It all began with a postcard of the State Penitentiary in Richmond, VA circa 1910. It’s an unremarkable photograph in itself; several red brick buildings near train tracks stand near a single white house. But Scott Reynolds Nelson saw it as something more than that. He saw it as a clue—a clue to who the real John Henry of folktales and songs—was. It was proof that the legendary steel-driver existed. Readers will follow along with Nelson on his historical journey, and will be swept into the story thanks to the author’s enthusiasm and determination.

Ain’t Nothing But a Man follows Nelson’s search for the facts about John Henry based upon various stanzas of the song. Did he really exist? Could he really drive steel better than a machine? Was he buried at the White House? But the book is not just about the truth about John Henry; it details the search strategies Nelson used in his research. Seeing the postcard of the Penitentiary with all the red buildings and the one white one prompted Nelson to stop thinking Henry was buried at THE White House and instead think he was buried at A White House—like maybe the white house in the Penitentiary picture. That led him to think maybe John Henry had been a prisoner sent to work on blasting tunnels for the railroad. From there, Nelson chronicles the ins and outs of his search—including the dead ends and false starts that we all encounter on our road to research.

Nelson’s book contains photographs, postcards, maps and sketches that accompany his quest. The pictures help track his progress—one picture led him to a sketch which led him to a postcard which led him to a map. The parchment-colored pages and black and white pictures work well together to create an aura of post-Civil War America, while the narrative is concise, well-organized and very readable, for both non-historians and historians. Ain’t Nothing But a Man is based on Nelson’s adult book Steel Drivin’ Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend (2006).

Posted by: Cindy