True Prep: It's a Whole New Old World

I was given this book as part of a party favor "goodie" bag. Of course, Ms. Birnbach got her start in the iconic Preppy Handbook of eons ago, so she knows the subject she writes of and does it with razor wit, humor, astuteness and ... affection. It's hilarious and should not be taken (entirely) at its face value. If adopted as a lifestyle "bible", as no doubt it will for some, the point will be missed entirely. Like the Preppy Handbook, the book portrays the lifestyles of prep prototypes. They are generalizations, but as with all characters painted with a broad brush, there are glimmerings. As you are reading you will recall cousins, relatives you last saw at your grandmother's funeral, friends, neighbors, acquaintances that could have been the mold for the prototype. Lisa Birnbach's true calling is comedy - as evidenced in the title of this book.

A very nice book. Very informative and entertaining.

The attractive mystique of the The Official Preppy Handbook revolved around the implied exclusivity of the historically entrenched U.S. collegiate preppy culture. In the 80's, Ms. Birnbach assuaged all concerns as to whether one could be prep absent a Mayflower birthright, not having at least four given names or attending the "wrong" college and majoring in (horror) engineering. In short, it was a hoot to overtly shine a spotlight on prep characteristics and choose to partake in prep (or not).Ms. Birnbach has obviously spent the last 30 years in her country club being chastised for even implying such exclusivity by nouveau progressive forces that have carjacked her philosophical Volvo. Now inclusive political correctness, either through guilt or other insidious liberal pressure (some of which is evident by the guest authors in the book), has mandated that everyone can be (and is) prep. Sorry, prep remains eerily and sometimes seductively exclusive such that, and I quote that 80's icon Judge Smails, "Some people just don't belong". Other reviewers have made excellent points that need no further emphasis; suffice it to say that Ms. Birnbach spends most of the book defending items made out of Polartec®, second (and third) marriages, Prada bags and people in current popular and political vogue in order to somehow justify them as worthy of the prep moniker (they are not, and the vast majority of the new Prep Pantheon "just don't belong").If one desires to jog favorite memories from the prepster 80's, True Prep's stark embrace of today's decidedly un-prep culture succeeds through contrast. "Look Muffy, this book is definitely not for us".

I received my copy late as I'm dallying about in Brazil for now, and I already have an iced heart for sequels. It was no surprise to hear of the disappointment others faced when reading this copy. How could we think any differently? One of the prime qualities of a Prep is that endearing charm of Old World values, old cocktails, old sports, old dogs, the old-boy network. With  The Return of the Sloane Ranger  recommending their readers to "the most expensive caviar restaurant in the planet" how the Devil could we stand to hear any "re-mix" of what was old and perfect?So by the time I got the book (yesterday) I only casually glanced through it, with  Take Ivy  in my other hand, and G&Ts at hand. But everything I've seen in the book since then has been a charming find. I'm totally glad I nought this book, and I've had a great interest level throughout the scattered parts of the book I read. I think it's weakest point is it's not as sarcastic as  Book 1 , and I loooooooove that sarcasm, but it's still completely full of life and charming information. I love the sweeping comments made in the first edition too, but this book was better than expected, I'm shocked to say this, but it's a must read.Some of the essays are a little bit too long, and the preppy is painted a but too normal maybe, three cheers for anachronism!

Love this book! It’s an ideal companion book for those into the prep lifestyle and culture. It’s written in a cheeky manor, even sometimes poking fun of itself, and the stereotypes within our culture.. I’d suggest it for any of us who grew up in topsiders, Nantucket Reds, and Oxford shirts, and spent our days either in fancy day schools or aspired to goto an Ivy League, join a country club, or a yacht club... this is the book for you.

The book was as fun and interesting as I expected.Though I feel sadden many a young people dont read books anymore, this is one that could help (positively) in a young mind search for identity.In all, the book is fun to read and one can feel free to skip around and come back to later chapters, making it a perfect fun book.I went to a preppy high school (outside USA) and most of the terms and life experiences match. To this day -fraternity, and blue blazer included-, I m prep, and proud.

People tend to compare this to the original Preppy Handbook, but lets be honest there's never going to be another like it. For a sequel and for new times I like True Prep. True Prep gives modern day feel to the Preppy Handbook. It mentions J. Crew, Vineyard Vines, Preps of other races, and even the hit TV show for college-aged preps Gossip Girls. Its funny, its new, but does it compare to its predecessor? No. However, it is still worth to buy and receive some chuckles and crack some smiles.

I have the Preppy Handbook and the Yuppie Handbook, both of which I adore, and True Prep is just as good. The writing style/language is exactly the same - funny, tongue in cheek, and quick-witted. Individual topics are short which makes for fast, fun reading. A must for anyone interested in (or amused by) the preppy lifestyle.

Fun take on the world of Prepdom. The more things change since the 80s bestseller, the more set in stone they still are.

This book looked intriguing and was a very interesting read. The layout of the different sections was good. The text and illustrations combined humour with facts about this American lifestyle and reminded me of the Bluffers Guides somewhat. This is a book that I would take on holiday or just dip into for a light hearted read from time to time.

Ich kann jedem nur das Original "The Official Preppy Handbook" aus dem Jahr 1980 ans Herz legen.Das jetzige Buch ist witzig, reicht jedoch an das Original bei Weitem nicht ran.Was mich wirklich etwas amüsiert - die meisten Rezensenten hier nehmen den Inhalt scheinbar bierernst - ich denke hingegen, beide Bücher sind doch wirklich mehr Satire als ernstzunehmendes Stylebook oder vergleicht wirklich jemand die Maße vom Lacoste Krokodil mit denen vom Polopferd von Ralph Lauren ? ;-)Das Buch ist insgesamt als kleine Anregung durchaus zu gebrauchen - mehr aber nicht.Diejenigen, die eine "Modebibel" für den klassischen "Perlhuhn"-Look suchen, kann ich nur die beiden Bücher "Der Gentleman" oder "Die Lady" empfehlen und für Einrichtungsfragen "Traditional Style" - alles von B. Rötzel.Ich ergänze meine Rezension (Juni 2012) wie folgt:Wer eine echte Ostküstenschönheit im Geiste dieses Buches sehen will, der verfolgt diesen Blog: classygirlswearpearls.com

Wonderful! A great later day follow up to the original Preppy Guide (which I only read just before reading this one, True Prep). Loved them both! Excellent read for those who like amusing reading , lighthearted reading about Preppy people. Very entertaining.

Blödsinn pur. Natürlich ist das Buch nicht ganz ernst gemeint. Dafür ist es aber nicht mal ansatzweise komisch.Wozu ist es dann gut?