Good Grief: The Story of Charles M. Schulz

Rating:
Summary: A tribute to a great cartoonist
Review: "Good Grief" is the story of Charles M. Schulz, his early life and his struggle to become a cartoonist. "Good Grief" chronicles the evolution of the Peanuts gang and Mr. Schulz himself. And now with the retirement of Mr. Schulz, this is a timely biography

Rating:
Summary: Great Look at a Cartooning Icon
Review: First off, I am a Peanuts fanatic. My child's nursery has a My Little Snoopy theme, and, as a child, I wrote to Mr. Schulz and received a print of Snoopy, with his own "pawprint" autograph as my return gift.

This book, which is the most comprehensive biography of Schulz I have found, is a gem for a fan like myself. For those who are just peripherally interested in Schulz, this book will probably be too detailed and discuss issues of no interest.

However, for a fan like myself, hearing the true story of the "Little Red Haired Girl" and reading of Schulz's perceived failings in his life was very insightful.

Rating:
Summary: Great Look at a Cartooning Icon
Review: First off, I am a Peanuts fanatic. My child's nursery has a My Little Snoopy theme, and, as a child, I wrote to Mr. Schulz and received a print of Snoopy, with his own "pawprint" autograph as my return gift.

This book, which is the most comprehensive biography of Schulz I have found, is a gem for a fan like myself. For those who are just peripherally interested in Schulz, this book will probably be too detailed and discuss issues of no interest.

However, for a fan like myself, hearing the true story of the "Little Red Haired Girl" and reading of Schulz's perceived failings in his life was very insightful.

Rating:
Summary: As good a look as any we're likely to get
Review: Half biography and half analysis of "Peanuts," this book is an unconventional look at an unconventional subject. It's now over a decade old and the references to Schulz in the present tense have an unintentionally poignant quality now, but it remains the best single source of information about the most influential cartoonist of all time.

Johnson's approach to Schulz is anything but chronological; she alternates her chapters between biographical sketches of Schulz and essays on "Peanuts," its characters and the resonance of Schulz's work with his fans. Also, the biographical chapters bounce around from his youth to the "present" (1989) and back again without a clear rhyme or reason. It isn't an ideal arrangement, and the flow of the book is sometimes hard to follow as a result; but the rare look inside the world of the comic strip we know and love is well worth the patience.

Schulz was a highly religious and private man, and it shows in all of the windows on his world that Johnson provides. From his humble beginnings in St. Paul to fame and fortune that he never quite seemed to accept, the quiet, somewhat troubled genius shows throughout the book, as do the sources of his dark and incredibly innovative comic strip. Although Johnson details plenty of defining episodes in Schulz's life (including a deliciously heartbreaking chapter about Donna Mae Johnson, the real-life "little red haired girl" who spurned his marriage proposal in 1950), she allows his private experiences to remain such. There's no dirty laundry here unless you count a few low-key but revealing remarks from Schulz about his politics.

The more analytical chapters do have a tendency to be repetitive and overly academic (How many times do we need to be told that Charlie Brown is a self-defeating character?), but they are also full of trivia and tidbits on long-forgotten characters and storylines. The one storyline that was vetoed by Schulz's editors, the "lost" character Charlotte Braun, the one time adults appeared in the strip, other cartoon series Schulz drew both before and during the reign of "Peanuts", the evolution of his drawings...even the most obsessive fan is likely to learn something s/he hadn't come across before.

Johnson reports that Schulz often worried about being remembered after his passing. This book offers both an explanation of why he felt that way and a reminder of why he needn't have worried.

Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL!
Review: This book is such a wonderful find for any peanuts fan. A wonderful book by a wonderful person, Rheta Johnson. I look forward to any other books by her that may be published in the future...

Rating:
Summary: You Were a Good Man, Charles Schulz
Review: Though Charles Schulz created one of the world's most popular comic strips and became a celebrity in the process, he remained a very private person. He was a rather simple man, and though he took the name of Charlie Brown from an old friend, Charles Schulz was the true soul of that lovable loser. GOOD GRIEF examines the life of Schulz, his work, and it's effect upon society. The book remains the most informative work on Schulz and gives insight into the inspiration for most of the Peanuts gang and even the story about the real "little red-haired girl". The only real flaw is that the book skips around from past to present from description to analysis from looking at Schulz to talking about one of his characters. It's not a bad style, but unfortunately in this case ruffles the flow of the biography. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful book for any Peanuts fan to read and also would be a good reference for anyone wanting to gain an apprectiation of one of the best comic strip artists of all time.