Dolly “Ain’t Nobody’s Fool” – A Review

Dolly Parton is a rare long-standing public figure who is almost universally beloved. The tiny, curvy, good-hearted powerhouse has endeared herself by being her own woman throughout her 60+ years in the business.

Her life has been abundantly covered, both by herself and others, but there is always more of Dolly’s story to share. Ain’t Nobody’s Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton by Martha Ackermann (out on December 30, 2025) is a worthy addition to the Dolly literary canon.

Ain’t Nobody’s Fool is neither a dry textbook nor a sexy tell-all, but a thorough, nuanced sweep of Parton’s life, told through careful research and interviews with a wide swath of family and friends. Biographies often suffer when too much attention is given to ancestry, but it works here because her relatives were so compelling. They give more context to Dolly’s backstory.

Scrappy poverty was the norm in Dolly’s Tennessee childhood, growing up with her parents and 11 siblings. Love of family, music, and humor upheld Dolly’s feisty spirit. Singing was in her DNA (she attributes her music skills to her mama and her business savvy to her father, who, despite being illiterate, had a wise business head), but her songwriting was equally strong. She wrote her 1971 hit “Coat of Many Colors” to honor her mom’s painstaking creation of a coat made from cast-off rags.

We learn of the upward spiral of Dolly’s career, through local TV appearances and her big break in 1967 when she was invited to replace another “girl singer” on The Porter Wagoner Show. Wagoner was a well-established entertainer, responsible for her initial fame, despite the pitfalls of ego and clashes over content and style. Wagoner was deeply hurt when she departed the show, but she needed to reroute her ambition and fly alone.

Dolly continued in Country, but also took on pop music, gaining new fans but temporarily alienating some country music purists. She was now free to craft her image on her own terms: she leaned into her persona of a brightly made-up, sexy sprite who was warm, funny, and relatable. She wrote the enduring hits “Jolene,” “Here You Come Again,” and “I Will Always Love You,” among many others.

In 1992, “I Will Always Love You” (an amends to Porter Wagoner) became a global mega-hit by Whitney Houston.  Many others have covered it; Elvis wanted to, but he also wanted the rights. Parton was savvy enough to keep those for herself and benefited enormously. Her writing was always her first love and concern. She became a respected movie actress, but music is her calling.

Parton’s 59-year marriage to Carl Dean (who died earlier this year) is amply covered in Ain’t Nobody’s Fool, but author Martha Ackmann respects the elusiveness they both preferred. Theirs was a private love story between a charismatic, earthy girl who grew to belong to the world and a civilian who supported her showbiz success without wanting to be a visible part of it.

Ain’t Nobody’s Fool takes us through Dolly’s dynamic life, acknowledging struggles with public image and a spell of depression. She comes across as a woman of warmth, quirky humor, and authenticity, keeping lifetime friends and perennially attached to family.

She has expanded her legend through philanthropic works for literacy, LGBTQ+ causes, COVID prevention, and disaster relief, among other endeavors. The 1986 creation of Dollywood has employed many in her beloved hometown of Pigeon Forge, TN.

Martha Ackmann gets Parton’s unique life arc across through agile writing, abundant footnotes, and attention to detail that makes Ain’t Nobody’s Fool an enjoyable, substantive read.

Where else are we likely to learn that one of Parton’s favorite snacks is a microwave-softened pint of Häagen-Dazs, scooped up with a potato chip?

-Ellen Fagan

Photo: Getty