Journalist Whetsell paints a lovingly detailed portrait of the late producer of such seminal sitcoms as All in the Family.... Whetsell scrupulously catalogues the intimate details of Lear’s personal and professional life, including his many ‘creative battles’ with actor Carroll O’Connor, who played Archie Bunker, and multiple marriages. Throughout, Whetsell persuasively argues that Lear helped shift a sitcom landscape full of ‘white picket fences, cardigan-sweater- and pearl-necklace-wearing parents... and virtually nonexistent problems’ into something more reflective of American culture. It’s a fitting tribute to a consequential figure in television history.

Publishers Weekly

There are different schools of thought on biographies, with some writers trying for a grand narrative interpretation of the life of an important figure, while others work from a steady accumulation of details meant to bring the subject into focus. Norman Lear: His Life and Times takes the latter route through a meticulous accounting of Lear's life, including details like the street Lear's family lived on, and the names of his high school friends, as well as specific conversations between Lear and network executives about his various shows.

Chicago Tribune

Tripp Whetsell’s soup-to-nuts biography of TV legend Norman Lear hits all the right notes in presenting this most remarkable, rags-to-riches life. Well researched and extremely readable, it will appeal to fans of Mr. Lear, lovers of TV sitcoms and comedy of all types. I highly recommend it.

Marc Eliot, bestselling author of Nicholson

In spotlighting a litany of social issues seldom discussed in nighttime television entertainment—bigotry, racism, homophobia, sexism (and the toilet flush heard ‘round the world)—Lear turned the mirror on the American public and shockingly showed them the full ugliness of their reflection. Tripp Whetsell’s painstaking biography of the man behind it all—including such revolutionary sitcoms as Maude, The Jeffersons and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman—explains what shaped Lear’s lifelong advocacy and determination, and the sheer miracle of his television reign.

Alanna Nash, author of The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Tom Parker and Elvis Presley and Golden Girl: The Story of Jessica Savitch

Tripp Whetsell knows where the funny bones are buried. Through the lens of Norman Lear’s life, Tripp gives us the very history of television comedy. A monumental work, Lear is essential reading for sitcom aficionados and casual fans alike.

Brian McDonald, author of Last Call at Elaine's and Five Floors Up

A remarkably dense biography that does justice to one of television’s most remarkable figures, Norman Lear: His Life and Times is a must.

Kliph Nesteroff, Author of The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrels, and the History of American Comedy