Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers

by Michael G. Long

Fred Rogers was one of the most radical pacifists of contemporary history. We do not usually think of him as radical, partly because he wore colorful, soft sweaters made by his mother. Nor do we usually imagine him as a pacifist; that adjective seems way too political to describe the host of a children's program known for its focus on feelings. We have restricted Fred Rogers to the realm of entertainment, children, and feelings, and we've ripped him out of his political and religious context. Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister, and although he rarely shared his religious convictions on his program, he fervently believed in a God who accepts us as we are and who desires a world marked by peace and wholeness. With this progressive spirituality as his inspiration, Rogers used his children's program as a platform for sharing countercultural beliefs about caring nonviolently for one another, animals, and the earth.

To critics who dared call him “namby-pamby,� Rogers said, “Only people who take the time to see our work can begin to understand the depth of it.� This is the invitation of Peaceful Neighbor, to see and understand Rogers's convictions and their expression through his program. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, it turns out, is far from sappy, sentimental, and shallow; it's a sharp political response to a civil and political society poised to kill.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Religion, History, Audiobook, Philosophy, Politics

221 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 13, 2015

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this e-book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As I was reading this very thoughtful and deeply theological book I realized that I was not the right audience for this—sort of like I had accidentally wandered into the wrong movie. I was looking for a biography with some insight into Fred Roger’s philosophy/theology. I am a huge fan of this man and feel that he is one of those few people that left the world a better place than he found it. What I got was a thoughtful and deep exploration of his theology with biographical facts along the way. I would say that if you are looking for a biography (as I was) then look elsewhere; if you enjoy theology and its impact on US politics (of 70’s and 80’s in particular) then this book is for you.

I learned that Roger’s philosophy and his theology are not separable. I didn’t know that he was an ordained minister but it didn’t surprise me. I started this book thinking of Rogers as a gentle and enlightened man of grace and substance yet emerged from this realizing that he was tougher than I knew and that that he was as much a fighter for his ideals as he was a leader by example. Rogers, always from his perspective of protecting and nurturing children, considered war to be the most heinous act of child abuse possible and he was not above taking people, especially world leaders, to task for not working for peace.

[Joey Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating. I've never watched much Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, but now I want to. As a big Jim Henson fan (and, as you all know, an avid devourer of picture books), I'm very comfortable with taking children's entertainment seriously. I also like counterculture/social justice/hippie stuff, so the premise of this book attracted me.

It broadened my mind on many subjects. The book deeply explores Rogers' philosophies: his radical pacifism, his civil rights activism, his feminism, his vegetarianism, etc. It paints a stunningly admirable picture, but at the same time doesn't deify him. I found the chapter on Rogers' approach to LGBTQ issues particularly interesting. Rogers personally had no problems with gay people, and was supportive of cast member Francois Clemmons when he came out of the closet -- but his professional life was another story. He essentially threatened to fire Clemmons if knowledge of his sexuality became public, and went as far as to recommend that Clemmons marry a woman as a cover. Clemmons respected Rogers so much that he actually did this, which, as you can imagine, did not end well.

This may sound terrible, but I should clarify that it's Rogers' worst moral transgression presented in the book, and I think he can be forgiven, to an extent, because of the time and place in which he lived. What I found harder to reconcile was that Rogers' pacifism had deep roots in his presbyterian theology. I am an agnostic atheist, and I have a fluctuating tolerance for religious ideas. On my more judgmental days, I think of religion as glorified child abuse (parents lying to their children -- albeit, often unwittingly). The idea that Rogers only preached love, peace, and kindness because he thought God wanted him to seems morally shallow. Yet I must also take into account the man's accomplishments. He preferred a compassionate, left-wing interpretation of his bible that to me appears identical to applied Buddhism in everything except vocabulary. He viewed war as the ultimate form of child abuse, and spent a significant portion of his career working to end it, both overtly and subversively. He created a widely viewed TV show that has probably inspired countless children to be kinder, more accepting adults, whether they realize it or not. And if a belief in God can lead a person to do such undeniably great things, maybe it ain't always that bad, and maybe I have a prejudice of my own to work past.

The only parts that got tedious to read were the long retellings of stories from the show. I had no prior knowledge of the shows' many characters and settings, so these sections were dry for me to read, though their analyses were interesting. I recommend this for fans of Mr. Rogers, for those who work with children, or for those who like to ponder the big questions, especially in a historical context.

[Malum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at Mr. Rogers through the lens of his faith and his work in social justice and pacifism. It's hard to read anything about Mr. Rogers, no matter what your personal beliefs and politics, and not feel like you want to be a better person.

[La La · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars on the blog

A well researched and insightfully informative book about an extraordinary human being. I agree with many of the reviews I've read here on Goodreads; that the beginning of the book is a little scattered, and difficult to follow because the timeline jumped around with what seemed like no rhyme or reason, but it quickly settled into a smooth and interesting read. This worries me though because a lot of readers might become disinterested and put the book down; missing out on a well-done documentation of Fred Roger's television teachings and life's work.

I was approved for an eARC, via Edelweiss, in return for an honest review.

[John M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway.

I had never really thought about Mister Rogers as a countercultural figure before. However, the idea does make sense. He was a pacifist who taught children about non-confrontational ways to solve problems. He didn't agree with the traditional gender roles of men going to work and women staying in as homemakers. He was friends with a black man during a time when there was high racial tension. He was a vegetarian, he was accepting of gays, and he told children that they were special just the way they were.

This book shows how Mister Rogers presented these ideas through his television program in a way that children could understand and learn from, mostly through the characters in The Land of Make Believe. It was interesting to learn about some of the behind-the-scenes activities, especially how Rogers interacted with the cast and crew of the show.

A lot of Mister Rogers' views come from his religion and his interpretation of religious teachings. Aside from a brief few pages in the beginning which lay out some ground-level understanding, the book is largely focused on Rogers' application of his beliefs. It's more of a practical philosophical take and how those values can be applied to his ultimate message of understanding, acceptance, and respect for others.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful analysis of Fred Rogers' theology and philosophy, and how he incorporated it into his work on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. The first half of the book focuses on Rogers' thinking around war and peace, while the second half covers a variety of social issues (race, gender roles, vegetarianism/animal rights...). While celebrating Rogers' work, Long doesn't hesitate to name the places where he fell short or bowed to pressure to avoid controversy. While the prose sometimes dragged (in particular, the recaps of Neighborhood of Make-Believe story lines got bogged down), it was wonderful to dig in to the theological and philosophical underpinnings of the Neighborhood that was so meaningful to me and to our society.

[Donna Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I confess I was intrigued by the title and description of this biography. Mr. Rogers came on television when I was entering adolescence, and so I didn’t watch it for myself. When I had children of my own, I tried to limit their time spent in front of TV, and so I tended to watch Sesame Street with them and then reach for the off button. But my son wanted to see Mr. Rogers, and I confess that although the magic escaped me—who wanted to watch this dull man with the puppet on his hand, seriously?—my son, who was three years old, thought differently. I watched the little smile play on his lips as Mister Rogers spoke to him, face straight into the camera. It made my kid feel better. And so I decided to plunge into this biography and see if I could figure out what made the show so appealing to little kids. I went all the way through a Master’s degree in education and came out still clueless, so why not? Thank you to Net Galley and Westminster John Knox Press for the DRC. The title was published in March and is available for purchase.

On the whole, I never did find the magic, but from an analytical standpoint, I could see where the work done by Fred Rogers was effective. He treated small people with respect. He was an expert in the psychology of very young children, and his show was crafted around gently, reassuringly addressing some issues that parents might not know how to talk to their children about. This is not to say that he had a superior attitude or spoke down to parents, when he acknowledged our presence, but I was a mom who had spent my entire pregnancy unemployed, sitting around the house reading books about pregnancy, childbirth, and the raising of young children, and I had no idea that my son had been afraid he might go down the drain after the bath was over. And I watched his little face light up when Mr. Rogers sat at the piano and sang, “You can never go down, never go down, never go down the drain!”

The first twenty percent or so of this biography deals with Rogers’ religious beliefs, and I nearly had to stick myself with a pin to stay awake through it. The guy was a pacifist, and so although he was ordained as a Presbyterian minister, his belief system and his quiet, subdued manner was largely that of the Friends, or Quakers. So for those who have a strong interest in examining the intricate details of faith as it relates to war and children, this will be more absorbing than it was for me.

Just at about the point at which I had decided that grabbing the galley had been a mistake—seriously, 176 pages and I had only read twenty percent? It felt like forever—and gave myself permission to skim and review this thing, it became more interesting. And although I think the author very much overstates his case in calling Rogers “subversive”, I agree that he openly, if subtly and carefully, disagreed with Presidents Reagan and HW Bush about the wars in the Middle East, and before that, with the Vietnam War. He never carried a sign, our writer points out several times, but chose to work behind the scenes and to use his television show as a platform for peace.

“War isn’t nice.”

He was no radical; during the Civil Rights movement, rather than encourage integration, he held fundraisers to buy supplies for the African-American schools that were separate and entirely unequal, to try to level things out a little bit, one school district at a time. Good luck with that.

But the real gift that he gave to small children was that of absolute acceptance. Children were valuable no matter what they looked like. He acknowledged that we feel mad sometimes, and talked about ways to work out the mad without hurting anyone. He recognized that sometimes girls want to play with machines, and sometimes boys might like to hold a doll, to dress it and pretend to feed it. His was a gentle persona, and he let everyone know that men can also be nurturers. And when a company presumed to use his likeness on a tee shirt with a gun in his hand, he took their ass to court and made them not only stop selling those shirts, but destroy every last one they still had in their possession or for sale.

He also had blind spots. He was raised in a wealthy family—Mr. McFeely, the neighborhood postal character in the Make Believe neighborhood where Mr. Rogers filmed, was also the name of his grandfather, who built the family fortune. And at Christmas time, the staff of Mr. Rogers’s TV show each got a nice card with a note saying he had made a gift in their name to a charity; but one of the staffers pointed out to the author that some of them were paid very low salaries, and sure could have used the holiday bonus instead.

A documentary that was filmed about Fred Rogers was made with the understanding that the cameras must not show “the tasteful opulence of my home”.

Ahem.

The writer does a fine job of analyzing where Fred Rogers stood on all of the key issues of the day before his rather sudden death due to stomach cancer. If this man was important to you, or if you have an interest in the connection between social justice and religion, or children’s television shows, this might be a great book for you. If you are not interested in religion, you may want to skim through the first chapters and get to the meatier parts.

Either way, Fred would’ve liked you exactly as you are now.

[Josh Tatum · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever wondered, "What would Mister Rogers think about" some current issue, this is the book for you. The answers are often not surprising, except for how ahead of his time the man in the sweater turns out to have been. I highly recommend this book.

Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers presents the Fred Rogers that we all probably suspected was real but never got to see because the man so carefully cultivated his public image. Michael Long, a scholar of religion, peace, civil rights, and sexual politics, takes us through the Neighborhood one topic at a time to show how this wonderful television program subversively taught principles of peace through lenses of pacifism, tolerance, environmental stewardship, and active inclusion. He does this by juxtaposing great thinkers with excerpts from the television program and more personal, biographical sources like Fred Rogers's correspondence, interviews, and colleagues. And the context and time frame in which each topic is tackled is always included, so we see that antiwar episodes aired in the time of the Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf, that Officer Clemmons debuted at a time when white police officers were beating black protestors, and that Queen Sara Saturday kept her maiden name when that was still very unusual.

The great shortcoming of this book—the only reason I only gave it four out of five stars—is that the author often overplays his hand, sometimes bordering on self-parody. The feminism chapter is the pinnacle of this problem. He makes connections between Rogers's thinking and a famous author's stronger than they probably are when a comparison would have sufficed to make the same point and avoid this awkwardness. Similarly, he sometimes makes connections to episodes in the Neighborhood with current events that were far enough in time—sometimes several years—that the producers were probably not thinking of these specific events, though they almost certainly were considering the larger cultural context. There are notable exceptions, like the two wars mentioned above. But Queen Sara's and Princess Diana's wedding vows don't need to be compared for the reader to understand that equality in the Make-Believe bride and groom's vows was groundbreaking in 1969. And reading that Sara would have joined the Neighborhood's "Lucy Stone Club" if there was one, was such a literal eye-roller for me that I turned to my wife and read the whole paragraph to share the entertainment.

Despite these moments of overimportance, the book is a gem. It's thoroughly researched and sourced, the prose is very readable, the chapters are concise and compelling, and the case made for a countercultural Mister Rogers is convincing in spite of the overreaching. In my mind, it shows that Fred Rogers was as transformative a figure as Martin Luther King, Jr. who sought to appeal to a broader audience earlier in life to shape them toward very similar principles. As an added bonus, the average reader will almost certainly get brief windows into the thinking of some of the most influential, pioneering, and sometimes forgotten figures in history, which is admirable though less than perfectly executed.

[Leah Ntuala · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you watched Mister Rogers as a child, you will love reading this book. Every time you sit down to read it the theme song will play through your head and you will will find yourself transformed back into his television home. However, this book gives you a behind the scenes look into the Neighborhood beyond the context of your home. In Peaceful Neighbor, Mister Rogers and his gentle spirit are revealed not a gimmick or ploy, but true to who Fred Rogers was as a human being. It wasn't done to sell you products that would make you whole and complete. He lived an intentional life. Every thing he did was not perfect, but it was done with the purpose to show love and acceptance. Instead, this book reminds you of the tools that Mister Rogers gave, freely. He gave us, as viewers, the ability to do the same. He encouraged each of us to be who we are and allow others to be who they are, working together with love, thought and acceptance to create a neighborhood where ever we may travel. As I read the book I found once again an inner peace. I thought more deeply of my actions, my tone of voice and if they were loving. It wasn't a simpler time he lived it; his neighborhood wasn't only on PBS, it was a decision he made everyday to love.

[Rick Lee Lee James · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more I read about Fred Rogers then more I want to be more like him. His book takes a deep look at Roger's Faith and how it was lived out in each area of his life. It's as if Rogers took the notion of the Kingdom of God and lived it out in the neighborhood of the world

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trip down memory lane!

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the time Mr. Rogers came on the scene I was already well into my elementary school years. I grew up with Captain Kangaroo. Over the years I've caught snippets of his children's show that appeared on PBS stations for decades. I knew him to be a gentle fatherly figure who wore a cardigan sweater, taught children to be gentle and let loose of their imaginations. Along the way I learned that he was an ordained Presbyterian minister who saw his show as a form of ministry, even if the the religious element wasn't explicit. What was present in his message was an ethical vision that was formed at least to some degree by his faith.

Michael Long's book "Peaceful Neighbor" introduces us to a man who was both compassionate and committed to forming generations of children to be compassionate neighbors. Long's book helps us understand Fred Rogers' commitments to social justice -- showing us where he put his emphasis and where he shied away from controversy.

What we learn right up front is that Fred Rogers was a pacifist of a somewhat radical kind. His radical pacifism, which was formed in part during his seminary years as a student of William Orr at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, helped form everything else he did and believed. As a seminarian he felt a call to work with children, and this calling eventuated in his TV show, which was launched nationally in 1968, at a time when the nation's streets were being turned upside down by protests and calls for change. It was a time of war, when nightly newscasts updated us on the fortunes or lack thereof in Vietnam. From the beginning he tried to teach the children the importance of peacemaking and nonviolence.

But he was not just a pacifist. While Part one of the book, comprising six chapters focuses on peace, and his message of peacemaking, Part Two, again comprising six chapters, shows how Rogers' vision of peace played out in other arenas, including race and diversity, hunger, gender stereotypes, homosexuality, animal rights, and ecology. In some areas, such as race, gender stereotypes, and animal rights (he was a vegetarian) he was explicit in his message. One area where he was not outspoken was the rights of LGBT persons. He hired a number of gay persons on the show, but neither spoke out on it nor did he encourage his gay employees to do so either. He was supportive but quietly.

What we learn from Long's book is that Fred Rogers was a complicated person. He was deeply religious and committed to social justice. He also had his blind spots, not always understanding the realities of the world. Thus, with regard to hunger, for instance, he emphasized charity while not advocating for systemic change.

The question is -- how influential was Fred Rogers in forming the two generations he touched (Gen X and Millenials)? It is a question that the church itself faces!

[Beth Peninger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Westminster John Knox Press for this free readers edition. In exchange I am providing an honest review.

Growing up I didn't watch Mister Rogers' Neighborhood very often. Sesame Street was more my thing, perhaps it was more my parents thing? Regardless, I watched enough to know references to the show - Mister Rogers, his cardigans, the residents of the Make-Believe Neighborhood, the song. It wasn't until I was an adult that looking back, er watching back, I could appreciate Mister Rogers for what - and who - he was. And the older I got, the more I saw him outside of his show and appearing on different talk shows etc the more I began to realize what a life rockstar the man was. But I still didn't realize all that Fred Rogers was setting out to accomplish until someone pointed it out to me.
That someone was Michael Long with this title.
In this book Long takes a deep look into the values and mission of Fred Rogers and his Neighborhood. A vegetarian, pacifist, and follower of Christ Rogers used his Neighborhood, real and make-believe, to reach children with a different way/message than the cultural one. His messages were pointed but his method delivered them with a gentleness - of course they did, this was Fred Rogers' way.
As Long puts it early on in the book, "What I found, much to my delight, was a quiet but strong American prophet who, with roots in progressive spirituality, invited us to make the world into a countercultural neighborhood of love - a place where there would be no wars, no racial discrimination, no hunger, no gender-based discrimination, no killing of animals for food, and no pillaging of the earth's precious resources. This is the Fred Rogers I have come to know: not a namby-pamby, mealymouthed, meek and mild pushover, but rather an ambitious, hard-driving, and principled (though imperfect) creator of a progressive children's program designed to subvert huge parts of the wide society and culture." Long goes on to prove each of those points about Rogers in subsequent chapters. Rogers, it turns out, tuned in to the messages being broadcast by the culture, and crafted his shows to counter those messages. Between 1968-2001 he and the Neighborhood attempted to communicate to children (and their parents) that there was another way to consider. And he was often successful at communicating it. Driving his motivation was the ministry of Jesus, Rogers was intentional in allowing his beliefs to drive his messages. He wrote to a friend, "What a tough job to try to communicate the gift of Jesus Christ to anybody. It can't be simply talked about, can it? Jesus himself used parables - so I guess that's our directive: try to show the kingdom of God through stories as much as possible." Welcome to the Neighborhood.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though part biography, this book is primarily an exploration of Fred Rogers' theological beliefs and the way those beliefs manifested themselves through his television show Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

He was an ordained Presbyterian minister. I noticed some other reviews say that he is a Quaker minister and while his pacifism was certainly similar to that of the Quakers, Rogers was absolutely a Presbyterian minister. He was called to minister to children and his show was his ministry.

This wasn't a book that I found I wanted to read all at once. Instead I would read a portion, and then stop and meditate on it, sometimes for 24 hours, before continuing. It's a book that really calls for thought and reflection. It's also a book I wanted to share; I've already purchased and sent copies to family and friends. People who love children, people of faith (even those who consider themselves spiritual, but not religious), and people who loved Mr. Rogers as children (or as adults) will all find something to take away from this book.

Long seemed to make a point of trying to keep the book balanced. In every chapter, he would reflect on how well Rogers did something, but then counter that with a way in which Mr. Rogers could have done more, missed an opportunity, or even failed in some way. I admit, I found that both distracting and annoying at first, because, after all, Fred Rogers was a human being and like all human beings he was not perfect. Eventually, I realized that that was exactly the point Long was trying to make. However, I gave the book 4 rather than 5 stars because I believe it would have been a smoother read had Long saved the critique of Rogers' weaknesses until the concluding chapter.

Mr. Rogers has always been one of my heros because of his dedication to the well-being of children, but this book shows that he was so much more and had and still has much to offer to all.

I received this book as a Goodreads First-Reads giveaway.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing up, I admired, knew and loved Mr. Rogers as a gentle teacher, a kind man who understood that kids had feelings and concerns too and often didn't know what to make of them. He always wore sweaters and in my child's mind, I used to worry that he was cold, but now I realize he was making himself approachable, like a kind grandfather, one who always cared about me, and liked me just the way I was.

This book made me realize that all of that was true, that his concern for the world was far greater than "His Neighborhood", and that he was a very principled man who never compromised his beliefs. I came to see, respect and admire Mr. Rogers through an adult's eyes. Though some of the stories seemed overlong to me, they introduced me to the commitment of his spirituality and deep pacifist beliefs. Mr. Rogers was in no uncertain terms, a bad-ass, a man unwavering in his beliefs who stood up for what he knew was right, and showed us how we could all make our world a better place. Teacher, role-model, pacifist,visionary ahead of his time and a good man dedicated to bringing peace and love to a world that needs it so much.

I admire the man so much more now. I'm grateful that NetGalley gave me the opportunity to do so in exchange for an honest review.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Mr. Rogers. He was born the same day and year as my dad but was about as opposite my father as a man could be. (This probably fostered my early and continuing disbelief in astrology.) I watched Mr. Rogers neighborhood as a child and really enjoyed when he would go into factories and show how things were made. I wasn't as much a fan of the land of make believe. I guess I should've been. I was so surprised to find out that he wrote story lines for that world that actually protested the Vietnam War. I thought I was a perceptive little kid but this stuff must have just flew right by me!

The author details all the awesome things Mr. Rogers was teaching in his show. This book is only for Mr. Rogers fanatics because it is extremely well-researched. He goes through many episodes of the show at great length.

I so admire Mr. Rogers for always being true to himself and his beliefs.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for a unbiased review.

[Erin Goettsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably my favorite of the books I've read about Mister Rogers - thoughtful (and fun!) insights and examples from his episodes and life interactions, affirming him as the progressive thinker and pastor we know and love him for being. (The theological and social sections worked better for me than the political ones.)

The book wasn't perfect though -- I'm sort of bummed that this wasn't co-written by a warmer and more engaging writer; although it's well-researched and laid out, by the end, the college-style-five-point-essay rhythm was really tiresome. Also, and this is slightly more problematic, the chapter on sexuality uses terms and labels and language that are a bit out of touch in 2015, and sadly work against the point for progressivism that the chapter is trying to make.

Overall, the content of this book is just fantastic, though. Recommend.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a review copy through NetGalley.

Ultimately, I'm glad I read this book. However, it did not flow smoothly. The writing really distracted from the point the author was trying to make. It felt like reading a longform listicle. The integration of primary sources was not done well with the narration and left me wondering where the content was taken from. This amount of research should have been pointed toward a biography either of Rogers or the show... a fuller treatment OR a shorter, more devotional treatment. It came across like piecemeal that Long used to hammer home points that were important to him. The failure to go ahead and let Rogers fall short, rather than rescue him through another example, also weakened the emphasis of the book.

[Q2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't as mind blowing as one might think. Long basically sets up that our childhood favorite Mr. Rogers wasn't a "namby pamby" children's show actor--he was a complex man with solid (and sometimes radical) political and moral opinions. He's a pacifist (no matter what) and pretty religious. Long goes through certain Mr. Roger's episode plots (complete with quoted dialogue) and shows, point by point, how Mr. Rogers used his show to further his own pointed opinions. Not the most thrilling reading, but certainly a revelation. Thanks to NetGalley for this read!

http://queenbeebooks.blogspot.com/201...

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a biography of Fred Rogers. Instead it was a deep look into the Neighborhood of Make-Believe and how the Neighborhood responded to violent events of the 1970s-2000s. You need to be at least somewhat familiar with the show to follow this book, but it does bring back lots of memories even for those who haven't seen the show in decades.

This was a rounded portrait of a man who aimed to promote nonviolence almost by colluding with America's children, in a way. He wasn't perfect, but he was a lot deeper and intentional than most realized. Great read.

[Laura Cheifetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished! A really powerful read. Long does a good job of laying out how Rogers shaped peaceful messages for children, and other places where he didn't go as far as others wished he had. A much fuller picture of the pacifist vegetarian Presbyterian minister than I had formed simply by watching his show.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this book. I expected it to talk more about Mr. Rogers and his faith. I could have done without the American history recaps and long descriptions of individual television episodes. I didn't finish it. (4/30/15)

I received an ARC from NetGalley! (3/11/15)

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel this is a balanced and careful reporting of Fred Rogers' progressive Christian beliefs and actions.

[Jerry Hillyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

51swoznfYCL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_
Title: Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers

Author: Michael G. Long

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press

Year: 2015

Pages: 176

Mr Rogers' Neighborhood on Wikipedia

From what I can gather, Mr Rogers only broadcast his television program during Republican Presidential administrations because according to Long these were the only presidents Mr. Rogers was critical of. Try as I did to find a Democrat who was the object of Mr Rogers' ire (or Long's for that matter), I could not find it. Somehow Long manages even to make the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal sound like something out of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe--peace, calm, and somehow righteous. This is sad. I'm one who grew up watching Mr Rogers and enjoying the work he did--especially the neighborhood of Make Believe and I think this would have been a fantastic book if the author's bias had no shown through so abundantly.

I am all about criticizing the government and those who are in positions of authority, but I think if it is going to be done, it should be done in an evenhanded sort of way. That is, all politicians--regardless of party stripe--should be criticized. Michael Long simply did a poor job of being evenhanded in this book. It makes for a long, frustrating book--regardless of whether or not the reader happens to be a fan of Mr Rogers. Somehow Long manages to skip over the entire Carter administration--as if Mr. Rogers had nothing to say about Jimmy Carter or his policies--and plow a straight line from Nixon to Reagan to Bush to Bush. (Clinton is mentioned only a couple of times an both times, ironically, rather favorably.)

The problem with this book is that it only has one point of view (and it wasn't that of Fred Rogers) and I'm inclined to believe that Mr. Rogers was far more complex than Long would have us to believe. Instead I think this book is an interpretive history pushing Long's agenda. It's not that Mr. Rogers didn't do or believe the things written about, but Long writes them in a vacuum of sorts--not really giving us a full picture of Fred Rogers.

From what I can find, there were close to 900 episodes of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood film at various points between 1968-2000, which might also cause us to wonder how George W. Bush made his way into this book (although there was some interaction between President Bush and Mr. Rogers in later days of Rogers' life), and yet we are supposed to believe that what Long has given us is representative of the whole of Mr. Rogers. His bias in the book is a very real problem for the book and for those who who wish to remember Mr. Rogers fondly. As an example of Long's bias, consider this quote concerning George W. Bush--who was never president while Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood was broadcasting new episodes:

Not everyone followed Rogers's [sic.] counsel. President George W. Bush favored fighting violence with violence and quickly authorized the War on Terror, promising to hunt down and kill terrorists who threatened the United States. Of course, rather than doing the dirty work himself, he relied partly on the soldier-parents of young children. Given Rogers's [sic.] convictions about child abuse and war, he must have seen the president as yet another child abuser in a long line of presidents and politicians. (77, my emphasis).

This is, in my opinion, simply ridiculous and irresponsible. He must? Really? Fred Rogers has been dead since 2003 and now it is safe to extrapolate his thoughts to accuse a former president of being a child abuser because he fulfilled his sworn duty to protect the constitution by sending volunteer citizen-soldiers to war so that people like Long would continue to enjoy the very freedom he enjoys? And let's be honest, George W. Bush acted with the full support and authority of both houses of congress, a group of people that includes men, women, black, white, gay, straight, liberal, conservative, Republican and Democratic. A principled disagreement is one thing; attacking character is something else entirely. Long is rather unprincipled when it comes to his criticism of those with whom he disagrees--quite unlike the person he writes about in this book.

But the point is this: before George W. Bush became president of the United States of America, there were eight solid years of Democratic President William Jefferson Clinton who also engage in various un-peacelike activities during his reign. And yet Long manages to conveniently skip all mention of Clinton's war activities altogether. It is mind-boggling, frankly, that such bias even manages to find its way into print without an editor pointing it out to the author and saying something like, "Hey, you might want to soften the blow a little." And as noted above, when Clinton is mentioned, it is hardly for the sake of calling him a womanizer or a cheat or a liar much less a child abuser when he, too, launched missiles at foreign nation or when he took advantage of a young intern. I'm sure Mr. Rogers must have had some opinions about those activities. Yet Long neither quotes nor speculates about Mr. Rogers' thoughts.

At the end of the book, I am less concerned about Mr. Rogers and his vegetarianism (who cares?), his championing of minority rights (yay!), his opposition to war (again, yay!), his pacifism (yay!), or his overall ethic of 'can't-we-all-just-get-alongism'. Really. War is not nice. Hate is bad. Bigotry is evil. Peace and love are good. And Christian people, like Mr. Rogers, should be at the front, leading the charge against such evils in this world by demonstrating in their own lives and churches that these things have been overcome. With that said, I am concerned that Long has not given us a complete picture of Mr. Rogers and I think this will ultimately frustrate some readers who will grow weary of his obvious bias. I know I did.

So in the end, here's my take. As far as Mr. Rogers is concerned, I have no opinion. He is an icon of American History, a pacifist, a gentle giant, a man who loved children, worked hard, was very wealthy, and demonstrated his love and compassion towards all people. He used his platform to preach his gospel as was his American right to do. Great. I applaud him for that.

On the other hand, Long's presentation of Mr. Rogers is exceptionally frustrating. The book's chapters are a bit unbalanced, they are slanted towards what some might call a 'liberal bias', and, as noted above, they are unfair in their presentation of presidential administrations. If Mr. Rogers loved all people as they are then I find it hard to believe that he would have been as hateful (that's not really the word I'm looking for, but it will have to do) towards Republican presidents--to the utter exclusion of Democratic ones--as Long makes him out to be. Sometimes I was left with the impression that Fred Rogers had such a singular focus and that he was somewhat tone-deaf to the people around him--as if the only way he could really communicate with others was through television camera. Maybe the word is 'hard-headed.'

Mr. Rogers was subtly subversive.

The book is complete with end notes and a stout index. I appreciate the few graphics (photos) that were interspersed throughout the book. And, to be sure, I did very much enjoy the trips to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Rekindling my memories King Friday, Trolley, and Daniel Striped Tiger was pure joy. This made the book somewhat worth the effort. Fred Rogers was truly, somewhat ahead of his time in some regards and I am glad for a man of such courage and conviction.

I just wish Long had not messed with my recollections of Mr. Rogers with his biased reflections on a few episodes of the Neighborhood.

2/5 Stars

[Disclaimer: I was provided an ARC from Westminster John Knox Press via NetGalley in exchange for my fair and unbiased review of this book.]

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

As great as Mister Rogers was, I think the author Long tries to stretch out minor facts and Neighborhood of Make Believe plot lines to fit his theses. Long also seems to forget that his book is documented as a biography, not as theology, and he inserts his own worldview into the narrative too much (e.g, referring to the "Prince of Peace" completely out of nowhere will take the average reader by surprise). His points are stretched thin and makes you wonder if he had an editor.

The book itself is decent at exposing some of Rogers' personal life, but I'm sure that most of the biographical material covered is in other accounts. As for the premise of Mister Rogers as a counter-cultural figure, the evidence seems hit and miss. After reading the book, I think perhaps a stronger and more interesting case could be made for the paths Rogers took to find his moral grounding over the course of his life and television series.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the better biographies about Fred Rogers that I’ve read, and I’ve read most of them. Long seeks to show the through line of compassion, faith, and peace in Fred’s life while also showing his humanity. He’s not willing to portray Fred as perfect and also not seeking to uncover some hidden darkness. It’s very honoring of exactly who Fred was.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even by the author's standards, "countercultural" seems a bit of a stretch. I think a better subtitle might have been "Discovering the not-so-light-and-fluffy Fred Rogers" (I don't actually think that's a good subtitle, but my point will be made in a moment).

Fred Rogers was, by all accounts, a hugely decent human being who used his primary platform (Mister Rogers' Neighborhood) to address pressing issues in a subtle way. As someone who grew up watching the show, it did make me want to go back and rewatch episodes that are now contextualized in a different way. Michael Long does provide a mild critique, so the book is more even-handed than I expected, but readers/listeners should be aware that is very much couched in progressive Christian advocacy, in particular Chapter 4 (A Theology of Peace). Given that Fred Rogers was a Presbyterian minister, that didn't bother me, but the tone/aim of the book blurs in a few places. For the most part, however, Long is careful not to glorify the man, and reveals tensions between Betty Aberlin (who played Lady Aberlin on the show) and Rogers when the latter, for example, refused to move beyond subversive messaging about the Gulf War. His friendship and professional relationship with opera singer Francois Clemmons receives a bit more nuance and goes beyond the well-known anecdote of when the two shared a foot soak on a hot summer's day. Here's one example where "countercultural" seems excessive--while "tolerant" (and more so than many) of Clemmons' sexuality, Rogers initially criticized Clemmons for behavior that might anger the more conservative watchers of the show (namely being seen at a gay bar) and worried that he would lose the audience he was trying to impact. It is worth noting that Clemmons maintained a deep relationship with Rogers for many years, but admitted that Rogers refused to use the show to make any kind of statement in support of homosexuals, as well as refusing to have "Officer Clemmons" and Lady Aberlin (if memory serves) marry as an interracial couple. The tensions here are presented evenly without melodrama, but Clemmons' pain is palpable and understandable in the narrative.

There are also interesting stories about Rogers' activism outside of the show. His use of Daniel Striped Tiger in negotiation with Soviet adults supports Long's primary point that Rogers was fully committed to his work and the use of storytelling to promote peace. While my memories of the puppets are blurry, it was fascinating to have Lady Elaine Fairchilde--whom I remember finding reasonably unsettling--and even Queen Sara Saturday, re-contextualized as semi-feminist icons. Long notes that Queen Saturday's wedding vows, as well as her choice to keep her name (instead of taking King Friday's name) were not commonly accepted at the time.

What's really good about the book is that it manages to celebrate Rogers without glossing over his flaws, such as his relativism when it came to violence against animals (Rogers was an ardent vegetarian, but failed to speak against animals in captivity (e.g. Shamu)). One gets the sense that Rogers always tried to live toward an ideal, very much shaped by his faith and upbringing, but had trouble negotiating that with reality sometimes. It is valuable to get the longview. Mister Rogers' Neighborhood first aired in 1968, with its final episode (of 0ver 900) on August 31, 2001. Long divides the book into two parts: Part One - War and Peace in the Neighborhood and Part Two - Peace as More Than the Absence of War. Some of the chapters work better than others, but Rogers use of puppetry, narrative and music to advocate for pacifism is undeniable. The subtopics of pacifism are the main points of organization, rather than a chronological narrative, and this is mostly effective, although I did tire of hearing "when seen in context" since that seemed for me the reason to read/listen to the book in the first place. George Newbern's reading is calm, not unlike Rogers himself, but occasionally amplifies the Christian guise of the book (not a problem or surprising for a Westminster John Knox Press publication). My criticism is just that the book is MORE than "theology according to Fred Rogers" and even those outside of Christian belief systems might enjoy the text.

[Jeanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The more I look around me and within me the more I notice that those who feel best about themselves have the greatest capacity to feel good about others.

Growing up with Mr. Rogers, I was excited to know the man behind the neighborhood. He was a pacifist but he also was an activist regarding children. I have mixed feelings but it does not take away from my appreciation of the man. His soft spoken voice and his intentionality of others is greatly to be admired.


My favorite account of Rogers was of that listening to a sermon. How our attitude of judgement and need can make all the difference in the world. I think all of us can be on either side of this attitude. Such a great a lesson.

I heard the worst sermon I could have ever imagined, ..I sat in the pew thinking. He is going against every rule they’re teaching us about preaching. What a waste of time. But Rogers soon discovered it was not a waste for everyone. Sitting next to Rogers was a woman in tears at the end of the service. He said exactly what I needed to hear, she whispered. Rogers analyzed the event by saying that a major difference between his response to the sermon and the women’s was that she had come in need and he had come in judgment. Because she head come in need, she had opened herself to receiving the sermon as a gift of love, and because Rogers had sat there so judgmentally, he heard nothing but the faults.

The author did very well in writing the account of Roger’s call to peace and voicing our anger in healthy ways. For the most part, the account was unbiased however; the following comment was not a fair comment. Not everyone followed Roger’s counsel. President George W. Bush favored fighting violence with violence and quickly authorized the War on Terror, promising to hunt down and kill terrorist who threatened the U.S. Of course, rather than doing the dirty work himself, he relied partly on the soldier parents of young children. Given Roger’s convictions about child abuse and war, he must have seen the present as yet another abuser in a long line of presidents and politicians.

I am for peace and appreciate Rogers call for peace. Any violence or act of war is morally wrong in Rogers theology, however, not doing anything about evil and letting evil flourish is morally wrong as well. Roger’s theology is not based on God’s sovereignty, the depravity of man, and judgment, but free will and that all people can choose peace and must choose peace. I have to say, everything I read about Roger’s theology was troubling to me. He was a Universalist in his views of heaven. It is denying the need of a savior when judgement is taken out of the picture. Because there is evil and good, we must have judgment to have justice. When judgment dehumanizes others, we are in sin. However, judgement implies right and wrong according to standards set.

God evolves learns, grows, knows…Rogers refused to believe that the God of yesterday remains the same today and tomorrow.



Using his children’s show Mister Rogers Neighborhood was instrumental in sharing his views with children. I was surprised by indoctrination of his activism by using Mister Roger’s Neghborhood has a catalyst. Watching it myself, I never made the connection. Reading this account, there is a connection that is troublesome in some ways but also wonderful that it was a way to share that children may share their feelings of anger, fear in healthy ways.

An advocate for children everywhere from U.S to Russia, Mr. Rogers will leave a legacy of kindness.

A Special Thank You to Westminster John Knox Press and Netgalley for ARC and the opportunity to post an honest view.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Well, those children become adults."
- Fred Rogers, in response to being asked about his work with children and children's media

I never grew up watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood; it was way before my time. I don't actually remember what I watched before about elementary school (at which at that point was mostly Disney movies, Scooby Doo, and Johnny Quest), but apparently I was one of the many who watched Sesame Street in the years before kindergarten. However, there is a sizable population who grew up with Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood as a staple of their childhood and their children's childhoods and Fred Rogers himself has long since become a american cultural icon, so I listened to this book.

Peaceful Neighbor examines the historical context of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood and its messaging. Different sections address issues like Fred Rogers' opposition to war during the Vietnam and Gulf Wars, and consequently how war was talked about in the context of the Neighborhood of Make Believe (such as various characters taking action to avoid conflict and getting others to resolve their mad feelings without hurting themselves or others), Fred Rogers' subtle support of civil rights (such as the introduction of Officer Clemmons as one of the first African Americans to have a major recurring role in children's media and the deliberate breaking of color barriers, as with the famous pool scene), and Fred Rogers' early environmental messaging and (such as various characters getting together to stop littering and change the Neighborhood of Make Believe's way of dealing with trash). Crucially, Peaceful Neighbor puts these actions and messages in their historical context to illustrate to readers just how radical they were at the time they were originally aired: antiwar storylines aired during a time where the wider culture was clamoring for war and most of the population supported the ongoing conflict, antiracist characters and acts took place before and during the civil rights movement when such behavior got people beaten and killed, and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood was the first children's media to address things like recycling and keeping the world beautiful. For all that Fred Rogers was very aware that he couldn't be too overt, he still clearly went out of his way to craft a children's show that would reach literally millions of kids over almost half a century with implicit lessons that feelings are okay even though they're not an excuse to harm yourself or others, that people behaving outside of prescribed roles/behavior (such as women who do something other than the 'traditional housewife' and boys who want to knit) is okay, and that caring for animals and the world is a good thing. Additionally, because Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood was subtle in presenting and addressing those issues, Fred Rogers reached many children who didn't get those kinds of lessons and stories at home from their parents or other grown ups in their life.

Overall, Peaceful Neighbor is an excellent book. It is one that I very much enjoyed and learned a lot from. It is a book that I would recommend, especially to those who grew up with the show.

[Phil Aud · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really interesting book. Like many my age, I grew up watching Mr. Rogers lace his shoes and talk gently in the land of "Make Belief.” What I didn’t realize at the time was how strong of a pacifist Mr. Rogers actually was. As Long writes, “In a very real sense, we’ve domesticated Fred Rogers and his radical pacifism. We’ve restricted him to the realm of entertainment, children, and feelings, and we’ve ripped him out of his political and religious context.” After reading this insightful book, I would agree. Long takes us on a historical journey through both major historical moments in the United State’s history, and episodes of “Mr. Rogers.” It is fascinating to see how Rogers used his shows to instill the message of non-violence in children, even quoting scripture (Isaiah 2:4) on air. He often countered the politicians rhetoric with puppets in the land of make belief. He did this, for example, at the heigh of Reagan’s “evil empire speech” in 1983 during the show’s “War and Peace” week (now titled “conflict week”).

Rogers was not the type to march in streets, or hold protest signs. As the author writes, “As a Christian peacemaker, Rogers took his cues from the parables of Jesus….behind the staring eye of a camera, and on a set built for sharing stories about the peaceable reign of God.” What a fascinating man.

I did find the book itself got off task towards the end (though the conclusion was great) and I found myself wanting the author delve a little more into what shaped Rogers’ thinking regarding “non-violence,” theologically, for example. He did this to a certain extent, but would have loved to have seen this developed further instead of trying to delve into other topics. Certainly many conservatives will feel taken aback by Rogers’ liberal theology, as portrayed by Long. Somewhere along in the reading it felt like I stopped reading a well researched book about Mr. Rogers and started reading Mr. Long’s agenda. If one can see past this, there are some things to be gleaned from this book. In particular, I left the book remembering that it is not only the “in your face” personality that can help bring change, but also (especially?) the gentle souls of the world. In the end, I give this book a 3 stars.

*I received an advanced copy of the book from Netgalley