Melancholy.

That seems to sum up Charles Schulz’s life in one word. For a man known as “Sparky” who created so much joy for millions through Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodstock, Lucy, Linus and the gang, he himself was never very happy.

This book covers the cartoonist’s whole life, loves (yes, including an unattainable little red-haired girl), highs, lows and all.

There really is a sadness to his life that comes through this book. It grounds him and gives the reader sympathy for him, but it’s an unrelenting sadness that makes sometimes makes for difficult reading. I guess that means it was true to his life – although some of Schulz’s kids apparently have taken issue with his portrayal in the book.

But back to Peanuts – you’ll learn how he encountered not one but three Charlie Browns in his life, one Linus, and a dog named Snupi. And a little person at his work that seems to be the inspiration for the iconic look of his characters.

Toward the end, Sparky may have found if not happiness at least some measure of contentment. But it didn’t last as cancer quickly took his life.

Peppered with comic strips (some duplicates too, oddly), this is an enlightening read.

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Too much mommy complex and depressing stuff
I did enjoy the comics, though

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. ( )

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. ( )

An eye-opening account of the shy, bookish and ambitious military man who created the most popular comic in newspaper history. ( )