The Protest Singer: An Intimate Portrait of Pete Seeger

When New Yorker staff writer Alec Wilkinson approached Pete Seeger a few years ago about writing a biography of the folk legend, who turns 90 in May, Seeger told him, “Too much has been written about me and at too great length. What’s needed is a book that can be read in one sitting.” At less than 150 undersize pages, Wilkinson’s bio wonderfully captures the outsize life of his subject ”“ from the influence of Seeger’s musicologist father and his years with the folk hitmakers the Weavers, to his unapologetic testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee and the construction of the sloop Clearwater, which continues to educate the public about pollution in the Hudson River. Interviews with family and friends, including Bruce Springsteen, flesh out the tale, but it’s Seeger’s own words ”“ wry, morally correct, endlessly enthused by the power of the people’s music ”“ that stick with you.