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    Schulz and Peanuts
    Schulz and Peanuts
    Schulz and Peanuts
    Audiobook (abridged)12 hours

    Schulz and Peanuts

    Written by David Michaelis

    Narrated by Holter Graham

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Charles M. Schulz, the most widely syndicated and beloved cartoonist of all time, is also one of the least understood figures in American culture. Now acclaimed biographer David Michaelis gives us an in-depth biography of the brilliant, unseen man behind Peanuts.

    It is the most American of stories: How a barber's son grew up from modest beginnings to realize his dream of creating a newspaper comic strip. How he daringly chose themes never before attempted in mainstream cartoons—loneliness, isolation, melancholy, the unending search for love—always lightening the darker side with laughter and mingling the old-fashioned sweetness of childhood with a very adult and modern awareness of the bitterness of life. And how, using a lighthearted, loving touch, and a cast of memorable characters, he portrayed the struggles that come with being awkward, imperfect, human.

    Based on years of research, Schulz and Peanuts is the definitive epic biography of an American icon and the unforgettable characters he created.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateOct 16, 2007
    ISBN9780061554681
    Schulz and Peanuts
    Author

    David Michaelis

    David Michaelis is the bestselling author of Schulz and Peanuts and N.C. Wyeth, which won the Ambassador Book Award for Biography. He lives in New York with his wife and family.

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    Reviews for Schulz and Peanuts

    4/5

    25 ratings21 reviews

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    • 3/5
      All-in-all, I thought it was a decent book. I understand (and agree, in general) with critics of the book - specifically Schulz's children - in that this is not really a biography, a chronicle of an American success story, but rather a psycho-analysis of a so-called tormented soul. The problem being is that this is not the man his children remember and, for the most part, I tend to believe children know their father better then anyone. There are a number of claims the author makes - like how he believed his mother never really loved him - that are a bit too far fetched to accept. One of the author's arguments is that the comic strip was practically a reflection of Schulz's life, what he was going through at that time, and yet there are very few such examples - direct ones that make it clear what he is addressing. Additionally, there is no year attached many, if any, of the strips, so unless you are an expert or fanatic of PEANUTS, you won't know if it was made when such-and-such an event was taking place in Schulz's life or years before or after. There is very little focus on the animated short subjects or feature-length films. The only one that gets any attention above a brief mention is A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS. I would like to think that Schulz had some involvement in many of these shorts produced during his life time. I also tend to agree that while some focus on the destruction of his first marriage was relevant, the way it was stretched out for as long as it was seemed a bit too much.
    • 5/5
      This is a book about Schulz and his life.
      While Peanuts was a big part of his life, don't go into this book expecting it to be the main focus.
      As a creator myself; I loved getting to know the man who created Peanuts through this book.
    • 2/5
      I'm always hesitant to read biographies of people I admire, afraid of risking becoming disenchanted with a hero. I knew before reading Michaelis' work that Schulz was a conflicted man, but aren't we all? The Schulz family's disputes with Michaelis over the portayal of their father are probaly partially founded, but I can only imagine it's difficult to see someone so close to your heart in an objective light. I walked away from this read still loving Sparky Schulz and seeing new layers of richness to the Peanuts strip that I hadn't before. Schulz said that he never intended Peanuts as a strip for children and revisiting them as an adult opens them in a whole new way to me. Cheers to Sparky and long live the WW1 Flying Ace!
    • 4/5
      Michaelis's biography of "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz provides the reader with an incredibly detailed - and sometimes tedious and sad - look at the life of one of America's most beloved cartoonists. With more than 200 "Peanuts" strips interspersed through the book, the reader comes away with a newfound insight into the inspiration and life experiences that became the lives of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, and other members of the "Peanuts" gang. It is impossible to come away from this book without a deeper appreciation for Schulz and "Peanuts" as well as respect for David Michaelis for presenting such a richly detailed and extensively researched look at the life of Charles Schulz.
    • 5/5
      "Peanuts" was my favorite comic strip as a kid. It still has a special place with me. Reading this biography of Charles Schulz, while unsettling in its description of Schulz as a basically unhappy man, deepened my appreciation of Schulz the artist by opening me to more of the dedication required to create the iconic strip.Definitely recommend.
    • 4/5
      I’ll never look at a Peanuts comic strip in the same way.I have to admit it took me 5-1/2 months to pound my way through this book. I really enjoyed the beginning of his career with the Art Institute in Minneapolis. I struggled with the beginning of his marriage and put the book down. I carried it with me when I traveled, had it by my bedside and brought it with me to the beach. I just could not get any more pages behind me for the longest of time.I really do not like to start another book until I have finished the one I am reading.Anyways, I picked the book back up last week and knocked out the rest of the book. I’ll walk away from this book knowing that Charles Schulz was not the man I thought him to be. That he played hockey well into his years and got a hole in one. I’ll know that he played out his desires, his needs, his questions and his life in his comic strip regardless of how much he publically denied this.*WOW NOTE: repeat of The Office just referenced Charlie Brown *I’ve always enjoyed A Charlie Brown Christmas and I really can’t wait to see it again this winter.Overall, I enjoyed this book despite how poorly put together this review is …*good grief*
    • 2/5
      Up front, I only made it about halfway through this slog of a read, although I did skim the second half while reading the comic strips reprinted in the book and it seems to get a bit more interesting when dealing with Schulz's divorce. Michaelis spends page after page after page explaining, basically, what a boring guy Schulz was. And boy, was he ever. Like dry white toast. I loved Peanuts growing up, and I still do. But man, Michaelis needed to punch up his writing a bit when dealing with such a dull guy. Sorry to say, I can't recommend this to anyone, just go buy a Peanuts retrospective, it's what you really want anyhow.
    • 5/5
      Apparently, there's a lot of controversy about this book, but I found it a good read. I appreciated the insights into Schulz's character and experiences (especially his junior high and high school experiences) which influenced the mood and content of his cartoon strips, and I found it an engaging biography to read.
    • 3/5
      interesting take on life on probably best-known cartoonist of the mid and late 20th century. could have done with more insight on Schulz' thinking and less on things like his emotional affair at midlife with an ambitious young woman. I did enjoy learning more about what it was like growing up in an upper Midwest city in the early part of the century.
    • 2/5
      The world of Peanuts is more than a comic strip; it is greeting cards, TV shows, stuffed pillows, even a blimp. There are so many ways we remember the characters drawn by Charles Schulz. All of these involve happy memories. So we might actually look forward to a biography written about the creator of the comic strip.Schulz and Peanuts is not a happy book; it corners the market on depressing. This book certainly cannot be accused of being a hagioraphy. Readers do want the truth, and I do not doubt that what is written in this book is at least close to the truth; it is just that there was a lot that was not written in this book that is the truth too. And that part would have made the book more enjoyable to read.David Michaelis does show that the strip was an extension of all that Schulz was--his view of himself, his view of others, and his view of life. It was fascinating to see how he wrote about his improprieties without anyone knowing about them. When Snoopy said,"I think I"m in love, (p.455)" Michaelis conjectures that those were Schulz's thoughts, and they weren't about his wife.Though MIchaelis does go after the soul of the man, I believe he misses the grandeur of his accomplishments. Michaelis believed that Schulz always wanted to show that "he was something" (p.113). This feeling would compete with those around him. The author becomes one of the biggest characters in this book because instead of simply telling a story, he gives the reader his view on it all and the reader ends up arguing with the author instead of interacting with Schultz. The author dwells to long on Schulz's misadventures, and not enough time on his accomplishments. What would I have liked to have read? I would have liked to have read more of his techniques and strategies in drawing. I would like more scenes with his family and less of his illicit and failed relationships. I would have liked to have read more of his interaction with cartoonists and the different causes he used his talents for. Don't just stretch him out on the couch for analysis;. give a view of all the man did. There was a lot left out that could have provided at least a break from the grimness.If one wants to read about Charles Schulz, read Rhetta Grimsley Johnson's book, Good Grief. It can also be glum, but one will have a more complete picture of the creator of Peanuts.
    • 3/5
      Very interesting. I have loved Snoopy and the Peanuts gang forever and was great to learn more about the man behind them all.
    • 1/5
      Slowly working my way through this. Maybe it gets better later? But so far -- meh. The writing is just snooze-inducing.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyed the book.
    • 4/5
      Full-length biography of the greatest cartoonist of the last century, Charles M. Schulz. Includes details of the family life, career and far-reaching public influence of the creator of one of the best known comic strips and cartoons of all time, Peanuts. The books is detailed and truly fascinating but, like its subject, a bit melancholy. It is thoroughly researched and includes well-chosen panels from the strip that correlate to major events/themes in Sparky's life. A definite recommend for anybody contemplating a career in the arts as well as anybody who loves Snoopy and the gang.
    • 4/5
      Charles M Schulz always wanted to be a cartoonist. From early childhood he displayed an extraordinary gift for drawing and impressed his teachers and friends with his talent. He was just twenty-seven when his comic strip PEANUTS debuted on Oct 2, 1950. For the rest of his life he would be the sole creator of the strip – conceiving, drawing and lettering the daily and Sunday strips without assistants. Stricken with colon cancer and weakened by chemotherapy, he announced his official retirement and the end of the strip in a Sunday comic featuring some of his favorite scenes. That final Sunday strip appeared on Feb 13, 2000 … the morning after he died at age 77.

      This is a detailed, well-researched, and balanced biography of a man who was most often described as “shy,” “humble” and “complicated.” Granted full access to family papers, business records, and the memories of those who survived Schulz, Michaelis does a wonderful job of portraying Sparky. The book includes photos of Schulz throughout his life, as well as many of the comic strips, which illustrate how PEANUTS was really Schulz’s autobiography.

      The audio book is read by Holter Graham. It is abridged, but still very good. I also had the text hardcover (for the illustrations) and used it to read those sections which were not included in the audio. In addition to the photos and comic strip illustrations, the audio does not include longer background pieces on the people around Schulz. Although the audio version offers a pretty complete picture of Sparky, I recommend reading the full biography.
    • 4/5
      An eye-opening account of the shy, bookish and ambitious military man who created the most popular comic in newspaper history.
    • 3/5
      Now I understand why the Schulz family isn't happy with this book: Charles Schulz comes off as a sadder sack than Charlie Brown! Still, it's an intriguing look at the development of and inspiration for Peanuts, and interesting to see how some of his strips paralleled stuff going on in his life. It's taking me a long time to read, though.
    • 5/5
      A fascinating biography of an enigmatic man. Peanuts stands on its own as in many ways universal in its messages and experiences. But seeing how the biography of Schulz intersects with and influences his cartoons added another layer of understanding.

      The final two sentences are poignant and profound: "To the very end, his life had been inseparable from his art. In the moment of ceasing to be a cartoonist, he ceased to be."

      Well worth reading.
    • 5/5
      "Schulz and Peanuts" is an incredibly-detailed look at the life and works of Charles Schulz, creator of the comic strip "Peanuts" (or sometimes simply known as the creator of Snoopy). The book comes out of six years of research, and unprecedented access to materials and people close to Schulz shortly after his death.However, "Schulz and Peanuts" is also embroiled in a bit of controversy, with three of Schulz's own children uniting to call out Michaelis' bias and factual errors. The reality is a more complex issue. Michaelis has for sure taken a bias towards painting Schulz in a particular light, and he's certainly guilty of connecting the dots too eagerly. But Michaelis also does not, I believe, paint Schulz in a truly negative light, as his children seem to think he has nor is his "bias" completely off the mark. (For example, one point of contention is the Schulz children didn't think the romantic affair Schulz that preceded and sparked his divorce was worth mentioning in detail.)No doubt though, Michaelis could've painted a more well-rounded portrait. One only has to read Bill Watterson (of "Calvin and Hobbes" fame)'s review of the book, and own analysis of it, to see how Michaelis could have stepped back and painted an even more fascinating portrait. But then again, very few of us can write like Bill Watterson, and as it stands, "Schulz and Peanuts" is still an eye-opening account of an incredible and complex life.
    • 4/5
      Long, at times repetitive (especially of his thesis regarding the impact of Schulz's relationship with his mother), but still a very good read. I had forgotten how pervasive and influential Peanuts happened to be at its height. It was nice to revisit that time in my life and the country's history. The inclusion of multiple Peanuts strips to illustrate various points, including many that reflect Schulz's own experiences, was well done. It was eye-opening to discover that all was not peaches and cream with Mr. Schulz. I enjoyed learning about him. Recommended, though it will be a time investment.
    • 4/5
      I've liked Peanuts for a long time, but didn't really know much about Charles Schulz. I enjoyed learning about his early life and how he came to cartooning/comics. The middle of his life made me wonder as he and his first wife grew apart and divorced. I thought it was interesting that his last comic strip coincidentally ran on the same day that he died. At times the narrative seemed a bit disjointed--bopping to various times and places in different chapters.