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The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers

The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers

Written by Maxwell King

Narrated by LeVar Burton

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Ratings:

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars4.5/5 (116 ratings)

Length: 14 hours

Publisher:: Oasis Audio
Released:: Sep 4, 2018
ISBN:: 9781621888437
Format:: Audiobook

Editor's Note

Oscars snub…

The documentary of Mr. Rogers’ life, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” was snubbed by the Academy this year. (Who snubs MR. ROGERS? That is just rude.) If you’re still feeling the sting — or want to know even more about Mr. Rogers’ life — this biography (narrated by the also-beloved LeVar Burton) is for you.

Description

Fred Rogers (1928-2003) was an enormously influential figure in the history of television and in the lives of tens of millions of children. As the creator and star of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, he was a champion of compassion, equality, and kindness. Rogers was fiercely devoted to children and to taking their fears, concerns, and questions about the world seriously.

The Good Neighbor, the first full-length biography of Fred Rogers, tells the story of this utterly unique and enduring American icon. Drawing on original interviews, oral histories, and archival documents, Maxwell King traces Rogers's personal, professional, and artistic life through decades of work, including a surprising decision to walk away from the show to make television for adults, only to return to the neighborhood with increasingly sophisticated episodes, written in collaboration with experts on childhood development. An engaging story, rich in detail, The Good Neighbor is the definitive portrait of a beloved figure, cherished by multiple generations.

The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers

Book Actions

Start Listening

Book Information

The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers

Written by Maxwell King

Narrated by LeVar Burton

Ratings:

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars4.5/5 (116 ratings)

Length: 14 hours

Editor's Note

Oscars snub…

The documentary of Mr. Rogers’ life, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” was snubbed by the Academy this year. (Who snubs MR. ROGERS? That is just rude.) If you’re still feeling the sting — or want to know even more about Mr. Rogers’ life — this biography (narrated by the also-beloved LeVar Burton) is for you.

Description

Fred Rogers (1928-2003) was an enormously influential figure in the history of television and in the lives of tens of millions of children. As the creator and star of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, he was a champion of compassion, equality, and kindness. Rogers was fiercely devoted to children and to taking their fears, concerns, and questions about the world seriously.

The Good Neighbor, the first full-length biography of Fred Rogers, tells the story of this utterly unique and enduring American icon. Drawing on original interviews, oral histories, and archival documents, Maxwell King traces Rogers's personal, professional, and artistic life through decades of work, including a surprising decision to walk away from the show to make television for adults, only to return to the neighborhood with increasingly sophisticated episodes, written in collaboration with experts on childhood development. An engaging story, rich in detail, The Good Neighbor is the definitive portrait of a beloved figure, cherished by multiple generations.

Publisher:: Oasis Audio
Released:: Sep 4, 2018
ISBN:: 9781621888437
Format:: Audiobook

About the author

MK

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4.5

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

116 ratings / 27 reviews

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Rating: 4 out of 5 stars(4/5)

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The Good Neighbor- what a great title! I listened to the audiobook, beautifully narrated by LeVar Burton. Learning about Fred Rogers, the person, and his work, which was really his calling, was a great experience. I learned that who he was on television was who he really was in real life, which was a revelation for me and took some time for me to trust. I learned that he was a trained and dedicated musician and composer and that the music of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood was mostly written by himself. It's a gift to the children watching the show. When Mr Rogers dies at the end of the book, I cried. Throughout the book, the author tells us that Mr. Rogers met someone and then they had a lifelong friendship. I thought to myself, "He was really good at making lifelong friends!" Then I watched his goodbye to his viewers, available on Youtube, and he called his adult viewers his lifelong friends. It was then I realized I was one of the lifelong friends he had made. It's a good feeling to appreciate Mr Rogers as an adult!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars(4/5)

The Good Neighbor- what a great title! I listened to the audiobook, beautifully narrated by LeVar Burton. Learning about Fred Rogers, the person, and his work, which was really his calling, was a great experience. I learned that who he was on television was who he really was in real life, which was a revelation for me and took some time for me to trust. I learned that he was a trained and dedicated musician and composer and that the music of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood was mostly written by himself. It's a gift to the children watching the show. When Mr Rogers dies at the end of the book, I cried. Throughout the book, the author tells us that Mr. Rogers met someone and then they had a lifelong friendship. I thought to myself, "He was really good at making lifelong friends!" Then I watched his goodbye to his viewers, available on Youtube, and he called his adult viewers his lifelong friends. It was then I realized I was one of the lifelong friends he had made. It's a good feeling to appreciate Mr Rogers as an adult!

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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5/5)

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This is a biography of Fred Rogers, an icon of children's television for decades. Rogers' Mister Rogers' Neighborhood was pioneering children's educational programming, premiering in 1968 and continuing, with a four-year hiatus, until 2001.Rogers was more than just a tv performer, which I always knew, but also a great deal more than I was aware of. That he was a Presbyterian minister was well-known. Also the fact that he controlled the production of the show pretty completely.What I didn't know was that he was an accomplished musician. Or that he was a composer and wrote most of the music and lyrics himself. Or that he studied early childhood education with some of the most distinguished experts in the field.He was dedicated, serious, and knowledgeable, to an extent I hadn't imagined.What's also interesting is the fact that this quiet, unassuming man, who lived and dressed very modestly and frugally, was from a very wealthy family. That wealth gave him the freedom to do what he thought was right with his tv show, to never commercialize the puppets and other props or advertise directly to children. It limited to some extent the reach of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which never had the ratings or profitability of Sesame Street,but it did have a very broad reach among they young children he most wanted to serve, and it delivered the message he wanted to deliver. That refusal to commercialize often drove people wanting to promote him bananas, but he held to his principles, and to the ability to do what he thought was best with his program.This is a friendly but not an uncritical biography. Fred Rogers was a good man but no more perfect than the rest of us--and he would have been the first to say so. He did have a temper, and could be very rigid. The narration is by LeVar Burton, who is just a marvelously appropriate choice, and does a wonderful job.Highly recommended.I bought this audiobook.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5/5)

This is a biography of Fred Rogers, an icon of children's television for decades. Rogers' Mister Rogers' Neighborhood was pioneering children's educational programming, premiering in 1968 and continuing, with a four-year hiatus, until 2001.Rogers was more than just a tv performer, which I always knew, but also a great deal more than I was aware of. That he was a Presbyterian minister was well-known. Also the fact that he controlled the production of the show pretty completely.What I didn't know was that he was an accomplished musician. Or that he was a composer and wrote most of the music and lyrics himself. Or that he studied early childhood education with some of the most distinguished experts in the field.He was dedicated, serious, and knowledgeable, to an extent I hadn't imagined.What's also interesting is the fact that this quiet, unassuming man, who lived and dressed very modestly and frugally, was from a very wealthy family. That wealth gave him the freedom to do what he thought was right with his tv show, to never commercialize the puppets and other props or advertise directly to children. It limited to some extent the reach of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which never had the ratings or profitability of Sesame Street,but it did have a very broad reach among they young children he most wanted to serve, and it delivered the message he wanted to deliver. That refusal to commercialize often drove people wanting to promote him bananas, but he held to his principles, and to the ability to do what he thought was best with his program.This is a friendly but not an uncritical biography. Fred Rogers was a good man but no more perfect than the rest of us--and he would have been the first to say so. He did have a temper, and could be very rigid. The narration is by LeVar Burton, who is just a marvelously appropriate choice, and does a wonderful job.Highly recommended.I bought this audiobook.

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Rating: 4 out of 5 stars(4/5)

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Using copious interviews with friends and family of Fred Rogers, Maxwell King fleshes out a detailed biography of the man who became a "neighbor" to generations of children.From growing up the only child (until his sister was adopted 11 years later) of a wealthy couple in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to having a vision for what the medium of television could bring to early childhood education and finally to having one of the best-loved children's programs of all time, Fred Rogers was an incredibly driven and gifted man with an extraordinary capacity to love and hear others. King paints a picture of a sensitive child growing into a pretty amazing individual, drawing significantly on personal interviews with Rogers' family members - his wife, his sister, his kids - and friends and co-workers. I grew up with Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and loved the land of Make Believe and the operas, so that portion of the book was the most interesting to me, reading about the great care Mister Rogers took in crafting each show and making sure that nothing he said, not a word, would cause a child alarm. I had songs in my head that I'd almost forgotten all week because I was reading about them, from "It's Such a Good Feeling" to "It's You I Like." There were a lot of details I did not know, and a few anecdotes that made me laugh out loud. Because King covering so much material in a loosely chronological way but also inserting themes, such as music or Rogers' values, it does get repetitive. King didn't seem to want to leave anything out, so while the read was long, it's a lovely tribute to a man I highly respect.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars(4/5)

Using copious interviews with friends and family of Fred Rogers, Maxwell King fleshes out a detailed biography of the man who became a "neighbor" to generations of children.From growing up the only child (until his sister was adopted 11 years later) of a wealthy couple in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to having a vision for what the medium of television could bring to early childhood education and finally to having one of the best-loved children's programs of all time, Fred Rogers was an incredibly driven and gifted man with an extraordinary capacity to love and hear others. King paints a picture of a sensitive child growing into a pretty amazing individual, drawing significantly on personal interviews with Rogers' family members - his wife, his sister, his kids - and friends and co-workers. I grew up with Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and loved the land of Make Believe and the operas, so that portion of the book was the most interesting to me, reading about the great care Mister Rogers took in crafting each show and making sure that nothing he said, not a word, would cause a child alarm. I had songs in my head that I'd almost forgotten all week because I was reading about them, from "It's Such a Good Feeling" to "It's You I Like." There were a lot of details I did not know, and a few anecdotes that made me laugh out loud. Because King covering so much material in a loosely chronological way but also inserting themes, such as music or Rogers' values, it does get repetitive. King didn't seem to want to leave anything out, so while the read was long, it's a lovely tribute to a man I highly respect.

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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5/5)

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VERY interesting book - especially if you've ever lived in the Pittsburgh area. I had no idea how instrumental Fred Rogers had been at the start of public television in the area and the country.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5/5)

VERY interesting book - especially if you've ever lived in the Pittsburgh area. I had no idea how instrumental Fred Rogers had been at the start of public television in the area and the country.

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Rating: 4 out of 5 stars(4/5)

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Mr Rogers was an amazing man with incredible integrity and authenticity. He walked his talk.The book went into great detail about all facets of his life. At times it was a bit tedious and other times it was a wonderful journey. I was to old to grow up with his shows but I plan to search some of them out to experience directly the impact he made on others, especially children.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars(4/5)

Mr Rogers was an amazing man with incredible integrity and authenticity. He walked his talk.The book went into great detail about all facets of his life. At times it was a bit tedious and other times it was a wonderful journey. I was to old to grow up with his shows but I plan to search some of them out to experience directly the impact he made on others, especially children.

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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5/5)

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What you saw on screen was what you would encounter in person. The slow pace and gentle delivery of Mr. Rogers were just the same on screen and off. His belief in his methods based on child development research and his faith were backed by a very strong will. On the occasions when someone would get under his skin, his voice changed from Mr. Rogers to the irritated voice of one of his puppets. Off color remarks would be made in the voice of the “mean-spirited Lady Elaine Fairchilde,” and when an uncompromising command was needed his son Jim recalls, "If he had to be the authority figure, he was King Friday, who would tell us it was time to go to bed."King’s biography of television producer, composer, puppeteer, and Presbyterian minister is positive and inspiring without drifting into hagiography. This is a “warts and all” portrait of the chubby little rich kid who grew up to become an iconic television personality, and a major force in children’s television. It includes both his strengths and what his critics didn’t like about his emphasis on unconditionally accepting each child “just the way you are.” On balance the warts seem minor, compared with his virtues.Burton’s narration is upbeat. That is, he uses the cadence and intonation with which he presented books on Reading Rainbow. The only time he uses his considerable acting talents is when he’s voicing direct quotations.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5/5)

What you saw on screen was what you would encounter in person. The slow pace and gentle delivery of Mr. Rogers were just the same on screen and off. His belief in his methods based on child development research and his faith were backed by a very strong will. On the occasions when someone would get under his skin, his voice changed from Mr. Rogers to the irritated voice of one of his puppets. Off color remarks would be made in the voice of the “mean-spirited Lady Elaine Fairchilde,” and when an uncompromising command was needed his son Jim recalls, "If he had to be the authority figure, he was King Friday, who would tell us it was time to go to bed."King’s biography of television producer, composer, puppeteer, and Presbyterian minister is positive and inspiring without drifting into hagiography. This is a “warts and all” portrait of the chubby little rich kid who grew up to become an iconic television personality, and a major force in children’s television. It includes both his strengths and what his critics didn’t like about his emphasis on unconditionally accepting each child “just the way you are.” On balance the warts seem minor, compared with his virtues.Burton’s narration is upbeat. That is, he uses the cadence and intonation with which he presented books on Reading Rainbow. The only time he uses his considerable acting talents is when he’s voicing direct quotations.

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