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Nancy Hanks: Kentucky Girl
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School & Library Binding
First published June 1, 1962
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 12, 2020
Okay, let’s start with the fact that I am being very generous in my rating because of super strong nostalgia. In 3rd grade we did biography projects, and I guess our school librarian held on to the Childhood of Famous Americans series well past their best by date because they were easy to recommend for this project. Somehow, I was drawn to this biography novel of Nancy Hanks, so I picked her for my project and then got sucked into the series.
Rereading this book more than 20 years later was a trip and a half. I didn’t remember that there were nearly so many illustrations as there are. I was shocked, however, to find so many of the story snippets that had imprinted on my brain were from this particular book. There’s a story Nancy makes up about a boy with a pet raccoon that I remember so vividly that I could have sworn it was from something bigger, an entire book just about this boy and his raccoon. But it’s literally five pages in here. There’s also a learning to sew scene with a series of anecdotes of the horrors cause by too long of stitches that I was positive came from a different historical novel that I read much later. Clearly, this one got its hooks in me.
But now let’s talk about the problems. Having been written in the 1950s, it’s obviously very white, Eurocentric, and simplistic in its views on race and gender. There are happy slaves who are never outright called slaves. Because it’s the Kentucky frontier there are a whole heap of problems with the treatment of Native American Indians. It’s much more sympathetic to them than I honestly expected, but still very bad. And it isn’t even accurate. I did a little extra research, and the Berrys weren’t related to Nancy at all. She was raised by her grandparents until she was nine, and was almost certainly born illegitimate. I get why they couldn’t have that in a book for kids about the mother of one of the most important presidents the country ever had, but come on! Let her life be a bit messy, it’s fine!
I do like how the book has some back matter, including sections like: “It’s fun to look up these things” “Interesting things you can do” and “Other books you may enjoy reading” It’s fun to have a conversation with your back matter.
Anyway, I requested a bunch more of these from the libraries that still have them. Expect more.
Rereading this book more than 20 years later was a trip and a half. I didn’t remember that there were nearly so many illustrations as there are. I was shocked, however, to find so many of the story snippets that had imprinted on my brain were from this particular book. There’s a story Nancy makes up about a boy with a pet raccoon that I remember so vividly that I could have sworn it was from something bigger, an entire book just about this boy and his raccoon. But it’s literally five pages in here. There’s also a learning to sew scene with a series of anecdotes of the horrors cause by too long of stitches that I was positive came from a different historical novel that I read much later. Clearly, this one got its hooks in me.
But now let’s talk about the problems. Having been written in the 1950s, it’s obviously very white, Eurocentric, and simplistic in its views on race and gender. There are happy slaves who are never outright called slaves. Because it’s the Kentucky frontier there are a whole heap of problems with the treatment of Native American Indians. It’s much more sympathetic to them than I honestly expected, but still very bad. And it isn’t even accurate. I did a little extra research, and the Berrys weren’t related to Nancy at all. She was raised by her grandparents until she was nine, and was almost certainly born illegitimate. I get why they couldn’t have that in a book for kids about the mother of one of the most important presidents the country ever had, but come on! Let her life be a bit messy, it’s fine!
I do like how the book has some back matter, including sections like: “It’s fun to look up these things” “Interesting things you can do” and “Other books you may enjoy reading” It’s fun to have a conversation with your back matter.
Anyway, I requested a bunch more of these from the libraries that still have them. Expect more.
December 22, 2018
I'm not sure how accurate this is but it's interesting.
Recommended 8+ for scary situations.
Recommended 8+ for scary situations.
August 22, 2016
Read two books from the childhood of famous Americans today. Enjoyed them both.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews