{"id":7050,"date":"2025-11-23T08:51:38","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T13:51:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.laserfarm.com\/?p=7050"},"modified":"2025-11-23T08:51:38","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T13:51:38","slug":"book-review-schulz-peanuts-a-biography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.laserfarm.com\/?p=7050","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Schulz & Peanuts – A Biography"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography<\/em><\/strong>, by David Michaelis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing up, I was a huge fan of The Far Side<\/em> and Calvin and Hobbes<\/em>. Peanuts<\/em> was always there on the comics page, but I didn\u2019t care about it. The jokes were never laugh-out-loud funny and a lot of the strips had no jokes at all \u2013 just some slice-of-life observation or just a picture of Snoopy ice skating. That\u2019s not a comic! That\u2019s just a lunch box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I got older, I appreciated the strip more. What it lacked in bellylaughs it made up for with philosophical ruminations and some adorable art. So, while I wasn\u2019t the biggest Charlie Brown fan, I was curious to know more about his creator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike a lot of famous people, Schulz didn\u2019t have the ups-and-downs you usually associate with artists. He simply was good\u2026and then everyone liked his stuff. And he got famous. And then he got more famous. And then he (spoiler alert) died. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His life story is still interesting, especially if you like comic strip history. And easily the most shocking thing about his life are his extra-marital relationships with young women. The dude even slipped in thinly veiled notes to his mistresses in the comic strip! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I like learning about comic strip creators because so many are reclusive and odd. Maybe it\u2019s because they\u2019re all busy trying to wrangle stressful daily deadlines. Or maybe they\u2019re all socially awkward, sensitive souls who struggle to exist in the public eye because their brains and emotions absorb too much information. Or maybe it\u2019s because they\u2019re all in a secret cult that worships the Dark Lord Marmaduke! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why am I reviewing all these books? Great question! I\u2019m doing it to raise money for Reading is Fundamental, an amazing charity that helps spread the magic of reading. Donate today!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n