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What's It All About, Charlie Brown? Peanuts Kids Look at America Today
Interspersing commentary from the author and the Peanuts strips of Charles Schulz, this book looks at changes in American attitudes, ideas, inspirations, and social phenomena over the past years. Lucy on psychiatry; Charlie on love; Snoopy on leisure-time activities; politics, school, and education; home, sports, religion, culture and business—the whole of American life is viewed realistically and sometimes idealistically through the eyes of the Peanuts kids.
Hardcover
First published June 1, 1969
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 19, 2015
This book is bizarre.
I acquired it along with What Next, Charlie Brown?, and I expected both to be simple volumes of Peanuts comics. But What’s It All About is actually composed of Loria’s puritanical thoughts on business, religion, love, sports, holidays, politics, and more, accompanied by Peanuts comics.
At first, I found this very entertaining. It was written in the 1960s, and Loria was a traditionalist old white dude who was afraid of dirty hippies and of declining family values. In the holidays section, he cautions against using religious holidays as opportunities for vacations that involve subsisting on "LSD and banana peels." It’s an interesting look at the shifting culture of the decade.
But, of course, Loria wasn’t just afraid of rock and roll music and drugs. Of course, he was also super racist and misogynist. There’s a comic in which Snoopy mentions a crush he has, and Loria says that it’s good that he’s interested in a fellow beagle, because if he liked another breed of dog, that would be impure.
This guy used Snoopy, a character that many of us have great nostalgic affection for, as a platform for deriding interracial marriage. what the fuck?
That’s when this book became less humorous and more disturbing. What right does this man have? How can he employ the innocent Peanuts kids to further his own toxic, bigoted agenda??
So, yeah, this book ended up grossing me out a lot. I wish it had remained a funny look at 1960s culture. I guess Loria was stuck in the 1950s.
I acquired it along with What Next, Charlie Brown?, and I expected both to be simple volumes of Peanuts comics. But What’s It All About is actually composed of Loria’s puritanical thoughts on business, religion, love, sports, holidays, politics, and more, accompanied by Peanuts comics.
At first, I found this very entertaining. It was written in the 1960s, and Loria was a traditionalist old white dude who was afraid of dirty hippies and of declining family values. In the holidays section, he cautions against using religious holidays as opportunities for vacations that involve subsisting on "LSD and banana peels." It’s an interesting look at the shifting culture of the decade.
But, of course, Loria wasn’t just afraid of rock and roll music and drugs. Of course, he was also super racist and misogynist. There’s a comic in which Snoopy mentions a crush he has, and Loria says that it’s good that he’s interested in a fellow beagle, because if he liked another breed of dog, that would be impure.
This guy used Snoopy, a character that many of us have great nostalgic affection for, as a platform for deriding interracial marriage. what the fuck?
That’s when this book became less humorous and more disturbing. What right does this man have? How can he employ the innocent Peanuts kids to further his own toxic, bigoted agenda??
So, yeah, this book ended up grossing me out a lot. I wish it had remained a funny look at 1960s culture. I guess Loria was stuck in the 1950s.
January 7, 2022
This kinda sucked. I mean I love the Peanuts, but Loria basically just criticized everything in the late 60’s and used the Peanuts to do that. Not that good.
August 4, 2026
Such a strange book. Loria reads as curmudgeonly, in the most bigoted sense. Between the strange comment about interracial marriage and his constant berating of 1960s youth, Loria detracts from his semi-interesting points with his own commentary. Using the Peanuts universe as a vessel to promote nationalist ideals is certainly an original thought, albeit not a good one.
January 3, 2021
The original cartoons are fantastic. Loria's commentary is useless blather, reminiscent of bad 60s Christian "youth" literature. No depth, no understanding, nothing worth reading. It's a great idea, but Loria was not the right guy to pull it off. Maybe Phillip Yancey. Or Jordan Peterson.
December 22, 2016
I found this book with another 60s Peanuts book at a Goodwill and assumed it to be another collection. $1 later (for the pair) and once arriving home, I realized this book was something else entirely.
As others have said, this is a strange book. Not a normal Peanuts collection, but rather a discussion of the socio-political meaning of Peanuts by the author in the context of the 60's. Loria seems to derive some of his judgements not from the comics, nor from the prevailing paradigm of the time, but his own personal paradigm as it conflicts with the types of "Haight-Ashbury and the East Village". He injects strange suggestions of what the Peanuts kids would do when faced with socio-political challenges such as war; they would dutifully serve. Some statement seem quite apt while others seem to be personal statements. The strangest (and off-putting) opinions by far are the one related to racial purity and duty to traditional gender roles. It is interesting to observe the experience of the author 50 years later.
Loria investigates the nature of liberal art forms ("but is it art?") versus the classical ones he purports the Peanuts characters to espouse, while not at all being self-aware that he is analyzing Sunday morning funny papers. Very strange read...
As others have said, this is a strange book. Not a normal Peanuts collection, but rather a discussion of the socio-political meaning of Peanuts by the author in the context of the 60's. Loria seems to derive some of his judgements not from the comics, nor from the prevailing paradigm of the time, but his own personal paradigm as it conflicts with the types of "Haight-Ashbury and the East Village". He injects strange suggestions of what the Peanuts kids would do when faced with socio-political challenges such as war; they would dutifully serve. Some statement seem quite apt while others seem to be personal statements. The strangest (and off-putting) opinions by far are the one related to racial purity and duty to traditional gender roles. It is interesting to observe the experience of the author 50 years later.
Loria investigates the nature of liberal art forms ("but is it art?") versus the classical ones he purports the Peanuts characters to espouse, while not at all being self-aware that he is analyzing Sunday morning funny papers. Very strange read...
April 21, 2010
Another in a long line of Peanuts books, by the cartoonist Charles Schulz. The cover alone is enchanting, featuring a fire in Snoopy's doghouse. His response? "My books! My records! My pool table! My Van Gogh! Sob!"
One intersting aspect of this book is the inclusion of some brief essays serving as scaffolding for cartoons. One segment discusses how the Peants' characters responds to problems. They illustrate with Linus' theory of "runism." Linus observes that "I don't like to face problems head on." He continues two panels later--"This is a distinct philosophy of mine." Final panel: "No problem is so big or so complicated that it can't be run away from!"
A clever volume, with brief essays illustrrated by a specific cartoon from the Peanuts' comic strips. Thoroughly enjoyable.
One intersting aspect of this book is the inclusion of some brief essays serving as scaffolding for cartoons. One segment discusses how the Peants' characters responds to problems. They illustrate with Linus' theory of "runism." Linus observes that "I don't like to face problems head on." He continues two panels later--"This is a distinct philosophy of mine." Final panel: "No problem is so big or so complicated that it can't be run away from!"
A clever volume, with brief essays illustrrated by a specific cartoon from the Peanuts' comic strips. Thoroughly enjoyable.
July 16, 2016
I loved this book!
While at home I used to stumble upon the peanuts on the lower half of usually ignored pages in the newspapers. Most of the times I used to skip them too, considering it naive and certainly not enough to figure out What's It All About.
While at home I used to stumble upon the peanuts on the lower half of usually ignored pages in the newspapers. Most of the times I used to skip them too, considering it naive and certainly not enough to figure out What's It All About.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews