"The Autobiography of Santa Claus" Review

 

"The Autobiography of Santa Claus"

by Jeff Guinn

6/10

 

My Synopsis:

When it comes to that wonderfully festive season at the end of the calendar year, there only one man - one icon - that represents the holiday season.  That man is Santa Claus.  This is it ladies and gentlemen - the story where it all began.  The story of one man and how he became a legend.  How he gained elfish helpers and a wife is included as well as why he lives at the North Pole.  Its all here in one book.  The tale recounts everything from toys to reindeer in vivid detail.  If you've ever had a doubt in your mind about his validity, this is the place to go.  Its all there as told to author Jeff Guinn.

 

My review:

What a charming little tale!  I was completely smitten with the story right off the bat.  I was a little surprised that there were so many pictures and that the writing was more directed toward youth (who wouldn't be able to read the book without help)  than adults but I persisted none-the-less.  The book starts off well enough and as it progresses, numerous major historical figures are added to the tale.  At first I was loving the interweaving of other historical stories into the one of Santa Claus.  To think of so many great people wrapped up in the mythology of it made it even more magical.  I was swept up in the idea of the legend and forgot I was reading fiction.  But as the book progressed, it became more and more far fetched to the point where it was absolutely unbelievable.  The spirit of Santa stuff was genuinely heart-warming, but when the reindeer were flying, I was out.  It was nice that they incorporated all of it but I just wasn't sure who the book was for.  A light read for grown-ups, maybe.  However, the ridiculousness of some of the ideas fall flat.  A nice book to read to children, maybe.  However, the mixing up of the historical figures and their stories may become confusing and cause difficulty when studying history for real.  Maybe its aimed at children who have stopped believing a bit too early and whose parents want to prolong the belief that makes the season special.  While I was amused by the book, I could not pinpoint the appropriate audience so I am giving it a 6 out of 10.