Structure

For the most part, the main body of the narrative (Parts 1 through 5) unfolds in a chronological, linear structure. It begins with consideration of Fred Rogers’s childhood, moves through his young adulthood and college years, and considers aspects of his television career in the order in which they happened – his first job in New York, subsequent jobs in Pittsburgh and in Toronto, and then his final job back in Pittsburgh, one that lasted for the rest of his life and, essentially, gave him his fame and reputation. The final chapters of the main body of the narrative focus on his post-retirement life, illness, death, and legacy.

Within that larger chronological framework, the narrative moves back and forth in time, offering quotes, comments, analysis, and anecdotes that provide general insight into more specific aspects of particular periods of Fred’s life. For example, in the narratives of Chapters...