Book Review: YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY, CHARLIE BROWN

YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY, CHARLIE BROWN is a collection of “Peanuts” strips that first appeared between the years 1974-1976. They are undated and there is unifying theme to the whole collection. There’s the usual stuff of Charlie Brown fretting over the red-haired girl, Charlie Brown waiting for Valentines that never arrive, Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin, Lucy teaching Linus incorrect facts, and Schroeder playing his little piano. However, some of the longer story lines include a riot breaking out at the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm while Snoopy is delivering a speech; Snoopy becoming infatuated with the author of the “six bunny-wunnies” series; Peppermint Patty invited Snoopy to a school dance; and Charlie Brown letting Snoopy manage his baseball team for awhile. I’ve always enjoyed “Peanuts” and am a lifelong fan, so I enjoyed YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY, CHARLIE BROWN. Although most of “Peanuts” is timeless, Charles Schulz was never afraid of addressing current events in the strip. Therefore, there are a few strips that have dated references or parody things that don’t seem as relevant today (for instant the riot storyline with Snoopy was far more relevant in the early 1970s when Vietnam was still be protested). Other than those few instances, many of the strips in this collection of “Peanuts” are as timeless as ever.