Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street

Book Description

The story of one of the most important and beloved shows on television—how it got started, nearly failed, and was saved by Elmo

Street Gang is the compelling and often comical story of the creation and history of this media masterpiece and pop culture landmark, told with the cooperation of one of the show’s cofounders, Joan Ganz Cooney. Sesame Street was born as the result of a discussion at a dinner party at Cooney’s home about the poor quality of children’s programming and hit the air as a big bang of creative fusion from Jim Henson and company, quickly rocketing to success.

Street Gang traces the evolution of the show from its inspiration in the civil rights movement through its many ups and downs—from Nixon’s trying to cut off its funding to the rise of Elmo—via the remarkable personalities who have contributed to it. Davis reveals how Sesame Street has taught millions of children not only their letters and numbers, but also cooperation and fair play, tolerance and self-respect, conflict resolution, and the importance of listening. This is the unforgettable story of five decades of social and cultural change and the miraculous creative efforts, passion, and commitment of the writers, producers, directors, animators, and puppeteers who created one of the most influential programs in the history of television.

My thoughts:

I enjoyed Street Gang. This book takes you back to how Sesame Street was conceived, who the people were that created it and how it became so successful. You will have read half the book by the time Sesame Street will have aired, but by then you know who the people are and why they are doing what they did. Michael Davis delves into how the characters developed over time and why Elmo almost wasn’t going to be (my wife is nuts over Elmo, and our entertainment center is practically a shrine to the little red guy). If you have no interest in the cast and crew biographies, then you shouldn’t read this book. If you want to learn about the struggles to put on this television program, I say read it.

I enjoyed this book and recommend it. Mr. Davis certainly did his research on one of America’s favorite children’s television shows. It was a welcome break from the many legal thrillers and science fiction novels I have been reading lately.