The definitive, fascinating, all-reaching biography of Dr. Seuss.
Born in Kansas and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Brian Jay
Jones has a degree in English from the University of New Mexico,
which he immediately parlayed into a brief career as a manager of a
comic book store before getting into politics and writing. For
nearly ten years, he worked as a policy advisor in the United
States Senate. He has also served as an associate state
superintendent of education for the state of Arizona, a chief of
staff for a think tank in Washington, DC, and as a legislative aide
for several elected county officials.
Brian currently lives in Virginia with his wife and dog, where he
serves as the associate director of the Great Lives biographer
speakers program at the University of Mary Washington.
Praise for Becoming Dr. Seuss
Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in
Nonfiction
“Becoming Dr. Seuss is more compelling than mere pop hagiography;
it is sweeping in scope, unstinting in detail, and willing to
criticize or contextualize when needed.”—The New Yorker
“Nuanced, profoundly human, and painstakingly researched, this
496-page biography is perhaps the most complete, multidimensional
look at the life of one of the most beloved authors and
illustrators of our time. . . . While it is a standard biography in
general terms, Jones goes above and beyond to contextualize Geisel
in the larger picture at every moment of his life. [A] fascinating
read that discusses the origin of the humorous, simple rhymes,
bizarre creatures, and magic that characterized Geisel's books
while also showing the author's more radical side as an unemployed
wanderer who abandoned his doctoral studies, a successful
advertising man, and a political cartoonist.”—NPR
“A rich, anecdotal biography . . . Whether readers are familiar
with Dr. Seuss books or not, they will find this biography
absorbing and fascinating.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“This attractive biography should be on the bedside reading table
of thousands of Dr. Seuss lovers, and deservedly so.”—Library
Journal (starred review)
“A warm, defining biography of one of the most beloved writers of
this or any time.”—LitHub
“One of the most anticipated books of Spring 2019.”—Publishers
Weekly
"While acknowledging Geisel’s flaws and debts to others, Jones
convincingly shows him as a transformative figure in children’s
publishing, both as an author and cofounder of the Beginner Books
imprint. Fans of Dr. Seuss will find much to love in this candid
but admiring portrait."—Publishers Weekly
“One of the buzziest books being released this May 2019.”—O, The
Oprah Magazine
"Enjoyable. Lively."—The Wall Street Journal
"Profiling cultural empires and their instigators is familiar
territory for Jones, who also wrote Jim Henson: The
Biography and George Lucas: A Life. It’s clear that Jones is
experienced in extracting details from the most innocuous letter or
interview, fleshing out the lives of cultural groundbreakers we’ve
long admired. As all successful biographers should do, Jones
doesn’t cheerlead his own writing style by adding unnecessary
flourishes or similes; he lets the subject’s actions and quotes
energize the book. Thankfully, Geisel is a hilarious and insightful
character whose love of literature is almost as infectious as his
timeless rhymes."—The Washington Post
“A May 2019 Parade Pick”
"1 of 9 notable releases over the next two
weeks.”—Vulture.com
“A loving portrait of a singularly creative man, whose influence is
as strong today as ever.”—AV Club
“Finally! The solution to the mystery of where Dr. Seuss earned his
PhD. Brian Jay Jones also reveals the true identity of
Chrysanthemum Pearl; the etymology of the word nerd; the political
leanings of Horton and Yertle; and the relationship of Krazy Kat to
the one in the hat. It comes as no surprise that Theodor Geisel was
a born storyteller; prying truth from fact, Jones pins our favorite
fabulist nimbly, colorfully, and splendidly to the page.”—Stacy
Schiff, author of The Witches
“Readers of Becoming Dr. Seuss may be astonished to learn in this
rollicking ride of a biography that Theodor Seuss Geisel—progenitor
of the most anarchic animals of all time—was himself a radically
bizarre creation, every bit as strange and emotionally
uncoordinated as a Snoo or a Sneetch. Childless, chain-smoking, and
cocktail-swilling, bawdy and argumentative, Geisel got his unlikely
start promoting Standard Oil’s fly-killing insecticide (his ad
campaign featured the immortal tag line 'Quick, Henry! The Flit!');
drawing coarse political cartoons (sometimes racist or misogynist);
and serving as a World War II understudy to Frank Capra, making
films teaching grunts to evade death and mosquitoes. His epic
transformation into one of the most beloved and bestselling
children’s writers of all time, winner of Oscars and a Pulitzer, is
a poignant, affecting tale of a man who mastered the art of
concision through imagination and sheer toil yet could never bring
such exactitude to his own life, callously replacing his wife and
editor of forty years, a suicide, with her rival. In Jones’s
telling, the Seussian legacy emerges triumphant, elevating the
power of children’s literature. 'I no longer write for children,'
Geisel said proudly, at the end of his life. 'I write for
people.'"—Caroline Fraser, author of Prairie Fires: The American
Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Once again, Brian Jay Jones takes us on a beguiling deep dive into
the life of one of the leading lights of American popular culture.
Written with verve and warmth and a close attention to both the
life and the times in which it was lived, Becoming Dr. Seuss brims
with charm and humor from beginning to end.”—William Souder, author
of On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson
“Brian Jay Jones offers a richly detailed, admiring biography of
Theodor Geisel, the man whom children and adults the world over
would come to love as Dr. Seuss, and goes on to say [Jones]
provides a meticulously detailed yet thoroughly engaging look at
the life and artistry of this American original.”—BookPage
“How the Seuss found his juice. The real-life tales that sparked
America’s favorite children’s author.”—The New York Post
“Worthy of a complete read.”—New York Journal of Books
“An important and interesting book about an author who greatly
influenced our culture and most certainly our educational
system.”—The Missourian
"What this biography does best is account for Geisel’s demanding
creative habits. He was dedicated to work and, when he had the
power and leverage, he fussed over every detail of his books, from
the size of the page and the font to the placement of text and
picture. He insisted on the exact colors he required, and his
longtime publisher, Random House, usually sensibly let him have his
own way; his titles eventually sold in the hundreds of
millions."—Christian Science Monitor
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