John Henry, the Steel-Driving Man

by Corinne J. Naden

Retells the life of the legendary steel driver of early railroad days who challenged the steam hammer to a steel-driving contest.

47 pages, Library Binding

Published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Joan Dicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was alright

[D'artagnan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not many children's stories tell about a guy that works himself to death, but this one is different. There is, of course, more to it than that, but sure enough, at the end the big loot dies with with a hammer in his hand, and his baby in the other. I remember reading a different version of the story as a child, which I recall as having had better art than this version. Loved how John Henry kicked that steam engine's sorry ass, but then somewhat dreaded the pain & mystery of his death that I always knew was coming (after the first shocking time reading it, that is). Our cat Henry is named after him. John Henry was bad ass, and I still race cars, scooters, and motorcycles on my bicycle in the spirit of such. I totally kick their ass off the line, even the muscle car guys sweating the light turning green, and it hasn't killed me yet.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

very interesting