Summary

Part 1 is prologued with a quote from Fred Rogers: “It always helps to have people we love beside us when we have to do difficult things in life” (15).

Chapter 1, “Freddy.” In the first part of this chapter, author King outlines the circumstances of the early life of Fred Rogers. He describes how Fred’s mother had such a difficult time giving birth to him that she was told to not have any more children, and how she and her husband eventually adopted a daughter (Laney) whom Fred later described as a gift given to him by his parents. King also describes the family’s wealth and generosity, and how Fred’s parents became known throughout their community in Pittsburgh for their church-associated capacity for almost endless, unconditional giving. This, King adds, was a likely the origin of Rogers’ advocacy for kindness and...