This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie (Golden Kite Awards)

I've always loved Woody's music, but I didn't know much about his life. This book describes it in detail, in a very honest and straightforward fashion. He had it rough, starting early in his childhood. He songs reflect his experiences during and after the Depression. He was a beloved spokesman for working men and women, their families and their struggles. He had some serious problems of his own, but still managed to create a great body of work. The author gives a very thoughtful and sensitive appreciation of his life and times.

good read

This is by far my favorite of the Woody Guthrie biographies, and I have most of them. Never mind this being a book for middle childhood to teens, Ms. Partridge takes the time to paint the canvas of Guthrie's growing up, tragic losses, and resourcefulness, along with his calling for the working man. She doesn't sugarcoat unsavory details, but gives as much focus to the spirit of the man, not just the details of his life, as in the Klein work. I love keeping this one handy!

This story was so powerful and so well-told that I keep recommending the book to everybody who knows about Woody Guthrie. Nothing I had previously read about Guthrie compares to this telling. I especially appreciated the inclusion of some of the singer's personal notes, as well as scraps of paper containing some of his songs.

Although this book is geared for young adult readers, I couldn't put it down. I teach general music and showed it to some of my kids. They loved the pictures and real life story of Woody Guthrie. The narrative is captivating and sprinkled with generous doses of letters and source material. Love love love.

Wife finds it very well done!

I thought this would be a better "read aloud" book for middle school age kids as it is in the 6-8 range of Common Core exemplars. It is pretty dark, which is ok for this age, but not my preference. Also, it doesn't seem as appealing in terms of themes (depression, alcoholism, etc.) for this age. Beautiful photos and a great story for music folks and history buffs, though.

Five stars, definitely. Thank you, Elizabeth Partridge, for giving the world this intimate portrait of America's beloved Woody Guthrie.