Good Grief: The Story of Charles M. Schulz (ISBN 0836280970)

You Were a Good Man, Charles Schulz:
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.

Great Look at a Cartooning Icon:
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.

The first Schulz biography, and in some ways still the best:
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!

Very Awesome:
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.

WONDERFUL!:
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...