Review of I Have Calluses on My Hands

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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "I Have Calluses on My Hands" by Neil Henry.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Growing up as a young man, Neil Henry envisioned his future when he would be old. So, he instinctively believed that his nature would demand that he look back into his early and present days of life. Then, he decided to collaborate with his father, Harold Henry, to begin the production of the record of his life, starting with the family ancestors, Neil's great-grandparents. Hence, he compiled the book I Have Calluses on My Hands.

I Have Calluses on My Hands: The Life and Times of Harold Henry is written in the first-person perspective of Harold Henry, while his son, Neil Henry, edited and augmented it for completeness and easy comprehension for the readers of today. While Neil was born in 1945, Harold, his father, was born in 1911.

After reading this book, I believed that the book would meet Neil's passion, fulfilling his want to have a record with which he can look into his early days and recollect some childhood memories which he might not be able to recollect when he's old already. And sincerely, the book makes a vital and informative family journal, which is not only for Neil but also for the entire family members, to trace the history of the family as far back as their great-grandparents.

The book starts with the historical records of Neil's paternal and maternal great-grandfathers, Philip Henry and Bernard Utahl, respectively, back in the 19th century. Hannah Brill is Neil's paternal great-grandmother, while Gertrude Leschick is his maternal great-grandmother. From the book, it is revealed that Neil's ancestors emigrated from Russia and Germany. This is different from New York, which is now the current residence of the family. It is evident as Philip emigrated from England and Hanna from Russia.

I love the sincerity with which Neil's father, Harold, tells his life history, and this sincerity oozes out from his tone and is evident in his judgment of some data he gave as backups to events he described. For example, while he made sure he showed pictures of objects and family possessions, such as a golden watch, an expensive pen, houses, and others, where there is no real picture of a particular object to show, he showed a similar object that resembles the type described. I love this idea in the book, as it makes sure I continue to enjoy it and hold onto my belief in the writer's sincerity. This is because one reason that motivates me to desire to read the book is to see old technologies and objects as compared to their modern versions, especially cars and a particular bathtub. Harold also didn't just emphasize his achievements and happy moments; he also included his regrets and his limitations in terms of financial resources and academics in his early life.

The book is carefully written and has a clear tone and easy-to-understand word choices. It is professionally edited, as I only came across two grammar errors in the whole 153 pages of the book. Since I don't have anything to dislike in this book, it earns a rating of 5 out of 5 stars. And I'd love to recommend it to lovers of biographies, autobiographies, and American history because they will love their educational and informative encounters.

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I Have Calluses on My Hands
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[Patty Allread]

The author is fortunate to have been able to work with this father to memorialize his early life, his possessions from that era, and his achievements.

[Opara Jerry]

Neil Henry seems to have done a lot of hard work and research to make a very comprehensive and informative book about his family. From the review, the book doesn’t come off as a usual memoir. Although I don’t see any reason why I need to read this book, the reviewer has described it in a way that has peaked my curiosity.

[Ignesta Ignetius]

Ancestry and history accounts are always interesting to read and from your review I can tell that this book will be nothing short of informative and interesting. I look forward to reading this book. Great review.

[Arjuna Rachman]

I find this book very very interesting, the plot of it is just excellent. I love the ways that the writer talks about their ancestry, overall this book is definitely one of my favorites and i definitely recommend it

[Shillah Andeso]

Many people go through a lot of stress to look for their family origin. I like that Neil takes time to look for his family origin. This helps him understand his origin. His later generations will also understand their origin easily. This is a nicely detailed review.

[KUSTIANA MARA]

Many people go through a lot of stress to look for their family origin. I like that Neil takes time to look for his family origin. This helps him understand his origin. His later generations will also understand their origin easily. This is a nicely detailed review.

[George Asare 2]

Neil Henry is fortunate to have been able to work with this father to memorialize his early life, his possessions from that era, and his achievements

[Penname]

It seems the reader genuinely enjoyed this book. The interest in family history is not one everyone shares. I do love hearing stories of the past and am intrigued by this review to read this book. Thank you for a helpful review.

[Faith Ejai]

I loved the way you wrote the review. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for providing this useful information.

[Park Cherri]

Thanks for an insightful review! This novel is more recommended to people who would love historical fiction novels. I’ll pass on this.

[Faith Ejai]

I loved the way you wrote the review. I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for providing this useful information. I'm sure many will love this book.

[AMARA UJU]

I loved your review and I must say that keeping track of our the history of our family is a good thing. I would like to catch up on such a story. This is because it is not lengthy and the other thing is that it does not seem that complicated to catch up on.

[Nwoko E]

Thank you for your excellent review. I commend the author of this book. I like how he follows his dad all the way to record his early life. Nice review!

[Oyedeji Funmilayo]

The title of the book is funny. I don't have calluses on my hands and I wouldn't have. I enjoyed reading your review on the book and I look forward to reading the book. Wonderful review well done.