Book Review
Who were your role models growing up? I suppose that many of us would choose parents, family members, sports stars, entertainers or a person who had “something special”. For me, many of my childhood heroes were people that were able to showcase great feats of physical strength or appeared physically impressive. So, when the soft spoken Fred Rogers stepped through the door singing, “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood” and changed into his famous cardigan sweater I was a little more than skeptical of how “entertaining” the show would be.
For years, I would scroll through television channels passing Mr. Rogers show in hopes of finding some professional wrestling, a cartoon or an action film. If you asked me then, action meant entertainment and people that “act manly” received recognition and praise.
As the years passed and after modeling some of these perceived “manly acts.” My life was not reflecting the happiness that I assumed would follow becoming a physically strong man. It was difficult to accept that these signs of strength were not helping me to become more successful or happy in my life. I found this book when I was looking for examples of men that were more expressive of emotions and feelings. Someone, that was brought joy to people with thoughtful words and kind actions.
The Good Neighbor, tells the story of man who was a champion of compassion, equality and kindness. Throughout his life, Mr. Rogers was devoted to children and to taking their fears, concerns, and questions about the world seriously. He not only set an example for millions of children but was someone whom a child trusted and relied upon. Mr. Rogers taught us about complex issues such as divorce, discipline, mistakes, anger and equality for all. His messages still resonate with parents, educators and children today. Especially, in a world where the human values he championed are too often forgotten or neglected.
I believe that for some of us Mr. Rogers seemed too nice to be a real person. That no one could be that kind. This book, opens a window into the life of a man who touched the lives of so many people, while showing us how to be a good role model for every neighbor.
Favorite Quotes
- “You rarely have the time for everything you want in this life, so you need to make choices. And hopefully your choices come from a deep sense of who you are.”
- ” I suppose the thing that I would most like to give you is hope. Hope that through your own doing and your own living with others, you’ll be able to find what best fits for you in this life…I, for one, wish you good memories of this holiday, And I hope you’ll be able to look for all of the different ways that people have of showing that they love you.”
- ‘When I was a boy I used to think that strong meant having big muscles, great physical power; but the longer I live, the more I realize that strength has more more to do with what is not seen. Real strength has to do with helping others.”
- “The white spaces between words are more important than the text, because they give you time to think about what you’ve read.” All his career, he emphasized the importance of listening; he felt that silence is a gift, as what he called, “graceful receiving.”
- “There are many people in the world who want to make children into performing seals. And as long as children can perform well, those adults will applaud. But, I would much rather help a child to be able to say who he or she is.”
If you are interested in checking out this book, I have provided the link below. 🙂