From the Bookshelf of Retro Chapter Chicks …

The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers

Maxwell King

Start date: March 1, 2019

Finish date: March 31, 2019

Discussion: Past Book Discussions 2014-19

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 406 topics — 11,734 comments total

Past Book Discussions 2014-19

Dec 2019: The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman
By Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴… , Founding Retro Chick · 51 posts · 18 views

last updated Nov 30, 2020 08:05AM

December 2017 Buddy Read: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
By deleted member · 45 posts · 23 views

last updated Oct 29, 2020 11:12AM

showing 10 of 10 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Oct 15, 2018 Brina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: biography, celebrity

I grew up watching Mister Rogers Neighborhood, and suffice it to say, most Americans who turned five by 2001 probably did as well. My husband watched the program to help him with his English when he first came to this country. Mister Rogers is by all accounts an American icon, so, when I saw on my goodreads feed a few months back that a new biography on Fred Rogers would be published this year, I knew that it was a book I just had to read. The Good Neighbor, written by a longtime Rogers acquaint I grew up watching Mister Rogers Neighborhood, and suffice it to say, most Americans who turned five by 2001 probably did as well. My husband watched the program to help him with his English when he first came to this country. Mister Rogers is by all accounts an American icon, so, when I saw on my goodreads feed a few months back that a new biography on Fred Rogers would be published this year, I knew that it was a book I just had to read. The Good Neighbor, written by a longtime Rogers acquaintance Maxwell King, allows readers to meet the Fred Rogers from off the air. It was a nostalgic trip, and has become one of the highlights of my reading year.

Fred Rogers grew up as an only child, loved by his parents and grandparents until the age of eleven when his parents adopted a girl who they always wanted. A chubby kid who was often ridiculed by his peers, Rogers turned to a make believe world of puppets to help him get through his childhood. His parents and maternal grandparents had grown wealthy through hard work and achieved their personal American dream, becoming among the wealthiest members of the Latrobe, Pennsylvania community in which they lived. Fred’s mother taught both kindness and philanthropy, giving selflessly to all the needy families in their church and outside community. Fred would accompany his mother to New York City each December on trips to buy gifts for the community as well as for his family. Yet, young Fred was still ridiculed at school, sometimes for his appearance, other times for his wealth and he stood out. His parents kept him home for stretches of a time and it was there that he honed his skills as a puppeteer and musician that would feature on his signature children’s program many decades later.

Fred Rogers eventually graduated from Rollins College, where he also met his future wife Joanne. The couple both majored in music, with Fred also studying French and maintaining a lifelong correspondence with many of his professors from the school. Fred had desired to go into the ministry but he knew his calling was young children. During the 1950s, the few programs marketed toward children were variety hours as the Howdy Doody Show and Kukla, Fran, and Ollie. While these hours on the new medium of television were fun and upbeat, Fred Rogers envisioned himself ministering to children and their parents through television. Through connections from his grandfather, Rogers gained an internship at fledgling station NBC in New York where he began his professional career; however, as a young college graduate, he was not given space to be creative and eventually moved to a local station in Pittsburgh where for the next decade he would develop behind the scenes a cutting edge program for children, with help from local early education specialists and ministers. This show named the Fred Rogers Hour was the first of its kind and would endure for decades.

Fred Rogers loved all people just the way they were. That was the message he broadcast on his show, later known as Mister Rogers Neighborhood, for decades. Rogers signature program ran for the better part of four decades. He combined his knowledge of music, puppeteering, early childhood education, and ministry to create a safe place for children from all walks of life. While Rogers’ counterpart Sesame Street was considered fast paced and fun, lasting a whole hour, Rogers developed a theme and ran with it for a half hour for an entire week. He spent hours in writing and meeting with the production team to develop each show, his work often lasting an entire day. Rogers discussed themes as divorce, death of a loved one or pet, childhood disability, and interracial relationships at a time when these topics were not discussed on television in any capacity. Diffusing difficult situations with his puppets in the land of make believe and light hearted songs, Rogers reached the heart of his viewers, making growing up just a little easier for them in the half hour he had with the children each day. While many doubted that Rogers could create a ministry on live television and were reluctant to ordain him, Mister Rogers television persona has endured over multiple generations. It is the safe place for children that at times Fred Rogers himself did not have growing up, which is why it is always a beautiful day in his neighborhood.

During the World Series this year, Fox aired a commercial for Pixel 3 featuring a Fred Rogers voice over having his question how the world works. It was told through the eyes of a child and was a refreshing breath of fresh air in this world we now live in that is connected by media and a twenty four hour news cycle. What would he make of his program being available on platforms as Netflix and YouTube and phones that take pictures of everything in the flash of an eye. There are times when I want to go to Mister Rogers Neighborhood, to visit the bakery, the library, and discuss life with the mail carrier. Earning the Presidential Medal of Freedom during his lifetime, Fred Rogers’ ministry has truly endured, making him an American treasure and an underrated American icon of the 20th century.

5 star read ...more

223 likes · Like · see review

Oct 15, 2019 Candi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, biography-autobiography-memoir

"One of the most radical figures of contemporary history never ran a country or led a battle. . . . He became a legend by wearing a cardigan and taking off his shoes. . . . Rogers was a genius of empathy . . . fearless enough to be kind." - Mary Elizabeth Williams, journalist

Not much needs to be said to introduce a reader of this review to the legendary figure of Fred Rogers. Many of us grew up with him; those who did not tune into him weekday mornings will likely be familiar with this cherished "One of the most radical figures of contemporary history never ran a country or led a battle. . . . He became a legend by wearing a cardigan and taking off his shoes. . . . Rogers was a genius of empathy . . . fearless enough to be kind." - Mary Elizabeth Williams, journalist

Not much needs to be said to introduce a reader of this review to the legendary figure of Fred Rogers. Many of us grew up with him; those who did not tune into him weekday mornings will likely be familiar with this cherished icon of childhood regardless. Whether you enjoyed his programming or not, I think it would be difficult to deny that he was a kind and generous man who made a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and parents alike over the many years that his show was broadcast. He was innovative and creative. I didn’t realize he was such a gifted musician! What I knew of ‘Mister Rogers’ before reading this was limited to what I saw on the screen as a child. I happily read this biography and learned so much more. It is a comprehensive examination of his life – both professionally and personally – from his childhood straight through to his grievous death at the age of seventy-five due to his battle with stomach cancer. I walked away from this book with an even greater respect for this most gracious human being.

"He exemplified a life lived by the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,’ found in some form in almost every religion and philosophy through history. His lesson is as simple and direct as Fred was: Human kindness will always make life better."

Over and over again while reading the story of Fred Rogers’ life, I couldn’t help but think that we desperately need more men and women in our lives with his kind of values - his sense of humility and his desire to make all feel welcome and important no matter what, among many others. I found myself getting a bit teary-eyed! I did not expect this to happen! I think there is such a lack of true humanity and compassion in much of our country and world right now. I feel very troubled for what lies ahead of us, what our children and the next generation have to deal with, if more and more people become less and less attuned to the needs of others. But then I know there are people with values similar to Fred Rogers out there, and I could hear his voice reassuring me with: "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." They are out there somewhere; we just need to seek them out. Thank you for that bit of hope, Mister Rogers.

To fairly assess this book, I have to admit to one major criticism I had while reading – it tended to be repetitive. I think that it would have been to the reader’s benefit had there been a greater condensing of some of the details. So for me the narrative itself was perhaps worthy of 3/3.5 stars while the story of Fred Rogers undoubtedly earned the full 5 stars – I’ll even it out with a 4 star rating. After all, I admire the man from the bottom of my heart.

"When I was a boy I used to think that strong meant having big muscles, great physical power; but the longer I live, the more I realize that real strength has much more to do with what is not seen. Real strength has to do with helping others." – Fred Rogers
...more

137 likes · Like · see review

Sep 17, 2018 debbicat *made of stardust* rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley, arc, 2018-publish-date

5 stars! I love it! I requested this title from NetGalley just a few days before it was published, after seeing it on my home feed a few times on GoodReads. I instantly knew I would love it after only reading a few pages. I did not get to complete it before the publish date, but I got a notification from Hoopla, the library app, that it was available in ebook and audio. I thought I'd check the audio out as I am in the car a lot for my commute. So excited to find Lavar Burton of Reading Rainbow n ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Mar 21, 2019 Kelly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: biography-memoir, 2019-52-book-challenge

Fred Rogers is an inspiration to me as an educator and human being. I was honored to learn so much about his life and work from Maxwell King. Hearing LeVar Burton read this audio version was the icing on the cake. While reading, I'm not sure what was better - seeing that Amazon Prime TV has all of the seasons of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood or that my 7 year old daughter watches the episodes now and really likes them. Watching the slow-paced, warm, educational show is so enjoyable and refreshing. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 12, 2022 Navah marked it as to-read

Sep 08, 2018 Kris (My Novelesque Life) marked it as to-read

Mar 12, 2019 Sharmon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, 2019, audio

Mar 30, 2019 Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu rated it it was amazing

Shelves: biography

Group Home Bookshelf Discussions

Photos Videos

Send invite Members Polls