This may be close to a perfect biography. It’s a warm and fuzzy romp for baby boomers eager to reconnect with their bright college years and beyond. And it’s a perfect biography for Trudeau: respectful, informative, and none too intrusive — just the way he would want it, I think.
The first major biography of this reclusive satirist ... It doesn’t dig too deep. It verges on hagiography ... Kendall’s book works anyway; it has a good story to tell. I devoured it in two or three sittings, as if it were an ideal bag of popcorn. This book will be a many-sided nostalgia trip for anyone who’s read Doonesbury in something like real time, and a mind-popping introduction to Trudeau’s oeuvre for tykes who did not ... It’s a meat-and-potatoes biography. Sometimes that’s the best kind: Get out of the way and let the story tell itself. I occasionally longed for a more authoritative voice.
Compelling ... Will resonate with readers, especially those who grew up seeing the characters and storylines in their daily papers. Public and academic libraries that focus on American culture and politics will also be interested.
Kendall’s biography is best when it’s embedded in Trudeau’s truthseeking glory days, but loses momentum as his subject begins to rest on his rightfully earned laurels ... An uneven celebration of an exceptionally influential cartoonist.
