Saturday Review: “North Carolina’s Own Otto Wood: Notorious Criminal and Treasured Folk Hero” a review by Douglas C. MacLeod, Jr. of Trevor McKenzie’s book Otto Wood: The Bandit
Another early look at a review from the forthcoming Online Winter 2025 issue!
In his book Otto Wood: The Bandit Trevor McKenzie explores the history of both the notorious bandit and of bluegrass music in the early 1900s. Reviewer MacLeod argues “this short but solid account of a cunning and creative convict, who escaped prisons with the greatest of ease, is more so about how Americans lovingly and naively embrace the cult of personality in times of great strife.” MacLeod places McKenzie’s exploration of Wood in context with other well-known criminals of the era like Bonnie and Clyde, and contemplates the folk hero myth that rose up around him.
Wood’s notoriety was not simply a matter of cultural trends. Wood himself put a lot of work into his reputation. MacLeod writes “He was articulate, persuasive, and used his physical ailments to his advantage. Wood soaked his fame in.”
MacLeod praises McKenzie’s book for his compelling historical exploration and for how he handles his subject matter. McKenzie’s book does not stray into unneeded historical context or psychological speculation. Instead, “This simple and efficient book is a linear timeline of one man who was praised for his misguided ingenuity, vilified and eventually killed for his crimes, and cemented his legacy as a part of North Carolina’s zeitgeist.”
Read the review now before the Online Winter 2025 issue arrives next year! And order the book here.
