The Good Neighbor : : the Life and Work of Fred Rogers

Locations
Call Number: 921 Rogers, Fred, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Biography / Musicians & Entertainers / Rogers, Fred
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	921 Rogers, Fred	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Biography / Musicians & Entertainers / Rogers, Fred	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Biography / Musicians & Entertainers / Rogers, Fred	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Prologue: A beautiful day -- Freddy -- Breathing room -- College days -- Love and music -- Basic training -- The children's corner -- On-air ministry -- Dr. Margaret McFarland -- Toronto and the CBC -- The birth of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood -- The Pastore hearing -- Language and meaning -- Mister Rogers, boss and teacher -- Puppet world -- On hiatus -- He's back! -- Behind the scenes in the Neighborhood -- Fred Rogers, musician -- Mister Rogers's family values -- Fearless authenticity -- Swimming -- The legacy -- The end of the Neighborhood -- America's favorite neighbor -- Mister Rogers lives on -- Epilogue: A personal note on the importance of Fred Rogers.
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.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

We need more people like him in the world submitted by kerstinrh on June 26, 2019, 6:43pm Loved learning about Fred Rogers! We could sure use more people in the world like him committed to acceptance and kindness. And the audiobook is narrated by LeVar Burton which is very fitting!

A nice, and rarely seen view into the life behind-the-scenes submitted by Cherie on July 25, 2023, 5:13pm Fred Rogers has helped to develop the minds of youth for many generations, so it’s wonderful to learn how he developed into everyone’s favorite neighbor.

As you read about his sheltered childhood in Latrobe, PA, you will glean some insight into why Fred Rogers is so invested in children’s development. Then moving on to his college years and early adult life, you find how he combines his love of music, puppetry, children, and the church into the beginnings of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. As his career flourishes, you learn how dedicated he is to the quality and care he gives to his show and interactions with others. Myths are addressed and debunked, and memories (happy and sad) are shared. The chapter on Rogers' final weeks are heart-wrenching, but resolve somewhat hopefully in the following chapter when learning of the legacy he left behind.

The author seems to lose focus in a few places as he writes mini-bios on some of the significant figures in Rogers’ life, dedicating an entire chapter to the child psychologist he worked most closely with. Although interesting, it detracts from the main focus of the book. There are also many points throughout the book that are quite repetitive - retelling little stories, quirks, or other facts. If one takes frequent breaks reading this book, I can see how that would be helpful, but if you're reading several chapters at a time, it becomes tiresome. Also, the author seems to have glossed over, or entirely missed, some of the more interesting parts of his life - like how he wouldn't let the cast member who played Officer Clemens come out as homosexual on the show for fear he would lose sponsorship, but later encouraged the actor to pursue a long-term gay relationship and became a great friends with many people in the LGBTQ community; how he addressed the Vietnam War in his first week of the show; or what he did/how he felt when 9/11 happened.

If you’re looking for a conflict-driven expose, you won’t find it here. Much like the famed show, the author wrote a calm and slow-paced narrative. Although some may critically view it as an informal canonization of Fred Rogers, it's still a nice, and rarely seen view into the life behind-the-scenes of a genuinely kind and wonderful man.