“Ain’t Nothing But a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry” by Scott Reynolds Nelson with Marc Aronson

This is a challenging book to review – on one hand, I learned a lot about a history that isn’t covered elsewhere; on the other hand, the writing style was hard to swallow. The book has a fascinating premise: How do you find out if a character (from literature, myth or song) actually existed as a person? How do you find the history of a person when they are a member of a group whose history is unwritten? Dr. Nelson set out to discover if the “John Henry” made popular in song was a real person. He chronicles his efforts to find evidence, showing the path to information (librarians love that) and ends up making a convincing case for the man he believes to be the “real” John Henry. The problem with the book is who it is directed to. Designed by National Geographic for schools, the “voice” of the book is fairly didactic … a learned college professor trying to speak plainly for a lower audience. IMHO, this does not work. The vocabulary is still high and the narration becomes rambling and convoluted, not to mention opinionated. Laden words flow through what should be informational text. Dr. Nelson interjects his frustration with the Library of Virginia several times (justifiable, but once was enough) and makes statements about the history of the phrase “Rock and Roll” without any outside documentation. The premise kept me turning the pages, the writing did not. So, is this a worthwhile book? I would say yes. It’s not going to be one of those nonfiction books which I recommend as a reading choice, but the information is none-the-less valuable. The images are well-done and reminded me of a museum exhibit. If the book is taken in that context, it works. So, take the time to “walk through” this unique view of a man who, I am now sure, was not only real, but more influential than he ever could have imagined.