book too tedious to read all the way through, in spite of things like clever illustrations of things like men's shoes and prep school teachers and their likes/dislikes.

I got several chuckles from this book; it is like the unforeseen delights of coming home after living in a foreign culture for a few years. I would only raise two points of criticism: one, in her closing timeline, Birnbach neglects to mention Episcopal High School's (the one in Alexandria) going co-ed in the fall of 1991, which sent shockwaves through the preppy universe, and two, she completely misses Sewanee: The University of the South, the epitome of a preppy college.

Because talking about being preppy is one of the unsaid things that preppies do not do, this book is guilty pleasure.

Oh my goodness. Where to begin? I know: you know how people always say the sequel isn't as good as the original? Well, if this is true of "True Prep," the sequel of sorts to "The Official Preppy Handbook," then please, PLEASE let's get "The Official Preppy Handbook" back into print. "True Prep" is a five-star review in my book, so that ought to make "Preppy Handbook" at least a six or seven! (This is all a guess, though, because like I said, "Preppy Handbook" is sadly out of print and rare, and EXPENSIVE to come by, taking the used book route, because apparently those who have a copy and are willing to part with it recognize it for the gold it is and aren't going to part with it for pocket change.)

Now on to my review of "True Prep." Its wit is dry, dry, dry, which makes the book all the more hilarious. I started laughing while I read the Preppy Manifesto and didn't really stop until I reached the back cover. "True Prep" isn't just a collection of cheap shots at preppies and WASPs. Think of it as a book written for you if you grew up not a part of the preppy world, and find yourself dropped smack in the middle of it. "True Prep" is much like a survival guide, with the narrator sort of winking every now and then, to let you, the outsider, know that yes, the preppies themselves are very aware that some of the things they do are every bit as ridiculous or inexplicable as you think they are, and that's all right.

That's not to say you won't actually learn a thing or two from reading "True Prep," after all, a good bit of the education process is the ability to entertain the student! Included in "True Prep" is a "pantheon" of preppies, a who's who and why they're considered "preppy." You'll get a few lessons in "preppy math," which isn't really like regular math. There's a lesson on frugality (a pillar of prep culture!); on preppy fashion, why preppies look a little tatty and shaggy, how to tell Casual Friday from Saturday, at a mere glance; decoding logos and brands that preppies hold dear; a mini-directory of vintage stores, arranged by city; suitable employment for preppies; how to decorate your house with books; a guide to bad preppy behavior and scandals; what to do when the cook has the night off (simple recipes almost any prep can tackle); a guide to country clubs, the rules there, and a quick field guide to the people you'll see at the club; preppy sports; how to navigate the information highway as a prep; and there's even a handy "Do-It-Yourself Prep Eulogy," complete with blanks to fill in.

One of my favorite things in "True Prep" is the drawing that opens Chapter 2, "We Don't Talk About It." It features President Kennedy in profile, on the fifty-cent piece, collar popped, sunglasses atop tousled hair and the words "In Prep We Trust." It encapsulates for me what the whole book and the whole preppy movement is about.

"True Prep" is great fun for anyone, but I especially recommend it for anyone who might be headed to a college or university where J. Crew is worn on a good population of the student body and ivy grows on the walls of the red brick buildings, especially if this is not the world to which you were born. It will definitely help explain the behavior of the people you'll come into contact with. Remember, "True Prep" is like a funny survival guide for that world.

"True Prep" was originally released thirty years ago, during the advent of the "yuppie" syndrome. Thoroughly entertaining, "True Prep" is also a semi- scathing mirror image of the ultimate prepster family; pretentiously philanthropic (does the ballet count as a true charity?) , completely stereotypical (Daddy and the "new mummy",considering the nanny a relevant, yet distant "member of the family" ) and entirely unoriginal. Yet, as the book demonstrates, our society would itself be somewhat boring without their contributions, if for nothing more than the yuks.

Characteristics are identified ( i.e. the above mentioned frivolous mock charities, the employ of a chef, driver, nanny or "au pair" and maid) in great, descriptive detail, but even more delicious are the notable preps in our culture who are mentioned (including people as disparate as David Hyde Pierce of "Frasier" fame and Buck Henry, noted comic actor and director), discussions on the mores of the prep society (chosen frugality, the official ten commandments of travel, the most vintage "high society" schools and careers for the new Millennium), as well as more light-hearted topics, such as the story of high fashion and the prepster art of decorating. It is truly funny to consider any person whom would consider books an item of design as opposed to a means of gaining knowledge.

Authors Lisa Birnbach and Chip Kidd treat all subjects with a soft touch; nothing comes off as mean-spirited or overly satirical. Still, the model is hard to argue with. Today's prep is almost as cookie-cutter as the one of yesteryear, but the updates are reflective of our current times. Which is to reiterate, with the prepster, everything that is old is new again. Or something like that. In keeping with the zeitgeist, absolute accuracy is a quaint notion for the prepster. The poseur version will do quite nicely, as long as it has the veneer of authenticity.

Highly recommended as a comical look at a segment of society which is always ripe for a rip. As one whom has been accused of belonging to this club I can comment.... but between you, me and our therapist the label applied to moi is one with no real authority, only the appearance of such.

Lisa how could you possibly suggest that one choose cotton, lambswool, or (gasp!) Polar Fleece over the virtues of cashmere. You taught me well in the early eighties with statements such as "quality over quantity". I am returning my copy of True Prep and investing in some 2 ply cashmere. And Prada? Seriously? Are you that out of touch?

The Official Preppy Handbook (written 30 years ago) had a different feel to it. That book addressed some peculiar behavioral patterns among the "preps," and in doing so, poked fun from within: When natural preps recognized themselves (and the actions they had been doing for years) being described, they laughed at themselves. Back in the height of prepdom - when I was going to school - being preppy was something people groaned and rolled their eyeballs at - in a teasing way. No one really talked about being preppy, it was just a state of mind. (Unless you're Ali McGraw) 30 years has past, and today, post-PC climate, "being a prep" is really shorthand for describing anyone and everyone who try to get into WASP culture through the hired help's entrance. People today literally wear "preppy" on their sleeves as a calling card, a desperate clawing to get "in" to a culture that had rejected and always will reject them. Real preps can see this vulgar display, but good breeding prevents them from saying so...until they are behind your back.

In True Prep - though it is not mentioned - the focus is really more on the "wannabes," the fakers who try too hard, and think they can get into exclusive society simply by purchasing a few brand names by way of simulacrum. Don't believe me? Take a look at the stereotypical prep fashion: Argyle. It's been lampooned endlessly in movies and tv comedies, and yet the wannabes swallow that cliche whole (with mouth open I might add). I know of no actual preps who would be caught dead wearing argyle today, as it is the quickest way to scream out "Non-Prep ALERT!" A considerable portion of this book sounds as if it's been subsidized by all the mainstream so called "preppy" stores, selling the idea that all it takes to get into the prep set is what's hanging on the label at the back of your neck. (Check out Thorstein Veblen's Theory of the Leisure Class)

If you have to wear certain preppy colors, carry the "allowable" brand handbags, follow line-by-line rules - I'm sorry. You're not preppy. It's like reading a book on how to be a rebel punk rocker.

Having said that, I support any book that steers wannabes in the wrong direction. Did you really think the preppy culture (with its notion of exclusivity, exclusive ivy league schools, exclusive families, private boarding schools, country clubs) can easily be obtained through some mall brand clothing and a luxury car? No. "Prep" comes from preparatory schools, private institutions to give pre-college entrants an edge over their fellow students. The whole point of prep is elitism, not something you can assimilate into with some ralph lauren polos with extra large logos. Prep has never pandered to all the different races welcoming all with open arms and big smiles saying "You can be one of us too!" That's the job of designer labels and mail order catalogs, who sell a lifestyle. (I won't be surprised if this book was heavily subsidized by those people...go to Brooks Brothers for their "special edition" of this book)

There are many true prep books out there (disguised as cookbooks, travel guides, gardening websites, unassuming movies and tv comedies). But the word Prep is nowhere attached to them. The whole point is to enjoy the unique qualities of prep life, NOT to signify to people "hey! Look at me! I'm a preppy!"

The great humor in this book is that it is NOT a book on how to be preppy, but more a field guide on how to identify all the wannabes out there. If you follow the advice here, you will easily stand out, be identified, and steered clear of.

The Original Preppy Handbook had a "we're laughing at ourselves" feel to it. "True" Prep has a "we're laughing at YOU" instead.

How hard are they laughing at you? Well, turn the tables around and see: say a white fella wore a red bandanna and showed up at a Crips turf, or he bought a Marc Ecko watch and decided that's all he needed to enter a freestyle rap battle.

Do you think he'll get accepted?

I really nice diversion for those of us that read the "Preppy Handbook" twenty years ago. I couldn't wait to get it and was so glad I did. I laughed throughout the book. Highly recommended stocking stuffer.

What is more recession-proof than preppy style? This sequel to the original The Official Preppy Handbook which came out in 1980 is even more fun! It's the perfect book to tuck into your handbag (or guys - wherever you are going to sneak peeks at this one).

The book is organized into 12 chapters. Each chapter's insights are designed like magazine articles - tons of pictures, sidebars and blurbs. Part of the sheer delight of this book is that you can flip it open to any page to start reading. The chapters cover:

1. The Building Blocks of Prepdom - i.e. the people and backgrounds in a preppy world.

2. "We Don't Talk About It" - how much private school costs, second homes, travel (important info like don't wear sweats on a plane and don't complain about jet lag!), the 43 Preppiest Places to have a summer house, and money.

3. Schools. Day schools, boarding schools, college (a lot about Princeton).

4. The Preppy's Wardrobe. How did we make it 30 years without an update on this one? It includes trench coats (Brooks Bros., Burberry and even Armani), accessories (Hermes scarves, belts, shoes,) trunk shows, logos, jewelry, vintage.

5. Unhappy Hours - i.e. work. The appropriate careers covered are especially updated for the 21st century (please note: preppy careers do not include doctor, computer scientist, CPA, engineer or manny!). For men, there's an explanation of the preppiest career - banking. For women, finally, the authors cover what the mom who read/lived the original Preppy Handbook in high school is doing now that her children are in school. She starts by becoming a decorator, then morphs into a real estate agent, then a docent, and finally something like a yogini/healer/shamon (the most important aspect of these careers, of course, is that she gets summers off!). Being a "pre-writer" is the preppiest of career choices. This is the perfect book for all of the very educated moms who left their careers to stay home with their children at the turn of this century.

6. Homes

7. "Poor Mrs. Astor. True perps." Crimes like lying, adultery, rehab.

8. "Drinks before Dinner." Cocktails, food.

9. "Happy Hours, part I: What We Do." Weekends, books and book clubs, sports, country clubs (and how refreshing to read a guide book that refers to the rule-maker at a country club as someone "[w]hen she's not telling everyone what to do, she knits with a ferocity to rival Madame Defarge." Your prep teenager will get the Dickens reference!), fish and shooting clubs, reunions, shopping, love.

10. "Happy Hours, part II: What we watch and where we go." Reality TV is not prep! What tote bags to take. Sailing. Also, what kind of book would it be without discussing L.L. Bean Duck Boots?

11. Etiquette - kissing in greeting, thank you notes, introductions, cell phone etiquette, privacy.

12. "Looking Good vs. Feeling Good." Preppies stay the same - they keep the same friends, hobbies, and still go to the office. To carry on, though, it helps that they've cultivated a lifetime of connections such as the right doctor and lawyer.

I've dog-eared so much of this book to chat about with old friends! I've already ordered a copy for my 40-year-old brother for his birthday this month, too. If you are between the ages of 14 and 104, and interested in a classic lifestyle, you will love this book!

This is an adorable encounter with the preppy world. A perfectly pretentious read. I gather most preps would HAVE to scoff at such a hilarious and truthful look at the "True Prep." It is enjoyable to both preps and non-preps and a lovely conversation piece.
(Beware of the parvenu reviews, the nouveau riche are shaking in their imitation Wellies!)

Lisa Birnbach is an exceptionally funny writer. Unlike so many purportedly humorous books, True Prep is masterfully written and actually makes you laugh. Birnbach (and/or maybe Kidd) really know how to craft a joke, turning sentences in ways you don't expect. How informative is the book? I don't know, or care. Preppydom doesn't seem too pressing these days. I enjoyed this light read for its funny character descriptions, interesting facts about places and brands, and cute pictures and charts.