Customer Reviews

Good Grief: The Story of Charles M. Schulz

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I enjoyed this book a lot. It was entertaining to read about the life of my favorite cartoonists and one of the many people I would like to meet. I learned that some of the social troubles I am going through now in high school happened to Schulz in high school but he broke through that to be a successful man. This book helped me learn about him and get an "A" on my literature term paper.

"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

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.

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.

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.

Anyone who knows me can tell you I'm obsessed with PEANUTS. It all started when I was two and instead of a china doll I forced my grandmother to buy me a stuffed Snoopy(which still sits on display in my curio cabinet along with my other PEANUTS collectibles) As I got older however, my 'obsession' with PEANUTS stemmed more from the situations the characters endured or how they were: obnoxious Lucy, dirty Pig Pen, etc. Everyone knows someone they can relate to as a PEANUTS character. My husband got me this book a few years ago, because I knew a lot about Charles Shultz, but of course not everything. I loved this book because it explains where he got many of the characters, from people he knew. Also, I just thought it awesome to get to know the story of someone I consider a hero.

The first full-length biography of Charles M. Schulz, dealing head-on with his feelings of shyness and loneliness, including new revelations such as the identity of the real-life Little Red-Haired Girl, and Schulz's struggles with agoraphobia...oh, you thought I was talking about "Schulz and Peanuts" by David Michaelis? No. Although all the reviews and articles about the Michaelis book breathlessly tout all the "new revelations" about Schulz, many of them actually first appeared here. For us Peanuts fans who only knew Schulz's story from his own writings in various anniversary & childrens' books, this book was like a gift from Heaven. Johnson traces a life a full of tragedy and triumph in a very engaging way. The tone is along the lines of a book-length People magazine profile, but she makes up for it with a wealth of detail, some memorable turns-of-phrase, and wit (something sorely missing from Michaelis' book). Obviously, the book doesn't cover the final decade of Schulz's life, and there are gaps(like the details of Schulz's first marriage) that the Michaelis book fills out. But this is a far more readable, pleasant book, though not without its poignant moments. In fact, for anyone unfamiliar with Schulz, I would tell them to read this book first, then the Michaelis book. I hope, in the midst of all the hype over the Michaelis book, that Good Grief gets some renewed attention. While it doesn't cover the Schulz story with the same depth as "Schulz and Peanuts", it's still a fine book. My only major gripe: no index!

"Good Grief: The Story of Charles M. Schulz" by Rheta Grimsley Johnson was written when Charles Schulz was alive and he had some input in his life story. I thought she captured his life in a true and accurate light. I am a fan of the Peanuts characters (having played Linus in the seventh grade) and learned much about Mr. Schulz after reading this biography. I learned about his depression, his fear of traveling, his strong work ethic and his incomprehension of his own wealth. This book is a good representation of the life on of one of our greatest cartoonists.

I was very happy with the price. The book's condition was better than I could have hoped for. It was delivered in a timely matter. All in all it made a great Christmas present from me to me.

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...