If you read “Everything will be fine” and felt inspired and reassured, read “Purple state.”
Over the years, I’ve been driven to write my mentor books because I wanted all my best advice to be in one place. When I started writing my new novel, “Purple State,” I wanted to help my characters—three women: Dot, Mary, and Harper—live out those lessons in the story. They confront and address their quarter-life crises in ways that have the potential to set them up for career success and personal fulfillment.
In my nonfiction books, I talked about living life with principles that make decisions easier. And now in ‘Purple State’ I show what it costs to live by those principles – to have them tested, and to live with the consequences of your decisions.
This is how I connected the two books.
DANA PERINO: ‘Everything will be okay’ – WHAT I WANT TO SHARE WITH TODAY’S YOUNG WOMEN
“Everything will be fine” made it clear that life is not easy. It basically said, yes, there is uncertainty in life, and you can manage that by being more resilient and trusting yourself – by sticking to your values even when the path ahead is not clear. Especially then! It was a guide to navigating chaos with grace.
In “Purple State” the story takes place over one year. Dot, Mary and Harper each find themselves at a crossroads in their quarters. They have great ambition, but are wounded by experience. They try to reconcile what they thought they would be doing at this point in their lives with the lives they are actually living. (Harper)
And that’s where I started with ‘Purple State’. The story takes place over one year. Dot, Mary and Harper each find themselves at a crossroads in their quarters. They have great ambition, but are wounded by experience. They try to reconcile what they thought they would be doing at this point in their lives with the lives they are actually living.
When given the chance to shake things up, Dot leaves the security of New York behind for a relationship and a career change over which she has no full control. Mary, grounded and pragmatic, must face the limits of playing it safe. Sharp but lacking in self-confidence, Harper discovers that independence without vulnerability can become its own kind of isolation.
Does that sound like you – or someone you know and love? That’s because I didn’t make their problems out of thin air. These are the challenges I see young people dealing with all the time. And because I have had to deal with it myself. If you learn one thing from both books, it’s that you’re not the only one who feels this way. That you can find a way to navigate back and forth daily between fear and faith, control and surrender, and ambition and connection.
Another truth from both books is that character is more important than circumstances. Who are you when no one is looking? “Purple State” takes that idea and tests it as the three friends figure out how to live outside of Manhattan for a year while in Wisconsin.
They are deeply involved in a political campaign and each ultimately tests the limits of what is too restrictive, too comfortable and too far outside their plans. Gradually they learn that love involves risks, just like their careers. And maybe the safe choice isn’t the right one.
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The answer unfolds not in sweeping declarations, but in small, consequential decisions – the kind that shape a life more than any single dramatic moment ever could.
And at the heart of it all is a simple yet profound conclusion: love conquers – if you let it.
Another truth from both books is that character is more important than circumstances. Who are you when no one is looking? “Purple State” takes that idea and tests it as the three friends figure out how to live outside of Manhattan for a year while in Wisconsin.
“All Will Be Well” teaches you the power of staying grounded, standing up for your friends, and protecting your integrity. Dot, Mary and Harper learn the same lessons.
“Everything Will Be Okay: Life Lessons for Young Women (From a Former Young Woman)” was published on March 9, 2021. (Grand Central Publishing)
In a cultural moment that often rewards cynicism and division, “Purple State” offers something refreshing and necessary: the idea that we are not as far apart as we think, and that the most important decisions we make are not political, but personal. Who do we trust? Who do we assist? Who do we choose to love?
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The setting – Wisconsin, a veritable “purple state” – is as symbolic as it is geographical. It reflects the emotional and ideological middle ground where most people live, even if the loudest voices suggest otherwise. It is in that space that compromise, understanding and ultimately connection become possible.
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For readers who appreciated the optimism of “Everything Will Be Okay,” “Purple State” offers a deeper, richer experience. It not only tells you what is important, but also makes you feel it.
Make good decisions in your life. And then you will see: everything really works out fine.
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