sillypunk's review
5.0
This was excellent! Everyone read it: https://blogendorff.ghost.io/book-review-woodie-guthrie-american-radical/
wanderlustmyfriend's review against another edition
3.0
Finally finished this book!
For such an interesting topic, this was definitely pretty dry in parts and I had a hard time finding myself actually wanting to pick it up and read it. It got a lot better towards the last two or three chapters. I'm a fan of Woody Guthrie and this was a good book for finding out more about his different activist roles, but don't expect this to be about Woody himself. They gloss over a lot of personal facts in the process, which is fine but just a warning in case you thought this was a little more thorough. I liked reading about my other favorite singers in here such as Pete Seeger, The Weavers, name drops of Bob Dylan (although he doesn't look too good in his part) and Joan Baez. The historical parts were interesting too even if it wasn't necessarily written as such. I also have a hard time reading most non-fiction books. This was an effort to get myself into more of them. I probably wouldn't recommend if you're not a fan or at least familiar with Woody or Pete Seeger's works, but it could be the thing that turns you on to them. I also liked to stop from time to time and look up some of the songs, it helps put things into better context for me.
For such an interesting topic, this was definitely pretty dry in parts and I had a hard time finding myself actually wanting to pick it up and read it. It got a lot better towards the last two or three chapters. I'm a fan of Woody Guthrie and this was a good book for finding out more about his different activist roles, but don't expect this to be about Woody himself. They gloss over a lot of personal facts in the process, which is fine but just a warning in case you thought this was a little more thorough. I liked reading about my other favorite singers in here such as Pete Seeger, The Weavers, name drops of Bob Dylan (although he doesn't look too good in his part) and Joan Baez. The historical parts were interesting too even if it wasn't necessarily written as such. I also have a hard time reading most non-fiction books. This was an effort to get myself into more of them. I probably wouldn't recommend if you're not a fan or at least familiar with Woody or Pete Seeger's works, but it could be the thing that turns you on to them. I also liked to stop from time to time and look up some of the songs, it helps put things into better context for me.
h2oetry's review against another edition
3.0
Author Will Kaufman deftly captures the ‘Dust Bowl Troubadour’ Woody Guthrie as the influential political radical and balladeer who enlivened an international protest song movement. Bob Dylan is my favorite musician, yet who would he be without Woody? The book showcases a great variety--letters, song lyrics, essays, personal reflections, and other manuscripts from the archive. Fans of Woody will find plenty to delve into, and it’s certainly a better read that Woody’s recently released novel.
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