Charlie Browns Christmas Miracle, Michael Keane
Charlie Browns Christmas Miracle, Michael Keane
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Charlie Brown's Christmas Miracle
The Inspiring, Untold Story of the Making of a Holiday Classic

Author: Michael Keane

Narrator: Allan Robertson

Unabridged: 8 hr 31 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Center Street

Published: 10/17/2023

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included


Synopsis

Discover the inspiring, unknown, against-all-odds story of how the classic animated holiday special A Charlie Brown Christmas almost never made it on to television.

Professor and cultural historian Michael Keane reveals much in this nostalgia-inducing book packed with original research and interviews. Keane compellingly shows that the ultimate broadcast of the Christmas special—given its incredibly tight five-month production schedule and the decidedly unfavorable reception it received by the skeptical network executives who first screened it—was nothing short of a miracle. Keane explains why the show, despite its technical shortcomings, has become an uplifting and enduring triumph embraced by millions of families every Christmas season, even more than fifty years after its premiere. This gripping and joyful behind-the-scenes story of how the creators of A Charlie Brown Christmas struggled to bring the program to life will also help readers (and loyal fans) understand how America’s favorite Christmas special changed our popular culture forever. Keane masterfully weaves the momentous events of 1965 (the turbulent year of the program’s production) into his story, providing critical context for a profound new understanding of the program’s famous climactic scene, Linus’s spot-lit soliloquy answering the question repeatedly posed by Charlie Brown—"Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

Author Bio

Michael Keane is a Fellow of National Security at the Pacific Council on International Policy. He was embedded in Iraq with the US Army's 101st Airborne Division, under the command of Gen. David Petraeus, and in Kabul, Afghanistan at the headquarters of the ISAF Commander, Gen. Stanley McChrystal. Keane is a former Fellow of the US Department of Defense's National Security Education Project. He has apeared on CNN, CNBC, FoxNews and the History Channel and has been profiled in BusinessWeek magazine. Keane is also the author of The Night Santa Got Lost: How Norad Saved Christmas and the Dictionary of Modern Strategy and Tactics. He earned his JD from the University of Texas School of law, and MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA from the University of Southern California. He lives in Santa Monica, California.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Joe on November 13, 2023

CHARLIE BROWN'S CHRISTMAS MIRACLE is the fascinating story of how one of the most beloved holiday TV animations came about. When one considers all the new ground covered and taboos violated that went into the production of the television special, one has to wonder if it really was a miracle, or just......more

Goodreads review by Luisa on December 23, 2023

Loved.This.Book! Fans of history, biographies, Christmas, and of course the Peanuts characters, will relish this read as Keane skillfully introduces you to the full cast of people that brought about the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. And it truly was a miracle that it was ever aired! This is a fun......more

Goodreads review by Cover Lover on October 15, 2023

“Charlie Brown's Christmas Miracle” is everything I’d hoped it would be. Anyone that has been within shouting distance from me (especially at Christmastime) knows that I’m obsessed with the Charlie Brown Christmas special, particularly because it’s one of the very few animated holiday television sho......more

Goodreads review by Susan on October 16, 2023

Did you know that the classic, animated holiday special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, almost never made it onto television? Michael Keane, a professor and cultural historian, reveals "almost all" in this nostalgic book, which is packed with *original* research and interviews. Go behind the scenes and l......more

Goodreads review by Annie on December 20, 2024

Fun and festive! Who knew the backstory of making the special was so “on brand”?......more