Pastures of Plenty: A Self-Portrait

by Woody Guthrie, Dave Marsh

Offers a portrait of the influential American musician and his involvement in labor and political movements from the 1930s to the 1950s

Genres: Music, Memoir, Biography, Nonfiction, Autobiography

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie was an American songwriter and folk musician. Guthrie's musical legacy consists of hundreds of songs, ballads and improvised works covering topics from political themes to traditional songs to children's songs. Guthrie performed continually throughout his life with his guitar frequently displaying the slogan "This Machine Kills Fascists". Guthrie is perhaps best known for his song "This Land Is Your Land" which is regularly sung in American schools. Many of his recorded songs are archived in the Library of Congress.

Guthrie traveled with migrant workers from Oklahoma to California and learned traditional folk and blues songs. His songs are about his experiences in the Dust Bowl era during the Great Depression and are known as the "Dust Bowl Troubadour." Guthrie was associated with, but never a member of, Communist groups in the United States throughout his life.

Guthrie was married three times and fathered eight children, including American folk musician Arlo Guthrie. He is the grandfather of musician Sarah Lee Guthrie. Guthrie died from complications of the degenerative neurologic affliction known as Huntington's Disease. In spite of his illness, during his later years Guthrie served as a figurehead in the folk movement providing inspiration to a generation of new folk musicians, including mentor relationships with Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Bob Dylan.

Reviews

[Brigit Zelenak · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Woody Guthrie is a distant relative of mine, I decided to pick up "Pastures Of Plenty: A Self-Portrait" to get to know him better through his writings. So glad I did. In the series of letters, poetry, and lyrics compiled in the pages of this amazing book, you begin to see an image take shape of an easygoing man with great intellect and endless compassion for the human condition. 

Woody speaks from the heart in such a guileless and plain way that it almost catches you unaware as you realize how profound what he's just said happens to be. His love of simple (yet complicated) pleasures such as easy conversations after a gig, stumping for union rights, and an end to the classism so prevalent after The Great Depression, are evident. And his political observations are just as astute and applicable today as they were back in the forties. 

Perhaps what I appreciated most was Woody's love of family and friends. His letters to his unborn children were precious, and it's clear that the connections he made with others helped to both fuel and sustain his optimistic outlook. For despite everything life threw at him, and that was a lot, he continued to search for the positive. 

His music and the place he holds in history is unparalleled. He is the voice that launched a thousand singers, and we are fortunate to have had his words shape our lives. And on a personal note, it's a real honor to be (distantly) related to him. 

Great book, fascinating guy. 

[Adam Carrico · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The note of hope is the only note that can help us or save us from falling to the bottom of the heap of evolution, because, largely, about all a human being is, anyway, is just a hoping machine, a working machine.”

I sure do love Woody Guthrie. If you like Woody or you’re just a general fan of humanity, this is a nice book. Every bit of wisdom from Woody is worthwhile. If you’ve listened to interviews with Woody, it’s easy to see how he writes exactly as he speaks, which is pretty fun. He rambles about various ideas and philosophies in these writings, many of which are profound.

[Tom Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book about an interesting person in a complicated time.

[Karla Strand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great - adds levels of depth to understand Woody.