Woo Skin - Shop now
$15.45 with 38 percent savings
Print List Price: $24.95

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.

Audiobook Price: $13.65

Save: $6.16 (45%)

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Paula Becker
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Looking for Betty MacDonald: The Egg, the Plague, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and I Kindle Edition

by Paula Becker (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 135 ratings

Betty Bard MacDonald (1907–1958), the best-selling author of The Egg and I and the classic Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle children’s books, burst onto the literary scene shortly after the end of World War II. Readers embraced her memoir of her years as a young bride operating a chicken ranch on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, and The Egg and I sold its first million copies in less than a year. The public was drawn to MacDonald’s vivacity, her offbeat humor, and her irreverent take on life. In 1947, the book was made into a movie starring Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert, and spawned a series of films featuring MacDonald's Ma and Pa Kettle characters.

MacDonald followed up the success of The Egg and I with the creation of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, a magical woman who cures children of their bad habits, and with three additional memoirs: The Plague and I (chronicling her time in a tuberculosis sanitarium just outside Seattle), Anybody Can Do Anything (recounting her madcap attempts to find work during the Great Depression), and Onions in the Stew (about her life raising two teenage daughters on Vashon Island).

Author Paula Becker was granted full access to Betty MacDonald’s archives, including materials never before seen by any researcher. Looking for Betty MacDonald, a biography of this endearing Northwest storyteller, reveals the story behind the memoirs and the difference between the real Betty MacDonald and her literary persona.

Watch the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lr6iVK4zWk

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    361 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of Washington Press
  4. Publication date
    September 1, 2016
  5. File size
    4.3 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A passionate, wise and tender exploration of a surprisingly compelling life. Becker's fascination for her subject is utterly contagious: I found myself late-night Googling Betty, determined to track down everything she ever wrote!"―Julie Myerson, author of The Stopped Heart: A Novel

"Thank goodness Paula Becker has resurrected the life story of Betty MacDonald, perhaps the only author who has ever made tuberculosis funny. Carefully researched and written with great warmth and spirit, Looking for Betty MacDonald reintroduces readers to a woman who may have been America's wittiest writer in the mid-twentieth century. We tend to think of observational comedy as a modern phenomenon, but it may have begun over 75 years ago on a chicken farm in Washington State."―Barron H. Lerner, MD, PhD, author of Contagion and Confinement: Controlling Tuberculosis along the Skid Road

"Readers of Betty MacDonald love her for her pluck and clear-eyed wit. Now Paula Becker presents the writer's brief but exuberant life in this timely and heartfelt biography. As she presses her palms to the polished wood floor of Betty's former home, I felt the melting joy and melancholy of the true soulmate."―George Meyer, writer for The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live

"A huge hit in her day, Betty MacDonald was too funny and too popular (and maybe too female) to be taken seriously. Paula Becker's Looking for Betty MacDonald―part biography, part literary criticism, part memoir―does a cracking job of rehabilitating this sparkling writer's reputation. There are those of us who have been true believers all along, poring over MacDonald's four hilarious and beautifully detailed memoirs of mid-century Northwest domestic life. Becker's book rounds out the picture, weaving the darker strands of the author's life story into a nuanced whole. "―Claire Dederer, author of Poser: My Life in Twenty-three Yoga Poses

About the Author

Paula Becker is a staff historian at HistoryLink.org. She is the coauthor of The Future Remembered: The 1962 Seattle World's Fair and Its Legacy and Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, Washington's First World Fair.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01LGOX0MI
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Washington Press; Illustrated edition (September 1, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.3 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 361 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 135 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Paula Becker

Paula Becker

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Paula Becker is the award-winning author of Looking For Betty MacDonald: The Egg, The Plague, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and I, and co-author of The Future Remembered: The 1962 Seattle World's Fair and Its Legacy and Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition: Washington's First World's Fair. An expert on the history of world's fairs, she is featured in the documentary films When Seattle Invented The Future: The 1962 World's Fair, which aired on PBS stations nationwide; and Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition: Washington's Forgotten World's Fair, which aired on Seattle's KCTS-9; and Structural Engineers of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, which she narrated.

Paula Becker has written for HistoryLink.org since 2001, and is a staff historian. Her 300+ essays on the site document all aspects of Washington state history.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
135 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers praise this biography for its well-researched content and beautiful prose, with one customer noting its prodigious research efforts. The book draws readers into Betty MacDonald's life with humor, and one customer particularly appreciates how it gives a true picture of her family. Customers value the heartfelt narration and consider it worth the purchase.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

11 customers mention "Author biography"11 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the biography's well-researched content and beautiful prose, with one customer noting its detailed descriptions.

"...-- and she's an excellent historian, which makes the book a wonderful combination of pithy, meticulously..." Read more

"What a treasure! In beautiful prose, Becker captures the eventful life of Betty MacDonald and her family...." Read more

"...I found this to be an interesting biography, which filled in the blanks in ways that could be sad, even disappointing to those of us who loved her..." Read more

"...the author for sharing her search for Betty MacDonald in this beautifully written and thoroughly researched book...." Read more

9 customers mention "Character development"9 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with some describing it as the best thing they've ever read about Betty MacDonald, while others highlight her complex personality and fascinating life story.

"...What a vivid portrait Becker paints for us: of MacDonald's fascinating life, and also of the times and places in which she lived, especially..." Read more

"...-researched biography, tragic though some elements are, clarify pieces of Betty's history that were puzzling...." Read more

"...I loved it, but I still felt sad. She was such an interesting, complex character who hinted in her hilarious books that life was not all fun and..." Read more

"...I loved her humor, and was fascinated by her life. I searched a very long time for the plague and I, unsuccessfully...." Read more

5 customers mention "Humor"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the humor in the book, noting how the author draws her life experiences with wit.

"...tuberculosis and endless family dramas--but clearly her sharp sense of humor, which she used to great effect in her own writing, was her essential..." Read more

"...any situation, however trying or tragic, with hilarity and irreverence...." Read more

"...So young!! I really felt the author drew her life with humor, and more importantly, with deep compassion...." Read more

"...I loved her humor, and was fascinated by her life. I searched a very long time for the plague and I, unsuccessfully...." Read more

5 customers mention "Photo quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the photos in the book, with one noting how they provide a true picture of Betty's family, while another mentions the good selection of Betty's images.

"...What a vivid portrait Becker paints for us: of MacDonald's fascinating life, and also of the times and places in which she lived, especially..." Read more

"...funny - debts, electricity cut off, endless job losses - in an irreverent fashion, with detailed descriptions which catch the humour in others'..." Read more

"...in this book as to dates and places, and many interesting and touching photos, but far too much of the text is lifted directly or but slightly..." Read more

"...of Betty MacDonald is well-done and also has a good selection of pictures of Betty and her family." Read more

5 customers mention "Research quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the research quality of the book, with one customer noting Becker's prodigious work and another mentioning how it helped them understand the content better.

"...Becker's research was prodigious: she uncovered extensive archival materials from a plethora of sources -- including letters and papers from..." Read more

"...There's a great deal of carefully researched information in this book as to dates and places, and many interesting and touching photos, but far too..." Read more

"...that I gave it 4 stars and not 5 because despite of the book being extremely well researched, the author or editors decided not to include what..." Read more

"...So, while this book has some good information it is written by an author who's style is so out of sync with betty and the entire clan it's hard to..." Read more

5 customers mention "Value for money"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book worth the purchase and consider it wonderful.

"...Becker is a lively, eloquent writer (the book is worth the purchase if only for Becker's delightful Prologue about how she came to write it)..." Read more

"What a treasure! In beautiful prose, Becker captures the eventful life of Betty MacDonald and her family...." Read more

"...$9.00 on a Kindle book but the $13.00 I spent on this book was worth every sent...." Read more

"...Thank you, Ms. Becker, for a wonderful book; I feel as though you wrote it for me." Read more

3 customers mention "Heartfelt narration"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the heartfelt narration of the book, with one mentioning its deep compassion.

"...Betty was a complex woman, and Becker is both clear-eyed and sympathetic as she relates tales illustrating Betty's considerable gifts, and flaws...." Read more

"...the author drew her life with humor, and more importantly, with deep compassion...." Read more

"...Captures the true Betty McDonald and presents her with grace, mercy and peace in a time when biographies are too often like films noir...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • River H.
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Consummate, Well-Written Biography
    Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    As a lifelong fan of Betty's MacDonald's memoirs ("The Egg and I" and its three sequels), I have long wished someone would publish a full biography of her life. There are so many hints in the books that make you want to know more about her, her family, and the places she lived in Washington State. When I heard that this biography was in the making, I awaited it eagerly -- and it did not disappoint me! What a wonderful book. Becker is a lively, eloquent writer (the book is worth the purchase if only for Becker's delightful Prologue about how she came to write it) -- and she's an excellent historian, which makes the book a wonderful combination of pithy, meticulously researched facts and very readable narrative. I read it over the course of three nights, and I am about to start re-reading it.

    I especially appreciated the sensitive way Becker balanced telling the truth without compromising the privacy or dignity of surviving members of Betty MacDonald's family -- or of Betty herself, whose real life was of course far more complex and sometimes dark than her humorous memoirs reveal. Becker's research was prodigious: she uncovered extensive archival materials from a plethora of sources -- including letters and papers from MacDonald's friends and family that had never been made public until now. And she traveled to every place Betty lived from her birth onward; she visited Betty's former homes, the buildings where her father worked, her schools, the streets and paths she and her family would have followed.

    What a vivid portrait Becker paints for us: of MacDonald's fascinating life, and also of the times and places in which she lived, especially Seattle in the 1920s through the years of World War II. I highly recommend it!
    23 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Durm Guy
    5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific read about a lively, funny, complex author who deserves to be rediscovered.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    What a treasure! In beautiful prose, Becker captures the eventful life of Betty MacDonald and her family. I (mostly) listened to the Audible version of the book, which was a huge treat--Becker's passion for her subject really came through in her lively, humorous and heartfelt narration. Betty was a complex woman, and Becker is both clear-eyed and sympathetic as she relates tales illustrating Betty's considerable gifts, and flaws. I was especially fascinated by the trial brought by the family who MacDonald used as the basis for her characters Ma and Pa Kettle--Betty denied everything on the stand, and the jury went her way, facts notwithstanding. Betty's sheer force of will got her through many such scrapes--surviving tuberculosis and endless family dramas--but clearly her sharp sense of humor, which she used to great effect in her own writing, was her essential characteristic. A terrific read.
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Elizabeth G Melillo
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting viewpoints
    Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I have always loved Betty MacDonald's way of describing any situation, however trying or tragic, with hilarity and irreverence. My two favourites were Anybody Can do Anything and Onions in the Stew - it's easy for me to forget that many current readers may never have seen these. (I did not like The Egg and I, which is the focus of most of the material about Betty's writing career.) It was interesting to see the factors in her first book's success that never would have occurred to me (for example, their being about the Pacific Northwest.)
    Much of what is covered in this well-researched biography, tragic though some elements are, clarify pieces of Betty's history that were puzzling. (When it comes to Betty's family, I'd have liked to know more about Mary.) Others, which reminded me of historical elements which I would not have thought of in connection with books I'd found delightful, were quite insightful. For example, I myself am arty, intellectual, and one who loves interesting conversations - but hates rules. I'd have loved the 'we don't give a damn' attitude of the Bards, and Sydney's 'do as you please' approach, which seemed enormously refreshing compared to the rigid rules and schedules many households observed. It was a surprise that Anybody Can Do Anything, which is my favourite of Betty's books, was not well-received - and for the very reasons I found it delightful.
    Other reviewers have mentioned negativity about Sydney, Don, and Betty in relation to finances, but it came as no surprise. Betty is frank about her debts (charging five green party dresses in a few months); about Sydney's having 'the financial sense of a hummingbird' (but no fear of bill collectors); how she and Don, who were broke when they acquired the Vashon house, added every appliance produced, once they could scrape up a down payment. Of course, I'd had no idea how many homes the Bards had occupied, or the lawsuits that faced them for defaulting. Since "Onions in the Stew' gives the impression that Don and Betty still enjoyed living on Vashon, the saga of the ranch was extremely sad.
    What most appealed to me in the two books I loved was that Betty could describe situations which were far from funny - debts, electricity cut off, endless job losses - in an irreverent fashion, with detailed descriptions which catch the humour in others' characters. I never saw this as nasty in the least. It was enlightening to see viewpoints that would not have entered my mind.
    I found this to be an interesting biography, which filled in the blanks in ways that could be sad, even disappointing to those of us who loved her memoirs, but still broaden our perspective. I'm sorry that the books I loved are not in print - and, perhaps, would be unprintable - today.
    5 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Christine Paris
    5.0 out of 5 stars The true story of Betty, written with love
    Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This book kind of broke my heart. I loved it, but I still felt sad. She was such an interesting, complex character who hinted in her hilarious books that life was not all fun and games, yet made you want to sit at her table and have coffee and conversation. She seemed like everybody's smart and sassy friend. I found her books when I was only ten. As an avid reader, I devoured all of hers, and then special ordered her sisters books. I still wanted more. I wanted to know what she was really like. I felt weird when I realized she had died just before I started reading her. So young!! I really felt the author drew her life with humor, and more importantly, with deep compassion. I found out a lot of things i wanted to know and several surprising facts. If you ever read her books, you HAVE to read this.
    6 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Christopher prost
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book about Betty McDonald
    Reviewed in Canada on September 2, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Wonderful book about Betty McDonald, and the pictures are priceless! For any Betty McDonald fans - this is a GREAT read!
    Report
  • becca
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book about a great writer
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 2, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I've been a fan of Betty McDonald's books for decades, so it was great to find a book that covers her real life story and how she overcame her own trials and tribulations and the backstory of her family and life.
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report