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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Great subject, great narrator. I felt the book itself felt a little disjointed and repetitive.
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I LOVED this book. Mr. Rogers is one of my media inspirations now :):) sometimes the writing was a bit redundant so it didn’t get the full 5 stars, but as far as impact on me goes, it gets full marks! Literally so good!
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I learned a lot about one of my favorite people, but the writing left a lot to be desired. This needed a few more passes from the editor.
Mr Rogers’ Resurgence
As someone who never really grew up with Mr. Rogers’ Neighbourhood, I find biographies of Mr. Rogers fascinating in a non-nostalgic manner. I don’t have an attachment to the program or the man and in some respect, appreciate him more for that. From what I’ve learnt of him, his compassion, commitment and drive to do the best for children makes him a unique role model in recent history.
This admiration continues unabated after reading this solid biography. Despite the fact that it took me forever to finish due to all the stress around me since 2020 started, this book reinforced that kindness and courage can go hand in hand as can conviction and compassion. The book is about a man who had a privileged life but used that privilege to better the world while staying true to a moral compass that seems to have been left behind in the celebrity sphere. At least, that is what I get when I read “celebrity biographies” which focus on the salacious to generate interest.
There is something about Mr. Rogers which continues to resonate - probably all the more today. I guess thus all the renewed interest in him. There was a fabulous 2018 documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, this book as well as the more recent 2019 move, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood . He provides a much needed balm which moved me - even without the nostalgia I teared up reading the book. I’ve watched enough of the show that listening to the opening song now make me smile and cry all the same time.
Unfortunately, I am not sure how much of this reaction is due to the biography vs the documentary (and the movie). In my opinion, while information, this book is a little overlong and stiff. My interest petered out near the end when the book became repetitive. Plus, the context of the show and its impact on the cultural landscape is lost in the written medium. I compare that to the documentary which showed clips, direct interviews and, therefore, allowed us to directly experience what was being discussed.
Of the two I would recommend the documentary and then this book. I will warn you that that order will make this book less necessary. It’s still worth it but in the end I will go with 4.5 stars for the repetition and the fact that this didn’t capture the magic as effectively as the visual medium. The book didn’t innovate enough to account for the change in medium. Still worth reading!
As someone who never really grew up with Mr. Rogers’ Neighbourhood, I find biographies of Mr. Rogers fascinating in a non-nostalgic manner. I don’t have an attachment to the program or the man and in some respect, appreciate him more for that. From what I’ve learnt of him, his compassion, commitment and drive to do the best for children makes him a unique role model in recent history.
This admiration continues unabated after reading this solid biography. Despite the fact that it took me forever to finish due to all the stress around me since 2020 started, this book reinforced that kindness and courage can go hand in hand as can conviction and compassion. The book is about a man who had a privileged life but used that privilege to better the world while staying true to a moral compass that seems to have been left behind in the celebrity sphere. At least, that is what I get when I read “celebrity biographies” which focus on the salacious to generate interest.
There is something about Mr. Rogers which continues to resonate - probably all the more today. I guess thus all the renewed interest in him. There was a fabulous 2018 documentary, Won’t You Be My Neighbor, this book as well as the more recent 2019 move, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood . He provides a much needed balm which moved me - even without the nostalgia I teared up reading the book. I’ve watched enough of the show that listening to the opening song now make me smile and cry all the same time.
Unfortunately, I am not sure how much of this reaction is due to the biography vs the documentary (and the movie). In my opinion, while information, this book is a little overlong and stiff. My interest petered out near the end when the book became repetitive. Plus, the context of the show and its impact on the cultural landscape is lost in the written medium. I compare that to the documentary which showed clips, direct interviews and, therefore, allowed us to directly experience what was being discussed.
Of the two I would recommend the documentary and then this book. I will warn you that that order will make this book less necessary. It’s still worth it but in the end I will go with 4.5 stars for the repetition and the fact that this didn’t capture the magic as effectively as the visual medium. The book didn’t innovate enough to account for the change in medium. Still worth reading!
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced