The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King (Review)

Book review of a comprehensive biography about everyone’s favorite neighbor.

Beloved and revered by millions, Fred Rogers was the ultimate champion of children. Through music, puppets and direct yet gentle conversation, his groundbreaking television show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” constantly reminded a generation of children that they were special just for being themselves.

Rogers’s timeless lessons still resonate years after his death in 2003. Somehow, they’ve taken on even more meaning and are especially comforting and necessary in this uncertain and scary world. Can you think of a tragedy in the past decade, for example, when we haven’t been reminded to look for the helpers?

The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers is the ultimate biography of this iconic man who grew up in Latrobe, Pennsylvania in an extremely wealthy family (his mother was known for purchasing more than 1,500 Christmas presents) but whose own childhood included experiences of being overweight and bullied by peers. Dealing with those challenges helped to form Rogers’s mindset about children and, ultimately, his appeal to countless people who still consider him their neighbor and friend.