The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogersby Maxwell King
Abrams Press, 2018, 406 pages, Biography
Drawing on original interviews, oral histories, and archival documents, the author traces the iconic children's program host's personal, professional, and artistic life through decades of work.
Riding on the wave of Mr. Rogers nostalgia that started with the documentary, this book expands on the endearing life story of one of America’s favorite people. When I saw that this book was read by LeVar Burton, another beloved figure from my PBS-filled childhood, I knew I had to listen to the audio version of the book. While Burton’s narration was good, the real appeal for me turned out to be the stories of Mr. Rogers’ life when he was off-camera. It was a relief to have it enforced that one of my favorite people growing up really did believe that everyone is special “by just your being you.”
MB
1 comment:
I was also so happy to have it reinforced that Fred Rogers was the nice guy off camera as well as on camera. I dearly loved Rogers as a child and watched with delight as we went from the real world to the Neighborhood of Make Believe. I was delighted to discover that Fred wrote the music and the songs for all the episodes and was so intent on grounding the show in childhood development.
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