David MichaelisRezensionen

Having grown up in Hyde Park with Valkill bordering my backyard, ER and the Roosevelts have always held an interest for me. This book seemed well researched. The excerpts from diaries and letters were interesting. I also appreciated how the author showed us how Eleanor's outlook on people and races evolved over the years. My one nit with the book is that it often seemed to jump around in time rather suddenly. For example, one chapter ends with FDR elected as governor of NY and then the next chapter opens with him as President without a segue.

Fascinating person and family. Well done.

Extraordinary life and beautifully written book.

An intense book not very well written but an education in FDR and American politics. The author did not admire FDR. A book that should be read by people in this country. It also presents the best reason for Japanese internment, the anti-sematism, his dislike of Churchill, and his agreement on lynching. It is just a hard read and somewhat dry.

Very interesting and a little confusing jumping back and forth through the years.

Melancholy.

That seems to sum up Charles Schulz’s life in one word. For a man known as “Sparky” who created so much joy for millions through Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, Lucy, Linus and the gang, he himself was never very happy.

This book covers the cartoonist’s whole life, loves (yes, including an unattainable little red-haired girl), highs, lows and all.

There really is a sadness to his life that comes through this book. It grounds him and gives the reader sympathy for him, but it’s an unrelenting sadness that makes sometimes makes for difficult reading. I guess that means it was true to his life – although some of Schulz’s kids apparently have taken issue with his portrayal in the book.

But back to Peanuts – you’ll learn how he encountered not one but three Charlie Browns in his life, one Linus, and a dog named Snupi. And a little person at his work that seems to be the inspiration for the iconic look of his characters.

Toward the end, Sparky may have found if not happiness at least some measure of contentment. But it didn’t last as cancer quickly took his life.

Peppered with comic strips (some duplicates too, oddly), this is an enlightening read.

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"All her life, Eleanor believed that she had to earn love--by pleasing others, by undertaking ever more numberless duties, by one more tour of useful Rooseveltian doing.~ from Eleanor by David Michaelis
Compared to her beautiful parents, she was plain. Her mother was a social butterfly and her father was charming. Her mother nicknamed her Granny. Her alcoholic father could make her feel like a princess, but he was unreliable and could not save her. She struggled with confidence all her life.

She found happiness with her grandparents and while away at school where she was mentored by a progressive, free thinking lesbian. She would have liked to become a nurse, but was fated to 'come out' into the marriage market.

She married her cousin when he was still a priggish outsider. She saw him become a handsome ladies man determined to follow their uncle Teddy's career path to the White House.

She bore nine children. She lost family to alcoholism and disease. When she learned of her husband's infidelity, her mother-in-law forbade divorce. She found love outside of her marriage and family with women and younger men.

"Martha Gellhorn thought of her as 'the loneliest human being I ever knew in my life'."~from Eleanor by David Michaelis

Remarkably, this unfortunate woman turned tragedy into strength, depression into action. She had been ignorant of politics and world affairs and had accepted the status quo understanding of status, race, religion, world affairs. She threw herself into the work of understanding human need. As she traveled the world and the country, she learned, expanded, and became a powerful voice.

She pushed her presidential husband toward positions of equity and inclusiveness and empathy and morality. She expanded the role of the First Lady, a tireless campaigner.

She was a leader in the United Nations as they forged the first statement of human rights. On the President's Commission on the Status of Women she "identified the issues that soon became the agenda of the women's movement."

David Michaelis has given us a marvelous, empathetic biography of this complex woman. He does not spare Franklin Roosevelt or shroud Eleanor's deep love for Lorena Hickok in doubt.

Eleanor is a timeless role model who should inspire each generation. Life did not break her, the times did not discourage her, public opinion did not stop her. Eleanor rose above it all to follow her innate moral compass and lead us all to compassion and a just society.

I was given a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Too much mommy complex and depressing stuff
I did enjoy the comics, though

A fascinating biography of an enigmatic man. Peanuts stands on its own as in many ways universal in its messages and experiences. But seeing how the biography of Schulz intersects with and influences his cartoons added another layer of understanding.

The final two sentences are poignant and profound: "To the very end, his life had been inseparable from his art. In the moment of ceasing to be a cartoonist, he ceased to be."

Well worth reading.

I've liked Peanuts for a long time, but didn't really know much about Charles Schulz. I enjoyed learning about his early life and how he came to cartooning/comics. The middle of his life made me wonder as he and his first wife grew apart and divorced. I thought it was interesting that his last comic strip coincidentally ran on the same day that he died.

At times the narrative seemed a bit disjointed--bopping to various times and places in different chapters.

An eye-opening account of the shy, bookish and ambitious military man who created the most popular comic in newspaper history.

Now I understand why the Schulz family isn't happy with this book: Charles Schulz comes off as a sadder sack than Charlie Brown! Still, it's an intriguing look at the development of and inspiration for Peanuts, and interesting to see how some of his strips paralleled stuff going on in his life. It's taking me a long time to read, though.

Charles M Schulz always wanted to be a cartoonist. From early childhood he displayed an extraordinary gift for drawing and impressed his teachers and friends with his talent. He was just twenty-seven when his comic strip PEANUTS debuted on Oct 2, 1950. For the rest of his life he would be the sole creator of the strip – conceiving, drawing and lettering the daily and Sunday strips without assistants. Stricken with colon cancer and weakened by chemotherapy, he announced his official retirement and the end of the strip in a Sunday comic featuring some of his favorite scenes. That final Sunday strip appeared on Feb 13, 2000 … the morning after he died at age 77.

This is a detailed, well-researched, and balanced biography of a man who was most often described as “shy,” “humble” and “complicated.” Granted full access to family papers, business records, and the memories of those who survived Schulz, Michaelis does a wonderful job of portraying Sparky. The book includes photos of Schulz throughout his life, as well as many of the comic strips, which illustrate how PEANUTS was really Schulz’s autobiography.

The audio book is read by Holter Graham. It is abridged, but still very good. I also had the text hardcover (for the illustrations) and used it to read those sections which were not included in the audio. In addition to the photos and comic strip illustrations, the audio does not include longer background pieces on the people around Schulz. Although the audio version offers a pretty complete picture of Sparky, I recommend reading the full biography.

Charles "Sparky" Shultz always wanted to be a cartoonist, and he drew the Peanuts comic strip for nearly 50 years, turning it into a marketing bonanza and its characters into cultural icons. But for all the happiness he brought to so many, he was himself a rather unhappy person. Raised in Minnesota, the only child of German and Norwegian parents who weren't particularly affectionate, he grew up very shy and insecure. His mother's death as he left to serve in WWII compounded his sense of aloneness, and he drew upon these feelings in his comic strip, creating characters with real anxieties and fears that millions related to. David Michaelis tells the ups and downs of Sparky's life as seen through his comics - and the book is loaded with them, illustrating the feelings and experiences he harnessed to make others laugh.

I've always been a big fan of the comics and especially Peanuts. I've still got a bunch of little paperbacks of the strips which my kids love to read, and I remember trying to draw Snoopy pretending to be a vulture in a tree - not so easy it turned out (I think I ended up tracing it). Personally, I always sympathized most with Charlie Brown - unfortunately, I even looked like him as a kid. But I never would have guessed at the creator's general unhappiness.

Initially, I though that Michaelis was reaching too much, trying to draw conclusions and observations about Shultz's upbringing from comics that didn't necessarily prove his point. But the further I got into the book the clearer the pattern emerged and seemed to fit. I've heard the family wasn't entirely pleased with the finished book - which is certainly understandable - but it seemed to me to be thoroughly researched. It's disappointing to learn that someone who so frequently brought a smile to my face didn't always have one for himself, but it's also inspiring to know he succeeded in spite of his challenges. I found this a very compelling and enjoyable book. I highly recommend it.

Argh!! I made it all the way to part 5 of this and then had to return it to the library. Maybe some day I'll finish it, but for now I'm going to work through a backlog of non-library books that have been piling up on my nightstand. I just can't deal with due dates right now. Regardless of my failure to finish it, though, this book was great. I grew up reading Peanuts, and when the new collections came out a few years back, I read them and loved them all over again. Pure genius. Schulz was an interesting person: melancholic, anxious, self-deprecating, and fanatically dedicated to his comic strip. It seems like that was the only part of his life where he truly felt in control. Some may say that he lived a contradictory life, and that he sold out Peanuts in an epic explosion of crass commercialism. Who knows. The comic was amazing, and as far as I'm concerned that's all that really counts. People are always obsessed with finding out about who is behind a creative work. Usually they end up disappointed, so it's probably not worth digging around in the first place.

interesting take on life on probably best-known cartoonist of the mid and late 20th century. could have done with more insight on Schulz' thinking and less on things like his emotional affair at midlife with an ambitious young woman. I did enjoy learning more about what it was like growing up in an upper Midwest city in the early part of the century.

Michaelis's biography of "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz provides the reader with an incredibly detailed - and sometimes tedious and sad - look at the life of one of America's most beloved cartoonists. With more than 200 "Peanuts" strips interspersed through the book, the reader comes away with a newfound insight into the inspiration and life experiences that became the lives of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, and other members of the "Peanuts" gang. It is impossible to come away from this book without a deeper appreciation for Schulz and "Peanuts" as well as respect for David Michaelis for presenting such a richly detailed and extensively researched look at the life of Charles Schulz.

Up front, I only made it about halfway through this slog of a read, although I did skim the second half while reading the comic strips reprinted in the book and it seems to get a bit more interesting when dealing with Schulz's divorce. Michaelis spends page after page after page explaining, basically, what a boring guy Schulz was. And boy, was he ever. Like dry white toast. I loved Peanuts growing up, and I still do. But man, Michaelis needed to punch up his writing a bit when dealing with such a dull guy. Sorry to say, I can't recommend this to anyone, just go buy a Peanuts retrospective, it's what you really want anyhow.½

Full-length biography of the greatest cartoonist of the last century, Charles M. Schulz. Includes details of the family life, career and far-reaching public influence of the creator of one of the best known comic strips and cartoons of all time, Peanuts. The books is detailed and truly fascinating but, like its subject, a bit melancholy. It is thoroughly researched and includes well-chosen panels from the strip that correlate to major events/themes in Sparky's life. A definite recommend for anybody contemplating a career in the arts as well as anybody who loves Snoopy and the gang.

Very interesting. I have loved Snoopy and the Peanuts gang forever and was great to learn more about the man behind them all.

Apparently, there's a lot of controversy about this book, but I found it a good read. I appreciated the insights into Schulz's character and experiences (especially his junior high and high school experiences) which influenced the mood and content of his cartoon strips, and I found it an engaging biography to read.

Long, at times repetitive (especially of his thesis regarding the impact of Schulz's relationship with his mother), but still a very good read. I had forgotten how pervasive and influential Peanuts happened to be at its height. It was nice to revisit that time in my life and the country's history. The inclusion of multiple Peanuts strips to illustrate various points, including many that reflect Schulz's own experiences, was well done. It was eye-opening to discover that all was not peaches and cream with Mr. Schulz. I enjoyed learning about him. Recommended, though it will be a time investment.

I enjoyed about the first half. Once Schulz had settled into the routine of writing a syndicated comic strip, I felt the book got less interesting. I also discovered that the family was very critical of Michaelis' handling of Schulz's adult life, particularly the amount of time that was spent on the breakup of his first marriage.

The world of Peanuts is more than a comic strip; it is greeting cards, TV shows, stuffed pillows, even a blimp. There are so many ways we remember the characters drawn by Charles Schulz. All of these involve happy memories. So we might actually look forward to a biography written about the creator of the comic strip.

Schulz and Peanuts is not a happy book; it corners the market on depressing. This book certainly cannot be accused of being a hagioraphy. Readers do want the truth, and I do not doubt that what is written in this book is at least close to the truth; it is just that there was a lot that was not written in this book that is the truth too. And that part would have made the book more enjoyable to read and undoubtedly closer to being the person that Schulz was

David Michaelis does show that the strip was an extension of all that Schulz was--his view of himself, his view of others, and his view of life. It was fascinating to see how he wrote about his improprieties without anyone knowing about them. When Snoopy said,"I think I"m in love, (p.455)" Michaelis conjectures that those were Schulz's thoughts, and that they weren't about his wife.

Though MIchaelis does go after the soul of the man, I believe he misses the grandeur of his accomplishments. Michaelis believed that Schulz always wanted to show that "he was something" (p.113). This feeling would compete with those around him. The author becomes one of the biggest characters in this book because instead of simply telling a story, he gives the reader his view on it all and the reader ends up arguing with the author instead of interacting with Schultz. The author dwells to long on Schulz's misadventures, and not enough time on his accomplishments.

What would I have liked to have read? I would have liked to have read more of his techniques and strategies in drawing. I would like more scenes with his family and fewer of his illicit and failed relationships. I would have liked to have read more of his interaction with cartoonists and the different causes he used his talents for. Don't just stretch him out on the couch for analysis;. give a view of all the man did. There was a lot left out that could have provided at least a break from the grimness.

If one wants to read about Charles Schulz, read Rhetta Grimsley Johnson's book, Good Grief. It can also be glum, but one will have a more complete picture of the creator of Peanuts.

Slowly working my way through this. Maybe it gets better later? But so far -- meh. The writing is just snooze-inducing.