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This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie
Before Springsteen and before Dylan, there was Woody Guthrie. With "This Machine Kills Fascists," scrawled across his guitar in big black letters, Woody Guthrie brilliantly captured in song the experience of twentieth-century America. Whether he sang about union organizers, migrant workers, or war, Woody took his inspiration from the plight of the people around him as well as from his own tragic childhood.
From the late 1920s to the 1950s, Guthrie wrote the words to more than three thousand songs, including "This Land Is Your Land," a song many call America's unofficial national anthem. With a remarkable ability to turn any experience into a song almost instantaneously, Woody Guthrie spoke out for people of all colors and races, setting an example for generations of musicians to come. But Woody didn't have the chance to find everything he was looking for. He was ravaged by Huntington's disease, just like his mother, and died in a mental institution at the age of fifty-five.
Award-winning author, Elizabeth Partridge has taken the life of this songwriting genius and woven in his lyrics, and other rich materials to create a touching and highly entertaining portrait of a true talent.
From the late 1920s to the 1950s, Guthrie wrote the words to more than three thousand songs, including "This Land Is Your Land," a song many call America's unofficial national anthem. With a remarkable ability to turn any experience into a song almost instantaneously, Woody Guthrie spoke out for people of all colors and races, setting an example for generations of musicians to come. But Woody didn't have the chance to find everything he was looking for. He was ravaged by Huntington's disease, just like his mother, and died in a mental institution at the age of fifty-five.
Award-winning author, Elizabeth Partridge has taken the life of this songwriting genius and woven in his lyrics, and other rich materials to create a touching and highly entertaining portrait of a true talent.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 28, 2002
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July 16, 2012
Richie’s Picks: THIS LAND WAS MADE FOR YOU AND ME: THE LIFE AND SONGS OF WOODY GUTHRIE by Elizabeth Partridge, Viking, 2002, 224p., ISBN: 978-0-670-03535-9
“Jesus Christ was a man that traveled through the land
A hard-working man and brave
He said to the rich ‘Give your goods to the poor.’
So they laid Jesus Christ in his grave.”
-- Woody Guthrie
“After more than a year in Los Angeles, the freedom of being on the road again was incredible. But when Woody stopped over in a squalid migrant camp, his light, open feelings quickly plummeted. Some people had been living in the camps for several years now, barely scratching out a subsistence living. They were desperate and angry.
“In nearby orchards, growers hired armed guards to protect the ripe fruit while the migrant children’s bellies swelled with hunger. When the migrants tried to scavenge leftover crops from piles on the ground, some growers poured kerosene over them, tossed on a match, and burnt them until they were charred and inedible.”
I find it tough to be polite in talking about Woody Guthrie’s quest for economic justice in America. Let’s face it: Those growers, who guarded and burned leftover crops in the thirties so that hungry people couldn’t eat them, were probably all in church come the next Sunday morning, professing to be followers of Jesus Christ. It’s tough to be polite when the rich pay a fraction today in taxes of what they did seventy years ago when Guthrie was singing about Jesus. It’s tough when the rich are still trying every which way to ensure that poor kids die in America rather than be guaranteed affordable healthcare by the government.
And if you thought Mr. Bojangles was a talented tap dancer, you should check out the news articles this past weekend, quoting right-wing Oklahoma politicians as they gingerly claim some connection to the American hero, whose hundredth birthday was being celebrated down there at WoodyFest.
“’I saw how the poor folks lived, and then saw how the rich folks lived, and the poor folks down and out and cold and hungry, and the rich ones out drinking good whiskey and celebrating and wasting handfuls of money at gambling and women, and I got to thinking about what Jesus said, and what if He was to walk into New York City and preach like He used to. They’d lock Him back in jail as sure as you’re reading this.’”
Yes, it’s difficult to be polite when you know darn well what so many so-called Christians would say of Woody and his politics, had he been out there today with his guitar.
Having, a decade ago, been part of the Best Books for Young Adults committee that voted THIS LAND WAS MADE FOR YOU AND ME as one of the Top Ten BBYA selections for that year, I’m telling you that you need to immediately pull this book out of the stacks and display it in honor of Woody’s centennial. And if you don’t have a copy, I’m telling you that you should get a copy because it is an amazing tale of American history that is as relevant and as engaging a read as it was a decade ago:
“On April 14, 1935, a huge dust storm blew up. ‘A whole bunch of us was standing just outside of town, said Woody. ‘We watched the dust storm come up like the red sea closing in on the Israel children. It got so black, when that thing hit we all run into the house.’
“Fourteen or fifteen people shoved into Woody and Mary’s tiny living room, slamming the door shut behind them. The wind smashed against the house, throwing dirt and pebbles against the thin walls, forcing dust in around the loose-fitting windows and doors, and between the cracks in the wall. Dust hissed against the windows, darkening the room. Quickly, people threw wet rags over their mouths to breathe.
“Outside, cows and pigs and chickens were dying, smothered by the dust being forced up into their nostrils. The relentless winds blew dust into the house until Woody and his neighbors couldn’t even see each other. Someone switched on the overhead light bulb, but it just made a dim red glow like a cigarette. They sat in the dark, coughing and spitting out mud.
“The fear in the room was thick as the dust. Maybe the winds would never stop blowing. Maybe they were all going to die. Many were ardent Christians and figured this was the end. God was finally wreaking his vengeance. Their voices muffled by the damp rags, people said to one another in the dark room, ‘So long, it’s been good to know you.’
“Hours later the winds finally stopped blowing. Woody and Mary forced the door open and saw Pampa was a sea of dust, rippling out forever like the ocean.”
Thanks to the disease that ravaged his mother, and some terrible accidents, Woody Guthrie had some unimaginably horrific childhood experiences. That Woody would similarly succumb to Huntington’s disease is one of the reasons that THIS LAND IS MADE FOR YOU AND ME is such a tragic tale.
But this is also a tale of hope as Woody who, in death as well as he did in life, continues to inspire our fight to provide opportunity and safety nets for all Americans. That an adolescent is turned onto this book is an opportunity for that child to develop an understanding for those who are struggling, empathy for the weakest among us, and an understanding of what Woody was talking about when he sang that this land was made for you and me.
Richie Partington
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
“Jesus Christ was a man that traveled through the land
A hard-working man and brave
He said to the rich ‘Give your goods to the poor.’
So they laid Jesus Christ in his grave.”
-- Woody Guthrie
“After more than a year in Los Angeles, the freedom of being on the road again was incredible. But when Woody stopped over in a squalid migrant camp, his light, open feelings quickly plummeted. Some people had been living in the camps for several years now, barely scratching out a subsistence living. They were desperate and angry.
“In nearby orchards, growers hired armed guards to protect the ripe fruit while the migrant children’s bellies swelled with hunger. When the migrants tried to scavenge leftover crops from piles on the ground, some growers poured kerosene over them, tossed on a match, and burnt them until they were charred and inedible.”
I find it tough to be polite in talking about Woody Guthrie’s quest for economic justice in America. Let’s face it: Those growers, who guarded and burned leftover crops in the thirties so that hungry people couldn’t eat them, were probably all in church come the next Sunday morning, professing to be followers of Jesus Christ. It’s tough to be polite when the rich pay a fraction today in taxes of what they did seventy years ago when Guthrie was singing about Jesus. It’s tough when the rich are still trying every which way to ensure that poor kids die in America rather than be guaranteed affordable healthcare by the government.
And if you thought Mr. Bojangles was a talented tap dancer, you should check out the news articles this past weekend, quoting right-wing Oklahoma politicians as they gingerly claim some connection to the American hero, whose hundredth birthday was being celebrated down there at WoodyFest.
“’I saw how the poor folks lived, and then saw how the rich folks lived, and the poor folks down and out and cold and hungry, and the rich ones out drinking good whiskey and celebrating and wasting handfuls of money at gambling and women, and I got to thinking about what Jesus said, and what if He was to walk into New York City and preach like He used to. They’d lock Him back in jail as sure as you’re reading this.’”
Yes, it’s difficult to be polite when you know darn well what so many so-called Christians would say of Woody and his politics, had he been out there today with his guitar.
Having, a decade ago, been part of the Best Books for Young Adults committee that voted THIS LAND WAS MADE FOR YOU AND ME as one of the Top Ten BBYA selections for that year, I’m telling you that you need to immediately pull this book out of the stacks and display it in honor of Woody’s centennial. And if you don’t have a copy, I’m telling you that you should get a copy because it is an amazing tale of American history that is as relevant and as engaging a read as it was a decade ago:
“On April 14, 1935, a huge dust storm blew up. ‘A whole bunch of us was standing just outside of town, said Woody. ‘We watched the dust storm come up like the red sea closing in on the Israel children. It got so black, when that thing hit we all run into the house.’
“Fourteen or fifteen people shoved into Woody and Mary’s tiny living room, slamming the door shut behind them. The wind smashed against the house, throwing dirt and pebbles against the thin walls, forcing dust in around the loose-fitting windows and doors, and between the cracks in the wall. Dust hissed against the windows, darkening the room. Quickly, people threw wet rags over their mouths to breathe.
“Outside, cows and pigs and chickens were dying, smothered by the dust being forced up into their nostrils. The relentless winds blew dust into the house until Woody and his neighbors couldn’t even see each other. Someone switched on the overhead light bulb, but it just made a dim red glow like a cigarette. They sat in the dark, coughing and spitting out mud.
“The fear in the room was thick as the dust. Maybe the winds would never stop blowing. Maybe they were all going to die. Many were ardent Christians and figured this was the end. God was finally wreaking his vengeance. Their voices muffled by the damp rags, people said to one another in the dark room, ‘So long, it’s been good to know you.’
“Hours later the winds finally stopped blowing. Woody and Mary forced the door open and saw Pampa was a sea of dust, rippling out forever like the ocean.”
Thanks to the disease that ravaged his mother, and some terrible accidents, Woody Guthrie had some unimaginably horrific childhood experiences. That Woody would similarly succumb to Huntington’s disease is one of the reasons that THIS LAND IS MADE FOR YOU AND ME is such a tragic tale.
But this is also a tale of hope as Woody who, in death as well as he did in life, continues to inspire our fight to provide opportunity and safety nets for all Americans. That an adolescent is turned onto this book is an opportunity for that child to develop an understanding for those who are struggling, empathy for the weakest among us, and an understanding of what Woody was talking about when he sang that this land was made for you and me.
Richie Partington
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
October 5, 2023
Wonderful! I was amazed how good it was. Much better than I expected.
October 16, 2014
Took me forever to read. Well written and all the jazz, but super depressing. Dude had a tough life from start to finish. Fires plagued him. Add to that the fact that he was a total junk husband and uninvolved father and hard to take friend, and you just feed bad for the situation. Oh, and eff you Huntington's.
But, man, I don't know that you can be on a side opposite Woody Guthrie.
He was a poet. He wrote more learnable, singable, folk songs than anybody else. He despised racism, intolerance, and was forever on the side of the people. And even if it wasn't an easy, upbeat read, I'm glad it exists. I'm glad he existed.
This Land is Your Land is better than Disney patriotism or glossy USA songs any day of the week. And that's that.
But, man, I don't know that you can be on a side opposite Woody Guthrie.
He was a poet. He wrote more learnable, singable, folk songs than anybody else. He despised racism, intolerance, and was forever on the side of the people. And even if it wasn't an easy, upbeat read, I'm glad it exists. I'm glad he existed.
This Land is Your Land is better than Disney patriotism or glossy USA songs any day of the week. And that's that.
February 4, 2025
I knew next to nothing about Woody Guthrie, except I recall singing “This land is your land” when I was in elementary school. I watched A Complete Unknown, saw this book sticking out on the shelf at the library and decided to check it out. Guthrie led a tragic, interesting life. At times his beliefs were at odds with each other— him having an endless amount of empathy for impoverished migrant workers, but seemingly lacking any empathy for his starving wife and children whom he regularly left behind and supported financially or emotionally only sporadically, for example. The tragedy of the disease he inherited from his mother that eventually killed him, the way that fire constantly taking people out of his life, the brilliance and simplicity of his writing and performance. The book is very well written, it’s an easy read, the drawings and photographs are a great compliment to it. I would definitely recommend this book, 3.5 stars.
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April 4, 2020This fascinating biography chronicles the life of musician and song-writer Woody Guthrie. Guthrie’s life was marked by tragedy. Fire destroyed his childhood home twice, killed his sister, injured his father, killed one of his own daughters, and threatened his own ability to play guitar. Huntington’s disease forced his mother into a state hospital and later ravaged Woody himself, forcing him into a mental institution where he died at the early age of fifty-five. The book portrays Woody with all his blemishes. It also shows respect for his many talents and tireless work on behalf of union organizers, migrant workers, and for people of all colors and races.
October 28, 2020
"This Land Was Made for You and Me" was a very engaging story of a remarkable man and his turbulent life and life's work. Ms Partridge gave a thorough and candid and honest portrait of Woody Guthrie. The bonus to this book is a brief history of Folk Music and the important names in the art. The book is illustrated with many photos and documents and verses of Woody's songs. I really like this book and found it informative and entertaining.
October 21, 2023
Woody Guthrie was a folk singer in the 50's and 60's. He is best known for the song This Land Is Our Land but has written hundreds of songs. He led a very interesting life, but was not a very nice guy and yet somehow I got a soft place in my heart for him. He was not much of a husband or father. He has a famous folk-singer son, Arlo, who is most famous for The City Of New Orleans. I wanted things to go better for him, but even after he started making money things did not go very well for him.
November 7, 2019
What an interesting, tumultuous, and difficult life! I resonate with the last words of the book, “After all the months I spent chasing Woody, walking where he walked, seeing what he saw, trying to feel what he felt, I finally understood what he was saying all along: music is for singing and feeling and hoping and knowing, not for getting right. Just like life.”
October 7, 2018
I loved this music bio. It put into place the key pieces of why Woody was so influential. Mentor to Bob Dylan. in 1940 from NYC he wrote "This Land is My Land, this Land is your Land" folk America's national anthem. In contrast to God Bless America, this ballad hit the common man.
May 12, 2022
This biography chronicles the life of folk singer Woody Guthrie from his birth in 1912 until his death in 1967. Although he wrote hundreds and hundreds of songs during his lifetime, none may be more well-known than "This Land Was Made for You and Me" which he wrote in 1940 as a reaction to the Irving Berlin song "God Bless America" which he felt over-romanticized America. His original title, "God Blessed America", spoke of all the things that he saw as he criss-crossed America by foot and train from the golden valleys to the diamond deserts. Woody was also an activist cheering for the poor, sick, and hungry people around the country who were out of work and underpaid. He played at union rallies and benefit concerts. Tragic family history is detailed as well as Woody's marriages, children, and work history. Photographs and other memorabilia make this an extremely interesting read and would be suitable for teens in grades 6 and up, as well as adults who are more familiar with Woody's story.
February 21, 2020
I think this intended to be a young adult book. It was very readable and I enjoyed it a lot.
April 24, 2021
Partridge is amazing. She is as honest writing about Guthrie's life as he was living it.
February 23, 2022
I super enjoyed this read of this artist I only knew pieces about.
What an incredible talent and tragic and loving life.
What an incredible talent and tragic and loving life.
April 22, 2023
Not my cup of tea but well documented and good messages
January 20, 2026
Very interesting look at the life of Woodie Guthrie.
July 20, 2012
I knew next to nothing about Woody Guthrie before I picked up this book. Wow, what a life!So many tragedies packed into one life. He is a national treasure and I wish I had been taught about him in school. I don't want to give things away if you don't know about his life, but I strongly recommend reading a biography of his life. He was so gifted and such a strong voice for the down and out. One thing I didn't know was that he was the writer of the song Deportees. And that he wrote it because there had been a plane wreck full of migrant workers being deported back to Mexico in 1948, and their names weren't printed in the newspaper and that made him angry.(Incensed, actually!) "Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye Rosalita, Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria, You won't have your names when you ride the big airplane, and all they will call you will be deportees."
What would he be saying today? You know it would be biting and to the point. He would have been there at the Occupy encampments, would have commented on the robbery by those on Wall Street, the housing crisis, global warming, all of it. We need his voice today!
He wrote "This land is your land" as a direct result of hearing Kate Smith sing "God Bless America" over and over and over as he hitchhiked to New York City, in 1939, in the depths of the depression when all was definitely not well with our country, and he hated that song which pretended otherwise.
Like his mother, Woody suffered from Huntington's disease, which slowly affects your brain and muscles and in his time was not well understood. His mother ended up in an insane asylum, and when Woody started showing signs of it, his friends and loved ones thought that he was drinking too much. After his death, his wife started a committee to combat Huntington's disease, which continues today.
He wrote 3,000 songs in his short artistic span, many of which were not set to music. His daughter Nora runs the Foundation and Archives. I know that she asked singers lately to set some of his songs to music, like the Klezmatics, and I believe Bruce Springsteen.
Here are the lyrics to one of the songs that I found poignant, when he first was facing the fact that he had Huntington's, at age 42. (His words were already getting scrambled.)
"I buzzle into my bible
I read what catches my eye
I learn just how to live and work
I learn just how to die."
I think because this book is aimed at a young audience, (maybe Junior High; maybe High School?) the author was able to be more pointed and biased about her observations of him; she didn't stay neutral, which I liked. She even gave a short biography of herself at the end, explaining a moving story from her life that explained her relationship to Woody's music, complete with a picture of herself at age 10!(After prepping to sing "This Land is Your Land," she was told by the teacher to NOT sing; to just mouth the words. She felt humiliated. Years later,as she was writing the book, she went to the Woody Festival, held every year in Okemah, Oklahoma (his hometown.) Woody's son Arlo came on and encouraged them all to sing, and she held back, but then he said "Sing! There's no such thing as a wrong note as long as you're singing!"
Here's what she wrote: "After all the months I'd spent chasing Woody, walking where he'd walked, seeing what he saw, trying to feel what he felt, I finally understood what he was saying all along: music is for singing and feeling and hoping and knowing, not for getting right. Just like life."
What would he be saying today? You know it would be biting and to the point. He would have been there at the Occupy encampments, would have commented on the robbery by those on Wall Street, the housing crisis, global warming, all of it. We need his voice today!
He wrote "This land is your land" as a direct result of hearing Kate Smith sing "God Bless America" over and over and over as he hitchhiked to New York City, in 1939, in the depths of the depression when all was definitely not well with our country, and he hated that song which pretended otherwise.
Like his mother, Woody suffered from Huntington's disease, which slowly affects your brain and muscles and in his time was not well understood. His mother ended up in an insane asylum, and when Woody started showing signs of it, his friends and loved ones thought that he was drinking too much. After his death, his wife started a committee to combat Huntington's disease, which continues today.
He wrote 3,000 songs in his short artistic span, many of which were not set to music. His daughter Nora runs the Foundation and Archives. I know that she asked singers lately to set some of his songs to music, like the Klezmatics, and I believe Bruce Springsteen.
Here are the lyrics to one of the songs that I found poignant, when he first was facing the fact that he had Huntington's, at age 42. (His words were already getting scrambled.)
"I buzzle into my bible
I read what catches my eye
I learn just how to live and work
I learn just how to die."
I think because this book is aimed at a young audience, (maybe Junior High; maybe High School?) the author was able to be more pointed and biased about her observations of him; she didn't stay neutral, which I liked. She even gave a short biography of herself at the end, explaining a moving story from her life that explained her relationship to Woody's music, complete with a picture of herself at age 10!(After prepping to sing "This Land is Your Land," she was told by the teacher to NOT sing; to just mouth the words. She felt humiliated. Years later,as she was writing the book, she went to the Woody Festival, held every year in Okemah, Oklahoma (his hometown.) Woody's son Arlo came on and encouraged them all to sing, and she held back, but then he said "Sing! There's no such thing as a wrong note as long as you're singing!"
Here's what she wrote: "After all the months I'd spent chasing Woody, walking where he'd walked, seeing what he saw, trying to feel what he felt, I finally understood what he was saying all along: music is for singing and feeling and hoping and knowing, not for getting right. Just like life."
May 8, 2016
I just finished Elizabeth Patridge's biography of Woody Guthrie: This Land Was Made for You and Me. The book is geared for kids ages 12 and up, but there is enough detail and depth there to hold the attention of any adult interested in Woody Guthrie's music. Pete Seeger calls it "The best book about Woody ever written!"
I heard that Woody wrote over 1400 songs in his lifetime. Elizabeth Patridge says the number is over 3000, which is incredible especially when you consider that he only lived to be 55 years old.
The story of Woody Guthrie's life is fascinating, filled with moments of optimism, despair, redemption, and unthinkable tragedy. Elizabeth Patridge places Woody's story firmly within the events, places, and people who were so important to him and shaped who he was. The Dustbowl, Great Depression, migrant farms, New York City folk scene, and the Cold War all play a major role in the development of his songs.
And all the folk music greats show up: Ledbelly, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Pete Seeger, Odetta, Bob Dylan...the list goes on and on. The tragedies in his story are so heavy, and would almost be too much to bear if it wasn't for the stories of the people he loved and who cared about him and took him in and forgave him his weaknesses and idiosyncracies time and time again. Through good times and bad, it is clear that those relationships were influences on his music. Woody famously said:
"I hate a song that makes you think that you're not any good. I hate a song that makes you think you are just born to lose. I am out to fight those kinds of songs to my very last breath of air and my last drop of blood."
The one question that is still burning in my mind after closing the book is, whatever happened to Mary? His first wife who dropped out of high school to be with him and endured all his wayward, rambling ways while she tried to take care of three children with little to no sporadic income. Halfway through the book, I started to hope that after their divorce, she went on to have the happy, stable life she probably dreamed of. But from the notes in the back of the book, it looks like two of her children contracted Huntington's Disease (the disease that tragically killed both Woody and his mother) and the third died in a car accident. There should be a song for Mary. Maybe there is, but there should be more.
There is much more information on Elizabeth Patridge's website, including an interview with Arlo & Nora Guthrie (two of Woody's children from his second marriage with the incredibly talented, patient, and giving dancer Marjorie Mazia).
I heard that Woody wrote over 1400 songs in his lifetime. Elizabeth Patridge says the number is over 3000, which is incredible especially when you consider that he only lived to be 55 years old.
The story of Woody Guthrie's life is fascinating, filled with moments of optimism, despair, redemption, and unthinkable tragedy. Elizabeth Patridge places Woody's story firmly within the events, places, and people who were so important to him and shaped who he was. The Dustbowl, Great Depression, migrant farms, New York City folk scene, and the Cold War all play a major role in the development of his songs.
And all the folk music greats show up: Ledbelly, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Pete Seeger, Odetta, Bob Dylan...the list goes on and on. The tragedies in his story are so heavy, and would almost be too much to bear if it wasn't for the stories of the people he loved and who cared about him and took him in and forgave him his weaknesses and idiosyncracies time and time again. Through good times and bad, it is clear that those relationships were influences on his music. Woody famously said:
"I hate a song that makes you think that you're not any good. I hate a song that makes you think you are just born to lose. I am out to fight those kinds of songs to my very last breath of air and my last drop of blood."
The one question that is still burning in my mind after closing the book is, whatever happened to Mary? His first wife who dropped out of high school to be with him and endured all his wayward, rambling ways while she tried to take care of three children with little to no sporadic income. Halfway through the book, I started to hope that after their divorce, she went on to have the happy, stable life she probably dreamed of. But from the notes in the back of the book, it looks like two of her children contracted Huntington's Disease (the disease that tragically killed both Woody and his mother) and the third died in a car accident. There should be a song for Mary. Maybe there is, but there should be more.
There is much more information on Elizabeth Patridge's website, including an interview with Arlo & Nora Guthrie (two of Woody's children from his second marriage with the incredibly talented, patient, and giving dancer Marjorie Mazia).
December 17, 2012
This Land Was Made for You and Me tells the story of the short, but very memorable life of the great American folksinger Woody Guthrie. From Guthrie’s hard and troubled childhood, his years crisscrossing the country, his up and down relationships with family, friends, and his children, and his denial and struggles with the terrible disease that plagued his mother, Woody wrote more than three thousand songs based on his experiences. Through listening to old interview tapes of Woody’s friends and colleagues, conversing with and receiving input on her manuscript from his close friend Pete Seeger, talks with Arlo Guthrie, and much cooperation from Nora Guthrie who runs the Woody Guthrie Archives, Partridge tells his story so complete and so very personally. To compliment his story she includes telling photographs from Woody’s life and dialogue from Woody and those around him throughout the entire book. I did not know anything about Woody Guthrie before reading this book short of his famous song This Land is Your Land, but I found myself engaged and mesmerized through the entire story. I particularly liked the historical aspect of the book, reading about the experiences of Americans during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression era were especially startling and interesting. I was a little surprised to see that the age recommendation for this book is ages 12 and up, it seems more suited for ages 14 and up. Some of the material especially that from Woody’s childhood is quite disturbing, and other material just seems too complex for readers under 14 to grasp. For this reason I would recommend this book for high school libraries and public libraries’ young adult areas, even though the copy from my public library has been catalogued as juvenile nonfiction. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have definitely gained a new interest in exploring some of Woody Guthrie’s music now as a result.
October 28, 2023
A five star read about the life and times of Woody Guthrie! So much I didn’t know. I may have to pick up his autobiography “Bound for Glory”. (He certainly was)
Remember- he wrote on his guitar - “This machine kills fascists”! He would have a lot to do if he were amongst us today.
This book is geared toward teens and YA’s and was interesting and thorough with lots of photos. Highly recommend!
Remember- he wrote on his guitar - “This machine kills fascists”! He would have a lot to do if he were amongst us today.
This book is geared toward teens and YA’s and was interesting and thorough with lots of photos. Highly recommend!
July 25, 2011
"Wherever little children are hungry and cry, Wherever people ain't free, Wherever men are fightin' for their rights, That's where I'm a-gonna be, Ma, That's where I'm a-gonna be."
Truthful biography of troubadour Woody Guthrie, from his childhood in Okemah, Oklahoma to his institutionalization for Huntington's Disease in his 40s. I read Woody's autobiography Bound For Glory last summer, and was left wondering about specific details of his life-- he didn't mention being married, having kids, and you could tell he was stretching the truth on a lot of details. This book discusses everything-- his erratic behavior due to Huntington's, his multiple marriages, and also covers his professional career (on the radio and live performances) and of course, his illness. The language is pretty simple, so while it deals with things that might be too much for a 5th grader (his sister's death, his daughter's death), it might be good for a reluctant reader who is interested in music. Recommended for adults too. This book has large print and generous images. Includes resource listings, source notes, bibliography, and index.
Truthful biography of troubadour Woody Guthrie, from his childhood in Okemah, Oklahoma to his institutionalization for Huntington's Disease in his 40s. I read Woody's autobiography Bound For Glory last summer, and was left wondering about specific details of his life-- he didn't mention being married, having kids, and you could tell he was stretching the truth on a lot of details. This book discusses everything-- his erratic behavior due to Huntington's, his multiple marriages, and also covers his professional career (on the radio and live performances) and of course, his illness. The language is pretty simple, so while it deals with things that might be too much for a 5th grader (his sister's death, his daughter's death), it might be good for a reluctant reader who is interested in music. Recommended for adults too. This book has large print and generous images. Includes resource listings, source notes, bibliography, and index.
August 27, 2008
Recommended for anyone who has ever sung KumBaYah around the campfire... Found this one in the children's section while browsing the shelves during my kids' storytime at the library. I grew up listening to folk music and found this account of Woody Guthrie's life to be fascinating. Hey, Pete Seeger recommeded it so I just had to check it out. The chapters are divided up into time periods in Woody's life and it is full of historic photographs, Woody's drawings, and a copy of the original words for This Land. I think some of the subject matter might be difficult for a young reader to comprehend (mental illness, breakdown of marriage/family, 3 housefires, politics)and is more geared toward teen or mature adolescent readers. Touchy subjects are handled well and without judgement, allowing the reader to make his own opinion. This was as much an account of the folk music movement in the United States as it was about Woody Guthrie. And I learned a lot about Will Geer (Grandpa Walton)!
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May 29, 2014Before Springsteen and before Dylan, there was Woody Guthrie. With "This Machine Kills Fascists," scrawled across his guitar in big black letters, Woody Guthrie brilliantly captured in song the experience of twentieth-century America. Whether he sang about union organizers, migrant workers, or war, Woody took his inspiration from the plight of the people around him as well as from his own tragic childhood.
From the late 1920s to the 1950s, Guthrie wrote the words to more than three thousand songs, including "This Land Is Your Land," a song many call America's unofficial national anthem. With a remarkable ability to turn any experience into a song almost instantaneously, Woody Guthrie spoke out for people of all colors and races, setting an example for generations of musicians to come. But Woody didn't have the chance to find everything he was looking for. He was ravaged by Huntington's disease, just like his mother, and died in a mental institution at the age of fifty-five.
From the late 1920s to the 1950s, Guthrie wrote the words to more than three thousand songs, including "This Land Is Your Land," a song many call America's unofficial national anthem. With a remarkable ability to turn any experience into a song almost instantaneously, Woody Guthrie spoke out for people of all colors and races, setting an example for generations of musicians to come. But Woody didn't have the chance to find everything he was looking for. He was ravaged by Huntington's disease, just like his mother, and died in a mental institution at the age of fifty-five.
August 31, 2009
If you like to read biographies about substantive characters in this world , do read this book. He was of course a very talented artist and songwriter. He was somehow able to hone his craft in the of the dust bowl era of fortunes found and lost, poverty , alcohol abuse, neglect , mental illness and the cloak of a horrendous hereditary disease. Such eloquent and heart felt lyrics in the face of adversity . He was true patriot and lover of humanity particularly those without a voice and a man not afraid of rocking the boat . He did it with wit and humor and a heaping dose of audacity. He was not a perfect man without troubles of his own. He was very flawed and probably knew it. This is a great historical read.
July 9, 2009
This book kicks butt. It's a nonfiction book aimed at juvenile readers. I guess. It was in that section of the library and yet I believe it's appealing to any age. Full of pictures and easy to read text the book informs about the life and times of Woody Guthrie and it doesn't hold back in sharing the dark side of the man either. I find Guthrie to be a fascinating man who left a big mark on our country. He was a tortured soul, remarkable and gifted, a bit of a bastard to his family, and a real radical who strove to make a difference in a country broken and wounded by the Great Depression. I would encourage others to explore this book or just check out more about him online.
August 29, 2010
I really enjoy the biographies written by this author. They are very well-researched and written. But I am a little perplexed by the people she chooses to write about. The books are definitely written for a young adult audience (NOT children) but even then, there are situations, language, experiences, etc. that I don't know I'd even encourage my young adult to read about. This book had a mother that burned down the family house and set her daughter on fire, a man who abandons his wife and children in order to "let his spirit free" and all kinds of other "adult" topics.
November 30, 2012
When I picked up this book, I thought I was more interested in the "songs" part than the "life" part. In fact, none of Woody's songs are printed in their entirety, only snippets. But that's ok, because the biography is terrific. I had a rather vague impression of the man, mostly from the kinds of songs he sang. But the author has done an amazing amount of research and makes the reader feel like she really knows Woody, from his early life on. The pathos and heroism of his life, in spite of his sometimes dysfunctional approach to it, are amazing; and Partridge captures it well.
April 15, 2020
I think this was geared towards kids, but Partridge does not shy away from the really horrific aspects of Guthrie's life, from his unimaginably bleak childhood, raised by a mother with undiagnosed Huntington's, to his own sad ending. She also doesn't romanticize Guthrie, clearly showing, in a nonjudgemental way, how badly he treated just about everyone in his life. Sprinkled throughout are Woody's whimsical sketches (he had originally wanted to be an artist) and some rare photos (he started off in a cowboy band, hat and all!).
June 12, 2012
Fascinating look back to the time of the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, WWII, anti-Communist fervor, folk singers actually mattering. Guthrie's life was tragic in the extreme. Mythic, too, though. Really interesting character.
Still can't get into the music though. The revolutionary mantle passed to rap.
February 5, 2008
While not the most advanced literary work of the century, it is a very good biography of Woody Gutherie. He is an amazing, complex, and often misunderstood figure whose music was very influential. Furthermore, he lived a life worth studying, as he looked out for others, questioned everything, and kept his chin up in the face of extreme adversary.
June 20, 2009
Enjoyed it. One thing I learned is that at least I'm a better husband and father than Guthrie. Talk about a man with a ramblin' mind. I'm taking my daughter to a music class at a place called "Hootenanny House," that term started with Guthrie, the Almanacs and all that. It's sad seeing somebody slowly lose control of themselves, in his case through Huntington's disease.
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