Hank Hung the Moon2012

Arguably the first country music superstar, the late Hank Williams has been written about in many books. What makes this little volume special is its original approach. Johnson (Enchanted Evening Barbie and the Second Coming: A Memoir), a native of the American South and a reporter and columnist for Southern newspapers for over 30 years, doesn't try to recap the artist's life; rather, she presents several essays on how the music and the legend affected her life. In one especially engaging chapter, she discusses interviewing and getting to know Williams's lone, illegitimate daughter, Jett Williams. Verdict This very readable book paints many vivid pictures of life in Alabama and other Southern states in the 1940s-60s. Thus, it brings to life the time and the place through the prism of the poetry and storytelling of one of the South's authentic heroes. Recommended.-Bill Walker, Cesar Chavez Central Lib., Stockton, CA(c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.