annieb123's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Officer Clemmons is a memoir by Francois Clemmons detailing his early life, education, and time as Officer Clemmons, the character he played on Mr. Rogers' Neigborhood on PBS. Released 5th May 2020 by Catapult Books, it's 288 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
I grew up near Pittsburgh, PA and though I was slightly too old to really be a part of Mr. Rogers' target audience (I was more a Sesame St. and Electric Co. kid), I always loved watching Mr. Rogers (since it was aired on our PBS station just before my shows). The genuine warmth and respect he showed to everyone made a deep impression on me, and he has been a role model to several generations of kids.
I always enjoyed the different characters who appeared on his show and liked that there was a continuity and dependability to the show's format and actors. It's incredible to think about how long lived the characters and the actors who brought them to life were associated with the show and I've often thought about how the show and the people associated with it provided some much needed stability and positive reinforcement to a lot of vulnerable kids.
Anyhow, this is a respectful, well written memoir mostly about Francois Clemmons' early life and upbringing, his education, and his years working with Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. There's a directness and honesty to his writing that is effective and moving. I found myself so touched and sad and angry at the casual violence and racism that were a part of his early life. He talks openly about his family history, the loss of family members to violence/murder, the casual systemic racism of the southern USA in the 1950s, and on top of all of that, his growing awareness of his sexual orientation in a society which was openly hostile to non-binary people. He made a lot of difficult decisions to sacrifice emotional parts of his life in order to work in children's programming and specifically with Fred Rogers.
I did enjoy the book, and the behind-the-scenes reminiscences, despite much of it being sad and poignant. Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Officer Clemmons is a memoir by Francois Clemmons detailing his early life, education, and time as Officer Clemmons, the character he played on Mr. Rogers' Neigborhood on PBS. Released 5th May 2020 by Catapult Books, it's 288 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
I grew up near Pittsburgh, PA and though I was slightly too old to really be a part of Mr. Rogers' target audience (I was more a Sesame St. and Electric Co. kid), I always loved watching Mr. Rogers (since it was aired on our PBS station just before my shows). The genuine warmth and respect he showed to everyone made a deep impression on me, and he has been a role model to several generations of kids.
I always enjoyed the different characters who appeared on his show and liked that there was a continuity and dependability to the show's format and actors. It's incredible to think about how long lived the characters and the actors who brought them to life were associated with the show and I've often thought about how the show and the people associated with it provided some much needed stability and positive reinforcement to a lot of vulnerable kids.
Anyhow, this is a respectful, well written memoir mostly about Francois Clemmons' early life and upbringing, his education, and his years working with Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. There's a directness and honesty to his writing that is effective and moving. I found myself so touched and sad and angry at the casual violence and racism that were a part of his early life. He talks openly about his family history, the loss of family members to violence/murder, the casual systemic racism of the southern USA in the 1950s, and on top of all of that, his growing awareness of his sexual orientation in a society which was openly hostile to non-binary people. He made a lot of difficult decisions to sacrifice emotional parts of his life in order to work in children's programming and specifically with Fred Rogers.
I did enjoy the book, and the behind-the-scenes reminiscences, despite much of it being sad and poignant. Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
tifflovesfandoms22's review against another edition
5.0
beautiful, just utterly beautiful.
since young, mr roger's neighborhood has provided such good impressions on me. i don't recall having to watch the episodes where officer clemmons was in, however, i do pay respects for him and obviously, mr fred rogers. it is so encouraging, yet so great to realize that we can be a "neighbor" to everyone.
since young, mr roger's neighborhood has provided such good impressions on me. i don't recall having to watch the episodes where officer clemmons was in, however, i do pay respects for him and obviously, mr fred rogers. it is so encouraging, yet so great to realize that we can be a "neighbor" to everyone.
bargainsleuth's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.
Okay, to be honest, I ;never remember Officer Clemmons from Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, so I was coming at this with no knowledge of the character Clemmons played. I thought that it wouldn't matter, but I never really got engaged with the book. The author's life was interesting, dealing with issues about overcoming the odds due to racism and sexuality, but the writing was just okay. It was not compelling reading despite the hefty topics covered. .I wish I had glowing things to say about this book, but it left me feeling flat instead of uplifted.
Okay, to be honest, I ;never remember Officer Clemmons from Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, so I was coming at this with no knowledge of the character Clemmons played. I thought that it wouldn't matter, but I never really got engaged with the book. The author's life was interesting, dealing with issues about overcoming the odds due to racism and sexuality, but the writing was just okay. It was not compelling reading despite the hefty topics covered. .I wish I had glowing things to say about this book, but it left me feeling flat instead of uplifted.
princesszinza's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.
I've discussed before my love of Mr. Rogers. I read Officer Clemmon's book because I was interested in his story. I'm so glad that more than half of this book talks about Mr. Clemmon's life before he met Fred Rogers. I was particularly enthralled with his Grandfather Saul's singing cane and the tragedies that befell him before he went to college. I also was interested in how he came to terms with his sexuality and his mother's nonacceptance of it and all the horrible racism he encountered.
I was glad that Fred Rogers was the supportive father figure I wanted him to be. Francois Clemmons is an extremely accomplished and interesting man in his own right.
I've discussed before my love of Mr. Rogers. I read Officer Clemmon's book because I was interested in his story. I'm so glad that more than half of this book talks about Mr. Clemmon's life before he met Fred Rogers. I was particularly enthralled with his Grandfather Saul's singing cane and the tragedies that befell him before he went to college. I also was interested in how he came to terms with his sexuality and his mother's nonacceptance of it and all the horrible racism he encountered.
I was glad that Fred Rogers was the supportive father figure I wanted him to be. Francois Clemmons is an extremely accomplished and interesting man in his own right.
gabgeh's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Beautifully written. A sometimes-sad, sometimes-inspiring memoir of a rather noteworthy life.
eileen_critchley's review against another edition
3.0
***1/2
I enjoyed this memoir and think it's worth a read. I particularly liked reading about his family in the beginning of the book, as well as his struggles coming out as a gay man, and living with racism in America and his career field. It isn't as much about his relationship with Fred Rogers (although that is certainly a significant chunk of this book, and reiterates how lucky we all were to have him) as it is autobiographical, an account of his career as an opera singer and personal life. Some of the experiences he had were simply appalling, and can be written off as "well, that was the way it was at the time", but so very sad and awful. The writing was just OK, but I do enjoy reading about people who played small roles in history and I think parts of this book will stay with me, even though I think it might have benefited from the help of a co-author. I'm not familiar with Clemmons' singing or performances, but I am going to look to YouTube to hear his voice. In any case, it's a pretty amazing life story.
(library, kindle)
I enjoyed this memoir and think it's worth a read. I particularly liked reading about his family in the beginning of the book, as well as his struggles coming out as a gay man, and living with racism in America and his career field. It isn't as much about his relationship with Fred Rogers (although that is certainly a significant chunk of this book, and reiterates how lucky we all were to have him) as it is autobiographical, an account of his career as an opera singer and personal life. Some of the experiences he had were simply appalling, and can be written off as "well, that was the way it was at the time", but so very sad and awful. The writing was just OK, but I do enjoy reading about people who played small roles in history and I think parts of this book will stay with me, even though I think it might have benefited from the help of a co-author. I'm not familiar with Clemmons' singing or performances, but I am going to look to YouTube to hear his voice. In any case, it's a pretty amazing life story.
(library, kindle)
buer's review against another edition
4.0
Francois S Clemmons has had quite the life. From his success as a singer, actor, and professor to his struggles with his family, racism, and homophobia, Clemmons has proved that he is more than equipped to deal with the highlights and lowlights that the world has to throw at him.
Honestly, I think that the book's purported focus on Mister Rogers does Clemmons a disservice, whose life has been fascinating in its own right. From grappling with his homosexuality and his relationship with the Christian church (a process that included getting married and only ever having sex with his wife when they had threesomes with a man) to dealing with racism in the arts despite his talent and popularity, Clemmons has lived a life that extends far past the time that he spent getting to know Fred Rogers. Heck, when he was a little boy, he and his family literally caravaned from one city to the next because a flood wiped out their homes. The amount of things that Clemmons has done, seen, and experienced truly boggles the mind.
Of course, Clemmons' relationship with Rogers is very sweet and the mutual respect and love that they had for each other is truly touching. Fair warning, that part is only about thirty pages of a much longer book.
My only criticism is that Clemmons' writing style isn't my favorite. He tends toward cliches and has a straightforward mode of storytelling that would (and probably does) make for a great audiobook, but is tedious as a reading experience. Still, his effusiveness is magnetic and his story has so many fascinating layers that it is very worth reading.
Honestly, I think that the book's purported focus on Mister Rogers does Clemmons a disservice, whose life has been fascinating in its own right. From grappling with his homosexuality and his relationship with the Christian church (a process that included getting married and only ever having sex with his wife when they had threesomes with a man) to dealing with racism in the arts despite his talent and popularity, Clemmons has lived a life that extends far past the time that he spent getting to know Fred Rogers. Heck, when he was a little boy, he and his family literally caravaned from one city to the next because a flood wiped out their homes. The amount of things that Clemmons has done, seen, and experienced truly boggles the mind.
Of course, Clemmons' relationship with Rogers is very sweet and the mutual respect and love that they had for each other is truly touching. Fair warning, that part is only about thirty pages of a much longer book.
My only criticism is that Clemmons' writing style isn't my favorite. He tends toward cliches and has a straightforward mode of storytelling that would (and probably does) make for a great audiobook, but is tedious as a reading experience. Still, his effusiveness is magnetic and his story has so many fascinating layers that it is very worth reading.
ailurolily's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
3.5