Book Review: My Sam Johnson

My Sam Johnson by Wayne Jones is, as the title suggests, a biography for general readers. And what exactly does that men? Well, Sam Johnson is a famous 18th century writer, and as such, can be difficult to understand. Wayne has taken it upon himself to help us not only understand Sam's writing, but also Sam's personal life.

Sam Johnson starts out his life with an unusual illness that changes the way he looks. He hates his life circumstances and hates the idea of doing what his father does for a living - selling books. Ironically, it is access to these books that shapes Sam into the writer he eventually becomes.

Wayne does a great job helping us understand the nuances of Sam's personality. In some ways, Sam reminds me of me when it comes to writing - he takes on more than he can chew and often doesn't give himself enough time to complete the project! I'd wager that he is a lot like many authors I know!
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I was most fascinated with his dictionary of the English language. Unlike many previous dictionaries, Sam included ordinary words and provided examples. And because Sam is Sam, he sometimes added definitions with a bias, which made me laugh out loud.
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This is a quick but fun read that will give you some insight into an author you may not know.

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