The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers

A couple years ago, I was doing something online and saw The Simple Faith of Mister Rogers: Spiritual Insights from the World's Most Beloved Neighbor by Amy Hollingsworth. I wanted to read it, but I couldn't find it at the library--so I asked for it for Christmas and got it this past week. :) The book description reads, "For more than 30 years, Fred Rogers was the kindly neighbor of children worldwide. Why were kids drawn to him? Mining personal interviews and correspondence, this book goes beyond Rogers's gentle manner and signature red sweater to reveal the deep faith that sustained him in his many roles—television personality, educator, philosopher, and minister."

This was a great read. I finished it in pretty much one sitting on a long airline flight, and it was an engaging book. Even though I didn't watch much Mister Rogers as a kid, I've been a big fan of his as an adult as I've seen some articles and videos that highlight important messages he taught children. (My two favorite examples: episode with Officer Clemmons and episode with Jeff Erlanger, a child in a wheelchair) I liked reading this book and seeing the impact of faith on Mister Rogers's decisions to go into television and what he focused on in his work. The last pages share Mister Rogers's words about what he would want people to know if he had one final opportunity to address his television neighbors. He said, "I would want [those] who were listening somehow to now that they had unique value, that there isn't anyone in the whole world exactly like them and that there never has been and there never will be. And that they are loved by the Person who created them, in a unique way. If they could know that and really know it and have that behind their eyes, they could look with those eyes on their neighbor and realize, 'My neighbor has unique value too; there's never been anybody in the whole world like my neighbor, and there never will be.' If they could value that person--if they could love that person--in ways that we know that the Eternal loves us, then I would be very grateful." I really loved that. This book focused on the author's interactions with Fred Rogers after she interviewed him and then began a years-long friendship. In some ways, I liked this because it helped me see what Mister Rogers was like in these kind of day-to-day relationships/interactions. In other ways, I wish this was more of an autobiography by Fred Rogers himself so I could get his take on things rather than the author's interpretation of her interactions. But overall it was a great read.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Outliers

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell has been on my to-read list for awhile, and I got it on audiobook from Libby. The book description reads, "In this stunning new book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of 'outliers'--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band."

This was a really interesting book. I don't know if the book description above really captures the book, but to me, it was about how super successful people who are "outliers" in terms of their success are more than just a self-made person or rags to riches story. Instead, they were extraordinarily lucky or had a life filled with circumstances that put them in the the position to have the success they did. I found his examples super interesting and fun to follow. (Like the fact that an incredibly significant number of professional hockey players are born in January.) Great read and one I'd recommend to others. I'm rating it 2/3 stars since it wasn't one I 100% loved as much as some books I've read, but I still really, really liked it.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

The Wild Robot Protects

I was excited to see a new book in the Wild Robot series and got The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown from the library. The book description says, "Life for Roz and the animals on their island is perfect. But when mysterious, dangerous waters surround the island, the animals are forced inland to fight over dwindling resources. Roz calms and organizes the animals, but the poison tide takes a terrible toll on the island. So the wild robot sets out across the ocean, determined to stop the poison tide. During her journey, Roz encounters amazing geological formations and incredible creatures, and she sees the devastation caused by the toxic waters. Can the wild robot save the ocean and her island and everything she loves?"

This was a good read. I really loved Roz in the first two books, and it's always fun going back to a character you haven't been with for awhile. I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as the first two, and it may have just been because Roz was on her own for a lot of the book, and there weren't other characters to love and grow close to. But I was still interested to see how the story would turn out and was glad I read it.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)