from Anna.Nash

What an amazing book! This isn't just the story of John Henry, this is a mystery story. If ever there was a book that would get kids excited about research this is it. Nelson does an amazing job presenting his methods in searching for the real John Henry. He make sure to say it is only conjecture...

from Jill.Haner

This book was great. The writing was infectious and kept you on your toes waiting to see what Nelson found next. He spread out his evidence to support his claims very well, and he is clear when he cannot concretely prove something. He never states his theory as absolute fact. Which I feel is incr...

from rachelsticka

Children will enjoy this book a lot. In classrooms with many African-American children, this is a great book to have. They can learn about a man who played a hero in African-American folktales. As a teacher, a connection between the folk tale and the facts can be discussed, using Nelson's book as...

from Davis22

The story of one man's journey to discover the truth about one of America's greatest folk tales; the legend of John Henry. A very well written and researched piece that will surely be of great use to many classrooms for years and years to come.

from cflorap

Historian Scott Reynolds Nelson was initially determined to find out more about the 40,000 railroad workers who seem to have been lost to history. He listened to many old trackliners' songs in the course of his research, sparking an interest in the folk legend, John Henry. Many historians have at...