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71 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
All Things Mister Rogers, April 24, 2005
This review is from: The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers: Spiritual Insights from the World's Most Beloved Neighbor (Hardcover)
Amy Hollingsworth's "The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers" grew out of the author's correspondence over nine years with the legendary children's TV host. Part author memoir, part Christian devotional, and part biography of Fred Rogers, the book takes readers on a journey through the life of author and the Christian discipleship of the man behind "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."
Asked in 1994 by her employer to do an interview with Fred Rogers, a man not given to interviews, Hollingsworth was able to secure that interview by sticking up for Rogers in an editorial response she wrote to a snarky article by a New York journalist that condemned Rogers as nothing more than a panderer to self-esteem and the latest pop psychology. So the author lays out the beginnings of her friendship with the gentle man whom she later credits with saving children's television, particularly PBS's version of it.
Her stories of Rogers get to the one side of his persona that he kept very quiet, his Christian faith. In his younger days, Rogers started off as a puppeteer on a children's show and saw the need to bring the Gospel into the way that television reached out to children. To this end, he enrolled in seminary, only to find resistance to his being ordained. The ordination board did not know what to do with a man who did not want to pastor a local church, but instead wanted to pastor every person who watched a children's TV show he led. But Rogers's insistence that the Holy Spirit was able to speak truth even through the airwaves convinced the seminary board; he was ordained in the United Presbyterian Church.
The show he became famous for first debuted in Canada, then came to PBS via WQED in Pittsburgh. Rogers lived right down the street and walked to the studio every day. And that was the kind of person Rogers was. He was always given to the simple, the quiet, and the vulnerable even as a child. From the people in the neighborhood he grew up in, he learned that the small things matter. Hollingsworth relates Rogers's encounter with an elderly woman who taught young Freddie how to make his favorite breakfast, toast sticks, using this encounter as a backbone of the book.
The best parts of this book are the little revelations. Hollingsworth tells of Rogers and his seminary buddies going on a road trip to hear a famous pastor speak, only to find a substitute preacher--and a boring one at that--putting the congregation to sleep. Rogers was incensed by this, only to turn to the woman seated next to him and notice her crying because the message spoke to the deepest part of her need. Rogers decided at that point that it was unwise to be judgmental because he could never know how the Holy Spirit was touching someone. Hollingsworth also tells stories that viewers of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" relate concerning how the show changed their lives. Some of these stories, particularly the teenager who was horribly abused by his parents throughout his early years, are worthy of five hankies. Another revelation is that Rogers cultivated deep friendships with many famous people. Of particular note to me was that Rogers was close friends with Henri Nouwen, the Catholic priest and author of classic books like "The Wounded Healer" and "The Return of the Prodigal Son."
One of the other truths that comes out of this book is that God blessed Fred Rogers with an enormous creative gift. He wrote 900 episodes of his show, penned over 200 songs, performed the classic background piano music, and was the voice behind most of the puppets in the Land of Make Believe. Hollingsworth does an excellent job showing how that creative bent allowed Rogers to draw children to him and share the Gospel of Jesus in the same way that the Lord blessed the little children who were presented to Him. Knowing that Rogers got up every day at 5AM to read the Bible and pray only reinforces the reality that he brought that time before God into every show he made.
If there are any complaints against "The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers" they lie in the brevity of the book and the lightness of the entire narrative. Fred Rogers is about as teflon a personality as ever walked the earth (the author even discusses the urban legend that thieves stole Rogers's car, only to return it the next day when they learned it was his), but more discussion of the man's flaws and how he used his faith to overcome them would have been appreciated. This book is as close to fawning as any biographical work you'll ever read.
That said, I met Fred Rogers when I was at Carnegie Mellon University. See, I literally lived in Mister Rogers's neighborhood of Shadyside in the Pittsburgh suburbs. I'd see Rogers walk to work at WQED almost every day since my dorm room was right next to the PBS station's studio where he taped his show. Getting to talk with him from time to time proved to me that he was everything we saw on TV and more--an example for all the people who ever watched "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" and grew up to be better people because of the simple faith of Fred Rogers.
A very good book about a very good man. Definitely worthy of your time.
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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Get more depth behind the person, February 28, 2005
This review is from: The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers: Spiritual Insights from the World's Most Beloved Neighbor (Hardcover)
I have a connection to Mister Rogers because he answered my sister's letter to him with a personal letter back. This book describes the spiritual dimension behind his incredible kindness. The author carried on a friendship and correspondence with Fred over the years. Thankfully she documented all the correspondence and organized them into a beautiful remembrance of the man. It is not just full of platitudes but gives Mr. Rogers some real depth. My admiration for him grows everytime I add some more knowledge of his life. You find out the real strength behind his patience and kindness was Jesus.
The author organizes each chapter methodically with a series of lessons she learned from Mr. Rogers. She has done a nice job documenting the human inspirations for Fred as well. Who knew of his friendship with Henri Nouwen?
I didn't want the book to end. I found a lot more spiritual depth than you might expect from a children's televsion host.
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lessons from a Good Neighbor, March 31, 2005
This review is from: The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers: Spiritual Insights from the World's Most Beloved Neighbor (Hardcover)
A friend, who just recently had his 100th book published, once told me that the biography that he most wanted to write was the life of Fred Rogers. I was intrigued.
In the months before Mister Rogers' death, I read the articles that began to appear about him. I even came across an article that he wrote, which appeared in Reader's Digest. What I read confirmed to me that he was an extraordinary man. When I saw that this book had come out, I couldn't wait to read it.
My expectations were high, and I was not disappointed. Just pages into it, an obscure image from the movie review section of the San Francisco Chronicle summarized what I was feeling. On weekends the Chronicle published summary reviews of movies in a pink Datebook edition. Each review was accompanied by a depiction of a man sleeping, looking bored, sitting and clapping, or out of his seat clapping fanatically. It served as a visual summary of how good the movie was. As I read through the introduction and opening chapters of Amy's book, inside I was like the little man who was out of his seat clapping hysterically. I was singing on the inside. This book is a delight.
Not only is it extremely well written, the author made a great choice in how to present the material. It's not a beginning to end life story of Mister Rogers. Instead the author gives an overview of his life in the introduction and sets the stage for what is to follow. The book has more to do with the legacy of Mister Rogers-what we can learn from him-than a chronology of events.
Each chapter covers a different subject. How Mister Rogers lived and thought about solitude and silence, prayer, the work of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness, difficult times and other subjects are covered.
The opening chapter on taking time to be alone and quiet immediately captivated me. Mister Rogers knew that he was a quiet person. He didn't try to be what he was not. I'm not a quiet person, someone might think. The beauty of Mister Rogers' legacy was that he encouraged people to be themselves.
I was inspired by what I read; in fact, I found it to be potentially life-changing. Mister Rogers made taking time alone and being quiet seem so natural. There was nothing mystical about it. Inside I was thinking, yes, this is right. I ought to do this. I received the gentle encouragement. That was Mister Rogers' way.
This book never would have come into being if it were not for an interview. The author was granted a rare interview in part because she came to the defense of Mister Rogers when he was criticized unfairly by a newspaper columnist. That first interview led to return visits and a deep friendship developed. We are fortunate that the author is able to share from her personal experience and correspondence with Fred Rogers. We get the viewpoint of a close friend rather than a detached observer.
I thank God for this book. It's sprinkled with so many simple yet profound and life-changing truths. It's full of practical wisdom that can be mined by ministers, teachers, speakers or anyone else for the anecdotes, quotes and ideas. I hope that it will always have a place in my library. It's a book that I didn't want to read through too fast-one that I didn't want to end.
I think one of the things that make the book and Mister Rogers so special is that we are given a glimpse of Christ that we seldom see. Fred's gentleness, kindness, tenderness and love remind us of that part of Christ's nature.
Fred's life makes me realize that too many of us are a product of our environment and culture. We absorb too much of it. Mister Rogers was so different! He was so unique that people made fun of him, but he bore it all with the grace that was so characteristic of him. I joke to myself that he would never have been invited to speak at a Promise Keeper's rally, but maybe he should have been. Men, and women, could learn a lot from his example.
I never grew up watching Mister Rogers, but I sure enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone. It's packed with gentle encouragement that will warm your heart. If we allow ourselves to learn from Mister Rogers' legacy, we can help make it a better neighborhood for all.
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