I'm Proud of You

In the same vein as Mitch Albom's TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE, Tim Madigan recounts how children's TV legend Fred Rogers acted as a guide and friend to him during times of crisis. Christian Baskous reads the part of Rogers with a slow voice, enunciating his words in a manner similar to Rogers's. The result is a familiar sense of wisdom and calm each time Rogers speaks. When reading Madigan's voice, however, Baskous doesn't come into his own until two-thirds of the way through the book, when an emotional crisis seems to jar Baskous into Madigan's heart. From that point on, the performance is stellar, as Baskous seems to internalize the author's words. In spite of the slow start, Madigan provides an intimate and enjoyable look into a unique friendship. H.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Starred review from May 15, 2006
Fred Rogers, the "gentle icon" of public television's Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
, taught generations of children and their parents how to express feelings and relate to others in a positive way. Rogers was also an ordained Presbyterian minister who regularly studied the important spiritual thinkers and shared his faith with an eclectic range of adult friends. Madigan, a journalist with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
, became one of those friends after writing a piece on Rogers and Captain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan) in 1995. Soon Madigan and Rogers were corresponding, and Madigan reprints here many of their letters and e-mails. They built a warm, supportive friendship, one that nourished Madigan through his self-doubt "Furies" and the difficult death of his dear brother. As Rogers grieved for Madigan's losses and several of his own, the two taught each other about the beauty of giving and receiving "unconditional regard" from a beloved friend. So close did they become that readers may share Madigan's shock at discovering that Rogers was gravely ill—too weak for a last visit before his death in 2003. Even if readers don't feel their day-to-day lives transformed by this luminous memoir, in times of grief or of loss they'll know which book on their shelf to turn to.