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It was 1995 when the Fort Worth Star-Telegram assigned Tim Madigan to write a profile of children’s television icon Fred Rogers. This fortuitous interview sparked a magnificent friendship between the two, one that would see both men through periods of grief as well as the hope of new beginnings. I’m Proud of You is the story of this friendship and of the enduring legacy left to us all by Fred Rogers.

Tim’s career as a journalist was flourishing when he met Fred Rogers, but his personal life was a shambles. As Rogers welcomed Tim into his family, his church, and his life, Tim found an advisor who imparted a gentle but powerful perspective on spirituality, marriage, depression, and the nature of true friendship. With his friend’s loving and patient guidance, Tim eventually came to understand that his emotional troubles were rooted in a deep fear that his father had never truly been proud of him. Hence the mantra of the friendship between the two, the phrase Rogers used to conclude dozens of letters and e-mail messages to Tim: “I’m Proud of You.” Tim’s friendship with Rogers helped him to mend his relationship with his father and become a better husband and father himself, all the while marveling at how many simple pleasures he had overlooked throughout his life.

Tim Madigan is an award-winning newspaper journalist and the author of two critically acclaimed books, See No Evil: Blind Devotion and Bloodshed in David Koresh’s Holy War and The Burning: Massacre Destruction and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921. BACKCOVER: Advance Praise for I’m Proud of You

“Reveals in a gentle and powerful way how one person can make a difference. Fred Rogers took the time out to share the most powerful gift we can give another, our unconditional love. Hopefully this book will stimulate others to reach out without judgments, to give our peace and unconditional love to everyone we meet.”
—Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D., author of Love Is Letting Go of Fear

“A book to treasure, something very special, and a testament to human love that the late Mr. Rogers would indeed be proud of. . . .A truly inspiring book!”
—Michael Gurian, author of The Minds of Boys and The Wonder of Girls

“Even if readers don’t feel their day-to-day lives transformed by this luminous memoir, in times of grief or of loss they’ll know which book on their shelf to turn to.”
–Publishers Weekly (starred)