Good grief : the story of Charles M. Schulz is readable biography of Charles Schultz, the cartoonist of the comic strip "Peanuts", and the first biography of him and one that coincide with the fortieth anniversary of the strip. This book not only tells the story of his life, it analyzes his work.

I was particularly interested in the author's listing of the twelve devices that Schultz used to create with ideas for the strip, such as Shroeder's music, Linus's blanket, and Lucy's psychiatry booth. Since then, I have endeavored to identify the devices that other cartoonists use.

This book was enjoyable and informative, but there was an underlying sadness to it when there didn't need to be. The author also has a tendency to spin Schultz's beliefs so that they become politically correct. ( )