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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Love Mr. Rogers, but I did not care for this biography. So many parts seemed irrelevant to me (ex. Timeslots of other tv shows in the 1950s and 60s, mini bio of a colleague who worked briefly with Rogers in the 1970s, etc). I feel strongly that this book could have been condensed to half the length and would have been much better off.
This is a good biography of a charming man. I had no idea about his privileged upbringing or early life. Despite such a privilege birth that could have been followed by a life of leisure, Mr. Rogers chose to make a difference in the world. From all accounts, Mr. Rogers was the same warm, wonderful man we all know from Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood. Not only was he a talented puppeteer, television producer, and screen persona, but he was a very talented musician and composer, who composed much of the music on his shows and several operas.
It’s definitely worth the read.
It’s definitely worth the read.
I grew up watching Mr. Rogers and I can’t wait to watch Tom Hanks play him on the big screen. I teared up a couple times reading this because he was just an incredible man. I’m glad I was able to grow up with him. I don’t recommend reading it if you didn’t grow up with him because it’s very informative and detailed but it’s great for fans!
It was LONG even at 1.75 speed which is very doable. It has everything about his life - and did help me understand why he was the way he was. A great man who influenced my life. Wasn’t a waste of 6 days of listening but be prepared for a long read/listen.
This is one of the best books I’ve ever read in my entire life. I got a lump in my throat about 80x while reading. If you’re feeling at all unhappy, this book will love you and make you feel better. It’s amazing how fully this man devoted his life to making us all feel loved.
I picked this up because I wanted to know about Fred Rogers. This book definitely has that information.
But the writing is horrible. Jumps around from the past to the present randomly. Very repetitive using the same examples and stories over and over.
But the writing is horrible. Jumps around from the past to the present randomly. Very repetitive using the same examples and stories over and over.
The Good Neighbor by Maxwell King is a biography that covers the life of Fred Rogers, from early childhood to his rather sudden death. As a child, I always enjoyed catching reruns of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood - his intro song was like a warm hug and was my favorite part of the show. I couldn't wait to listen to the book - it's narrated by none other than LeVar Burton from Reading Rainbow, and is the first biography on Fred Rogers!
Did I like the biography? Yes. Was it everything I dreamed of? Sadly, no. Here are a few of the thoughts I walked away with once I'd finished the book:
-The Good Neighbor is the first book that Maxwell King has written, and it shows. Repetitious, each chapter seems to be written as its own little island which begs for topics and people to be painfully mentioned and discussed time and again.
-When Mr. King encourages Fred Rogers' widow and sons to find someone to write Fred's biography, they ask Mr. King to write it instead. Unfortunately, Mr. King was the director of the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children's Media at Saint Vincent College whose mission was to raise funds for the Rogers Center. What better way to raise funds than to write a glowing saint's biography on the man! I am all about believing that Fred Rogers was a near-perfect man, but it makes for a disappointing read when all you hear over and OVER is how gentle, and patient, and caring he was. Forgive me, but I was hoping to meet more of the man and his relationships outside of work. I wanted to know more about his strained relationship with his two sons, and his wonderfully giving and supportive mother.
-I wished I purchased more Kleenex before this read - I cried every friggin' time Mr. Rogers interacted with children and said 'I like you just the way you are.'
-With a 14 hour listen, you tend to pick up on a narrator's quirks. I've listened to LeVar Burton's narration so many times I can't even count (check out his podcast 'LeVar Burton Reads'!), but this time somethings wasn't clicking for me - the narration detracted as often as it helped.
I give this three stars for the writing, and five for the subject and his inspiration. May we all be called to serve and love humanity as Fred Rogers did. <3
Did I like the biography? Yes. Was it everything I dreamed of? Sadly, no. Here are a few of the thoughts I walked away with once I'd finished the book:
-The Good Neighbor is the first book that Maxwell King has written, and it shows. Repetitious, each chapter seems to be written as its own little island which begs for topics and people to be painfully mentioned and discussed time and again.
-When Mr. King encourages Fred Rogers' widow and sons to find someone to write Fred's biography, they ask Mr. King to write it instead. Unfortunately, Mr. King was the director of the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children's Media at Saint Vincent College whose mission was to raise funds for the Rogers Center. What better way to raise funds than to write a glowing saint's biography on the man! I am all about believing that Fred Rogers was a near-perfect man, but it makes for a disappointing read when all you hear over and OVER is how gentle, and patient, and caring he was. Forgive me, but I was hoping to meet more of the man and his relationships outside of work. I wanted to know more about his strained relationship with his two sons, and his wonderfully giving and supportive mother.
-I wished I purchased more Kleenex before this read - I cried every friggin' time Mr. Rogers interacted with children and said 'I like you just the way you are.'
-With a 14 hour listen, you tend to pick up on a narrator's quirks. I've listened to LeVar Burton's narration so many times I can't even count (check out his podcast 'LeVar Burton Reads'!), but this time somethings wasn't clicking for me - the narration detracted as often as it helped.
I give this three stars for the writing, and five for the subject and his inspiration. May we all be called to serve and love humanity as Fred Rogers did. <3
In our current American culture of rage and conflict, this biography was a breath of fresh air. While not the most exciting read, the story of Fred Roger’s life is interesting. He really does make you want to be a better person just knowing about him.
Such a great biography on the life of one remarkable man. There is so much history to him that I never knew. His story is one that deserves to be told and should inspire people to continue his legacy of giving and love.