Book Review: Me, Myself and Bob

I sat down the other day and had a cup of coffee with Phil Vischer of VeggieTales fame. He told me his whole life story and I hung on every word…

Okay, that really didn’t happen, but after reading Me, Myself, and Bob a recent release by Vischer, I feel like it did. Vischer’s book details his life and the road from teenage video geek to the creation of VeggieTales and Big Ideas to it’s fall into bankruptcy and his rise from the ashes into the arms of a loving God. Here are a few thought I had on this book:

• Vischer shares his story through his unique and humorous perspective which always keeps you reading and often has you laughing.
• The story of the rise and fall of Big Idea Productions had me smiling, cheering and then crying. There were actually parts during the “fall” that I verbally said – “Phil, no don’t do that. You can’t do that!”
• As an outsider to computer animation, I found the details on the beginnings of VeggieTales fascinating. Vischer shares stories of the creative process, the origin or certain characters and other inspirations (like how the Hairbrush Song came into being.)
• Through the entire story, many factors and people contribute to the downfall of Big Ideas, but Vischer ultimately takes the blame for letting things slip away from him.
• God is always a part of this story. Even though God didn’t save Big Ideas from bankruptcy, Vischer struggles, but never loses his faith. The experience changes him, grows him and gives him a clearer perspective on chasing his dreams.

I really enjoyed this book. It has forever changed the way I will look at Bob and Larry (past, present and future) and my own life. Dark days come, but joy comes in the morning.

Thanks Phil for a great read! I look forward to your future projects.

You can check out Vischer’s website here and his new company jellyfish here.

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Note: I am not a VegHead. In fact Bob and Larry have been a part of my life for less than a year, when we introduced the videos to our almost two-year-old son last spring. In that time, however, I have grown as fond of the stories as he has and enjoy not only the values and lessons, but also the subtle references to pop culture from the 70’s.

I also have a copy of Phil’s latest children’s offering – Sidney and Norman and will be posting thoughts on it soon!