judyward's review against another edition
3.0
On his honeymoon, Charles Schulz looked at his new wife and told her "I don't think that I can ever be happy." And I thought that Charlie Brown had some problems. This biography examines the life of an anxious, bitter, insecure, and emotionally distant man, who just happened to have a major influence on the culture of the United States in the second half of the 20th century. One of the highlights of this book is the inclusion of numerous Peanuts comic strips that illustrate the particular points that David Michaelis tries to make about the emotional complexity of Charles Schulz. A fascinating read.
dcox83's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book more for the perspective it game me about the Peanuts comic strip than about learning about Charles Schulz.
I never really got Peanuts or the charm it delivered on such a regular basis. Michaelis does a great job of deconstructing the strip from it's historical context when it started in 1952 and showing how it evolved with the times over the next 48 years.
I was also really surprised by how much Schulz put himself into each strip. His marriage of 22 years disolved because his wife felt he was too reserved and melancholy, (also, he had an affair with a much younger woman). The expression of emotions and thoughts that she constantly desired, though, was almost always present in his strips of that time.
When you understand how to connect Peanuts to it's author, religion, existentialism, WWII, idolatry and the lowness that daily life can bring about, it suddenly becomes a deep and personal story told in 4 panels every day.
I never really got Peanuts or the charm it delivered on such a regular basis. Michaelis does a great job of deconstructing the strip from it's historical context when it started in 1952 and showing how it evolved with the times over the next 48 years.
I was also really surprised by how much Schulz put himself into each strip. His marriage of 22 years disolved because his wife felt he was too reserved and melancholy, (also, he had an affair with a much younger woman). The expression of emotions and thoughts that she constantly desired, though, was almost always present in his strips of that time.
When you understand how to connect Peanuts to it's author, religion, existentialism, WWII, idolatry and the lowness that daily life can bring about, it suddenly becomes a deep and personal story told in 4 panels every day.
marianatole's review against another edition
3.0
It was almost difficult to get past the author's repeated declarations that a large part of Schulz's anxiety, self-deprecation, and depression was due to his relationship to his mother. By the end of the book, these statements were better (e.g. more directly) corroborated by Schulz's close friends and family, but keep in mind the book is nearly 600 pages long, and this all came in the last sixth of it.
Biography is difficult because writers have to practice a deft hand in presenting research and presenting careful theorization from their research. For the majority of the book, I felt that the writing gave too much to conjecture; not blatantly so, but subtly through word choice (sentence construction, too, perhaps) and the organization of ideas, as well as the organization of the book itself. Not awful, but its style disagreed with me somewhat.
As an informative history of a man's life, it accomplishes its task. I can't say that I came away appreciating Schulz or Peanuts more; I may even like the man a little less --- his emotional distance and insensitivity struck me as very White Male, though I can sympathize with his agoraphobia and anxiety. Even with thousands of pages, it would be difficult to convey the complexities and inferiority of one's own life, much less another's. My feelings about the book and about the individual in question are mixed. Doubtless, his influence is felt in the work of cartoonists, graphic novelists, and other artists active today. And that is significant.
Biography is difficult because writers have to practice a deft hand in presenting research and presenting careful theorization from their research. For the majority of the book, I felt that the writing gave too much to conjecture; not blatantly so, but subtly through word choice (sentence construction, too, perhaps) and the organization of ideas, as well as the organization of the book itself. Not awful, but its style disagreed with me somewhat.
As an informative history of a man's life, it accomplishes its task. I can't say that I came away appreciating Schulz or Peanuts more; I may even like the man a little less --- his emotional distance and insensitivity struck me as very White Male, though I can sympathize with his agoraphobia and anxiety. Even with thousands of pages, it would be difficult to convey the complexities and inferiority of one's own life, much less another's. My feelings about the book and about the individual in question are mixed. Doubtless, his influence is felt in the work of cartoonists, graphic novelists, and other artists active today. And that is significant.
laholmstro's review against another edition
1.0
Not sure if I like this book or not...mainly because I can't tell if I like the way it is written...this may take a while to get through...
katscribefever's review against another edition
4.0
It was a true delight to gain more intimate knowledge of one of the most beloved artists the United States has ever known. Charles Schulz was a cartoonist who felt deeply and had internal demons just like the rest of us; unlike most of us, though, he channeled those lifelong battles into works that we will be able to enjoy for years to come. Recommended for anyone who has ever enjoyed a Peanuts strip.
gusreads's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I enjoyed this comprehensive portrait of a beloved yet not well understood man. Charles Schulz was beloved by Americans from all walks of life as the creator of the most popular comic strip of all time. Yet he was a deeply complicated man and not as lovable as the characters he brought to life. The book looks holistically at his life and is not an exercise in hero worship. We see Schulz as the whole man he was, imperfections and insecurities included. A great informative read for anyone who loved Peanuts and wants to know more about the man behind the comic.
ronald_schoedel's review against another edition
4.0
Overall good. I loved the part on Schulz's childhood and early adult years. I really identified with him in many respects and can totally see how he arrived at the comic sense of humour that would come to be his signature for fifty years. I enjoyed the recreation of his youth in depression-era upper midwest (Minnesota), surrounded by Catholics and Lutherans, not really fitting in amongst his mother's extended family, and his relationship with his parents. He was obviously very fond of them, even though they loved him the way working class immigrants might be expected to love their child in the 1920s: by working hard for them, rather than providing emotional support.
I wish the author had spent more time on Schulz's later years, however. By the time Schulz was middle-aged, the narrative becomes more or less a telling of his marital troubles and affairs, with little time spent on the growing kingdom of Peanuts aside from the ice rink he and his first wife built. I would have loved to hear more about the transformation of Peanuts from a comic strip into the world's first international character licensing and marketing mega-powerhouse.
I also would have loved to read more about Schulz's transition from the shy but faithful man with no confidence to a wooer of ladies seeking out affairs as he gave up on his first marriage. It seemed an unexpected jump from faithful Church of God member--famous for his tithing and not drinking, smoking, or cursing--to arranging a quiet trip to Japan for his daughter to have an abortion and not long after leaving his wife of 22 years (and then blaming it all on her for not liking him anymore when he visited his former congregation in Minnesota). Seems like a huge transformation took place within him, but we read little of that here.
And, after he marries his second wife, the story more or less wraps up the next couple decades into a few brief chapters.
All in all, an enjoyable read. It was nice to know what made "Sparky" Schulz tick, even if the last half of his life is poorly underrepresented here.
I wish the author had spent more time on Schulz's later years, however. By the time Schulz was middle-aged, the narrative becomes more or less a telling of his marital troubles and affairs, with little time spent on the growing kingdom of Peanuts aside from the ice rink he and his first wife built. I would have loved to hear more about the transformation of Peanuts from a comic strip into the world's first international character licensing and marketing mega-powerhouse.
I also would have loved to read more about Schulz's transition from the shy but faithful man with no confidence to a wooer of ladies seeking out affairs as he gave up on his first marriage. It seemed an unexpected jump from faithful Church of God member--famous for his tithing and not drinking, smoking, or cursing--to arranging a quiet trip to Japan for his daughter to have an abortion and not long after leaving his wife of 22 years (and then blaming it all on her for not liking him anymore when he visited his former congregation in Minnesota). Seems like a huge transformation took place within him, but we read little of that here.
And, after he marries his second wife, the story more or less wraps up the next couple decades into a few brief chapters.
All in all, an enjoyable read. It was nice to know what made "Sparky" Schulz tick, even if the last half of his life is poorly underrepresented here.
mixxie67's review against another edition
4.0
This is a very well-researched, well-written, and insightful biography of a complicated man who made many people the world over happy with his work in spite of his own problems with chronic melancholy and self-doubt.
mhall's review against another edition
3.0
It's not that fun to read a book about a man who, while enormously successful, is never very happy. The success of Peanuts and Schulz in the context of the 1950s and 1960s, when a strip like that had never been done before, and in later years, when Schulz pioneered the merchandising of cartoon characters into products, never really seemed to affect Schulz's view of himself and his work. Michaelis does an excellent job of describing Schulz's early life in a way that lets you see how he could never enjoy his success in certain ways. Also, the use of selected Peanuts strips to illustrate his analysis is done very well.