AEO Reader's Club discussion

** spoiler alert ** Note: I do include a spoiler in the 2nd point. Don't read if you don't want a part of the book to be spoiled, (just a warning).
1. Jim Henson, (born September 24th, 1936 in Greenville, Mississippi), was a well-known American actor, director, and puppeteer. He was mainly recognized for creating and acting in the show, Muppets. The biography wrote about him, Jim Henson: The Biography, was written by Brian Jay Jones. The book is 585 pages long, jam-packed with information regarding Henson’s life.
2. One of the biggest life changing events that happened to Henson was when his brother died in a car accident. The book speaks highly about how Jim almost quit his puppeting career out of depression. His lack of will to keep fighting in his industry was low, and almost fatal to him quitting. Yet, he fought through his pain and continued his path to fame. I find this event so important because if he would’ve given up, the whole world would be a different place. Now even though the Muppets was created before the car crash incident, Henson still had things to achieve in life before giving up. For example, Henson sold the Muppets, then used the money to travel to Europe. Once Henson was in Europe, he met his future wife, Jane, and eventually had three children with her. I can’t exactly say that Jim giving up would’ve changed things a lot, or even a little, but I can say that it was a heartbreaking event to read about, (and I didn’t even experience it in the flesh).
3. I’d say the biggest con of the book is that it’s quite long (585 Pages). Some sections of the book tended to “drag on” too long. It’s nice for people who really want a full view of Henson’s life, but for me it was cumbersome to read (at times).
4. I honestly can’t think of anything too offensive. I’d definitely say it’s Pg-13 rated, meaning you should read it at your own discretion. I thought it was really humorous though. I didn’t take anything in the book as offensive or bad.
5. The author does a really good job of explaining aspects of Jim’s life. I was able to take-away a lot of information about Jim that I hadn’t known before.
6. I chose these two excerpts because I think they show a summary about Jim Henson. They both capture what the book is truly about too.
"He was a gentle dreamer whose genial bearded visage was recognized around the world, but most people got to know him only through the iconic characters he created: Kermit the Frog, Bert and Ernie, Miss Piggy, Big Bird”, (Brian Jay Jones).
“Jim simply lounged, hands folded across his stomach, fingers laced together. Draped limply across his lap was the green fleece form of Kermit the Frog, staring lifelessly at the floor, mouth agape.” (Brian Jay Jones).
Overall, I really liked this book. I'm glad I read it, (after it was sitting on my bedroom's bookshelf for several months). I always love learning new things about people I haven't learned much about. I'll stop ranting, I recommend it :)