About the Book
Before Mary Kay, Martha
Stewart, and Joy Mangano, there was Brownie Wise, the charismatic
Tupperware executive who converted postwar optimism into a
record-breaking sales engine powered by American housewives. In Life of the Party, Bob
Kealing offers the definitive portrait of Wise, a plucky businesswoman
who divorced her alcoholic husband, started her own successful business,
and eventually caught the eye of Tupperware inventor, Earl Tupper,
whose plastic containers were collecting dust on store shelves.
The Tupperware Party that Wise popularized, a master-class in the soft sell, drove Tupperware's sales to soaring heights. It also gave minimally educated and economically invisible postwar women, including some African-American women, an acceptable outlet for making their own money for their families—and for being rewarded for their efforts. With the people skills of Dale Carnegie, the looks of Doris Day, and the magnetism of Eva Peron, Wise was as popular among her many devoted followers as she was among the press, and she become the first woman to appear on the cover of BusinessWeek in 1954. Then, at the height of her success, Wise's ascent ended as quickly as it began. Earl Tupper fired her under mysterious circumstances, wrote her out of Tupperware's success story, and left her with a pittance. He walked away with a fortune and she disappeared—until now.
Originally published as Tupperware Unsealed by the University Press of Florida in 2008—and optioned by Sony Pictures, with Sandra Bullock attached to star—this revised and updated edition is perfectly timed to take advantage of renewed interest in this long-overlooked American business icon. (Goodreads)
The Tupperware Party that Wise popularized, a master-class in the soft sell, drove Tupperware's sales to soaring heights. It also gave minimally educated and economically invisible postwar women, including some African-American women, an acceptable outlet for making their own money for their families—and for being rewarded for their efforts. With the people skills of Dale Carnegie, the looks of Doris Day, and the magnetism of Eva Peron, Wise was as popular among her many devoted followers as she was among the press, and she become the first woman to appear on the cover of BusinessWeek in 1954. Then, at the height of her success, Wise's ascent ended as quickly as it began. Earl Tupper fired her under mysterious circumstances, wrote her out of Tupperware's success story, and left her with a pittance. He walked away with a fortune and she disappeared—until now.
Originally published as Tupperware Unsealed by the University Press of Florida in 2008—and optioned by Sony Pictures, with Sandra Bullock attached to star—this revised and updated edition is perfectly timed to take advantage of renewed interest in this long-overlooked American business icon. (Goodreads)
My Thoughts
I love biographies and I thought a story about a strong lady would be interesting. Tupperware had a huge market back in the 50s-on to even present day. Brownie Wise took this product and made it part of a home party business and boy did she sell it! Wow! The numbers on how much she sold and how popular she made this company is phenomenal. She was a single mother who wanted to make some extra cash and she had to drive to really make something of herself and do well. I found this book encouraging, even though the ending wasn't what I expected. I love that this story is real and I learned about the time period of the 50s.
Great book five stars.
"I received this book from Blogging for Books for free in exchange for an honest review."
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