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sausome's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent, engaging historical account of John Brown's abolitionist activities, including his ultimate capture and hanging. Horwitz sketches an incredibly detailed, and fairly intimate, portrait of John Brown and his family and followers, that reads almost like fiction. The epilogue and interview with Horwitz after the book ends are also very much worthwhile. I really felt his research, as well, with regards to the many excerpts from personal letters to/from Brown and others about the raid on Harper's Ferry and activities leading up to and after the event. Great read!
If you liked this, I'd encourage you to check out "The Good Lord Bird" by James McBride, which is an incredibly accurate, fictionalized account of John Brown's activities pre-Civil War, told in the style of Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."
If you liked this, I'd encourage you to check out "The Good Lord Bird" by James McBride, which is an incredibly accurate, fictionalized account of John Brown's activities pre-Civil War, told in the style of Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."
liberrydude's review against another edition
4.0
I always enjoy reading Tony's books. He makes history come alive. The pictures and maps are integrated into the text at just the right points. I found it quite interesting that John Brown thought being in a depression was a superior tactical position to being on high ground. Pretty stupid. But it was obvious that Brown's success was in his defeat.
thegoodmariner's review against another edition
3.0
Narrative telling only, but great version of the story.
ehays84's review against another edition
5.0
Another great Tony Horwitz book. And with this one, even though it didn't have the fun travel story mixed in with history aspect that I loved in Confederates in the Attic and A Voyage Long and Strange, I like that he returned to a topic that I already trust his knowledge on: the Civil War.
This is really just a very well researched and well-written book about a crucial piece of American history that has actually been overlooked because it can often just be seen as this prelude to the much larger event of the Civil War which happened 18 months later. I think the author deserves a lot of credit for the loads of primary research he must have done--not just about Brown but about all of the connected characters.
I also think that this book is such an excellent way to study the history of the United States from 1800 to the Civil War. John Brown was born in 1800, so his life is this amazing window into that time, with a focus on the issues of slavery and abolitionism. He covers really all of what I would consider to be the main factors that led up to the Civil War. And he always lets the history do the talking, rather than forcing it to say what he wants it to. This actually leads me to my only two things that I think he left out, but quite possibly he left them out because there just wasn't evidence about them.
First, even though Brown was a shepherd and wool merchant as his primary trade earlier in life, which meant that he several times went bankrupt from collapsing wool prices, Horwitz made no connection or even reference to the fact that wool prices in the 19th century plummeted precisely because of the cotton gin and the huge expansion of plantation cotton farming in the American South. The wool trade in the UK got destroyed by this as well. To me, it seems very likely that Brown's experiences with his business failures might very well have been one of the factors in his growing hatred of slavery. But maybe I am way off base, and the author was right to not mention this.
The second was that the author never really got into why Brown was such a strident abolitionist. What made him so unique? Not only did he support abolitionism to the point of death, but he was quite egalitarian in terms of race relations for his time. Many abolitionists were not. Frederick Douglass actually said that Brown cared more about African Americans than he did. How did he arrive at these beliefs? Was it his Christianity? Was it older family members or teachers? This was never really directly discussed, and I think it is a significant part of the story of John Brown.
Of course, ultimately, the reason we should all read this book and think more about John Brown is that he represents the tension between the moral power of non-violent resistance and the violent power of bloodshed. Perhaps, as Lincoln later said quite plainly, Brown was right in saying that only bloodshed could end the great evil of slavery in America and that the 600,000 plus White Americans who died during the Civil War was sort of the result of collective American corporate sin. But can anyone ever really decide that they are truly God's instrument and begin that bloodshed? Isn't all bloodshed a sin? Bonhoeffer I know regretted his choice to be involved with the plot against Hitler.
At the end of the day, I believe in the path of Gandhi and King, although I have a lot more respect for Brown after reading this book than I used to or than I thought I would going in to reading it.
This is really just a very well researched and well-written book about a crucial piece of American history that has actually been overlooked because it can often just be seen as this prelude to the much larger event of the Civil War which happened 18 months later. I think the author deserves a lot of credit for the loads of primary research he must have done--not just about Brown but about all of the connected characters.
I also think that this book is such an excellent way to study the history of the United States from 1800 to the Civil War. John Brown was born in 1800, so his life is this amazing window into that time, with a focus on the issues of slavery and abolitionism. He covers really all of what I would consider to be the main factors that led up to the Civil War. And he always lets the history do the talking, rather than forcing it to say what he wants it to. This actually leads me to my only two things that I think he left out, but quite possibly he left them out because there just wasn't evidence about them.
First, even though Brown was a shepherd and wool merchant as his primary trade earlier in life, which meant that he several times went bankrupt from collapsing wool prices, Horwitz made no connection or even reference to the fact that wool prices in the 19th century plummeted precisely because of the cotton gin and the huge expansion of plantation cotton farming in the American South. The wool trade in the UK got destroyed by this as well. To me, it seems very likely that Brown's experiences with his business failures might very well have been one of the factors in his growing hatred of slavery. But maybe I am way off base, and the author was right to not mention this.
The second was that the author never really got into why Brown was such a strident abolitionist. What made him so unique? Not only did he support abolitionism to the point of death, but he was quite egalitarian in terms of race relations for his time. Many abolitionists were not. Frederick Douglass actually said that Brown cared more about African Americans than he did. How did he arrive at these beliefs? Was it his Christianity? Was it older family members or teachers? This was never really directly discussed, and I think it is a significant part of the story of John Brown.
Of course, ultimately, the reason we should all read this book and think more about John Brown is that he represents the tension between the moral power of non-violent resistance and the violent power of bloodshed. Perhaps, as Lincoln later said quite plainly, Brown was right in saying that only bloodshed could end the great evil of slavery in America and that the 600,000 plus White Americans who died during the Civil War was sort of the result of collective American corporate sin. But can anyone ever really decide that they are truly God's instrument and begin that bloodshed? Isn't all bloodshed a sin? Bonhoeffer I know regretted his choice to be involved with the plot against Hitler.
At the end of the day, I believe in the path of Gandhi and King, although I have a lot more respect for Brown after reading this book than I used to or than I thought I would going in to reading it.
fourstringspark's review
5.0
You can hardly go wrong with a book by the late Tony Horwitz. This differs from his usual participatory approach to history; it's just a straight retelling of Brown's life story leading up to the raid on Harper's Ferry. Horwitz's prose is crisp and clear, his narrative engaging. The account of the raid itself is a page-turner. John Brown was an interesting character, and the story of the monomania that drove his fateful choices seem just as relevant 160 years later. Oddly enough, this book appears to be out of print already, although it was published in 2011, so I picked it up used.
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.75
scottapeshot's review against another edition
5.0
I vaguely knew of John Brown's history. But this book not only illuminated his life, but clearly shows the insane anti-logic we're still seeing in today's GOP and Trump supporters as regards civil rights, white supremacy, and "state's rights" has an enduring legacy from the slave states of the pre-civil war. The civil war never ended. "They hung him for a traitor, they themselves the traitor crew
But his soul goes marching on...". And, oh, I will miss Tony Horwitz, what a fine researcher and cogent writer.
But his soul goes marching on...". And, oh, I will miss Tony Horwitz, what a fine researcher and cogent writer.
mmk4725's review against another edition
4.0
I really knew nothing about Harpers Ferry. It turns out other people I talked to didn't know about Harpers Ferry from a historical sense either. Surprisingly, I found the book interesting.
moogen's review against another edition
2.0
Unbelievable... Tony Horwitz has written a book that bored me. That's not the same as writing a boring book. Students of antebellum America will love it. It was beautifully written and meticulously researched. But it wasn't what I signed up for. Tony Horwitz is the master of the historical travelogue. "Blue Latitudes" & "Confederates in the Attic" are wonderful reads... so engaging that the subject matter is irrelevant. But take away Horwitz's jokes and wide eyed wonder... and all that's left is a well written book about a speck of US history that means nothing to his admirers on the other side of the Pacific.