Proustian Book

October 24, 2011 7:36 PM

I remember a Young Adult Chapter book that I am trying to remember the name of. The premise of the book was that you could achieve perfection by wearing a pickle around your neck, because nothing would be as embarrassing as that so you could do anything. There was a pamphlet that suggested that a boy do this but the pamphlet stressed that you couldn't read ahead in the pamphlet. Anyone?
posted by Infernarl to media & arts (8 answers total)

Make Four Million Dollars by Next Thursday?
posted by platypus of the universe at 7:49 PM on October 24, 2011

Broccoli, not a pickle. It's Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days.
posted by the_blizz at 7:49 PM on October 24, 2011 [5 favorites]

No, I think I lie. Try Be A Perfect Person In Just Three Days

(or what the_blitz said)
(Thanks for reminding me of the book, loved it as a kid!)
posted by platypus of the universe at 7:52 PM on October 24, 2011

Gotta chime in and agree that it's Be a Perfect Person in Three Days. Fantastic book whose moral - that you cannot be an active person and be perfect - has stuck with me to this day. Hints of Kierkegaard latent in the book. Highly recommended.
posted by slide at 8:04 PM on October 24, 2011

Thank you for asking this question!! I loved that book but completely forgot about it.
posted by telegraph at 8:14 PM on October 24, 2011 [1 favorite]

Also agree is is Perfect Person In Just Three Days. First time I knew the answer to one of those "What is this half-remembered book/tv-show from childhood..." type questions from AskMiFi, mostly because I loved the book, and honestly still think about it on a regular basis.
posted by midmarch snowman at 8:33 PM on October 24, 2011

Great book! Whenever I'm sipping weak tea I think to myself how I'm slowly achieving perfection.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 1:09 AM on October 25, 2011 [4 favorites]

It's a stalk of broccoli, not a pickle, but the book is Be a Perfect Person in Three Days, as others have mentioned. This was a favorite around our house when my brother and I were little.
posted by MsMolly at 12:56 PM on October 25, 2011