Tony Horwitz invests one of the greatest of American enigmas with flesh, blood, and a remarkable clarity of thought. John Brown had a singular focus that overrode every other aspect of his difficult life -- the abolition of slavery in America, which he regarded not only as a barbaric institution designed to benefit wealthy and influential landowners in the South, but a direct affront to God. As Mr. Horwitz makes clear in this riveting book, Brown's assault on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia may have failed, but no slaveholder ever slept quite as soundly again. — Alden Graves
“The Civil War had its origins long before Fort Sumter, but possibly the biggest spark was provided by one extremely intense, driven man, John Brown. Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 not only provided a frightening specter to nervous Southern slave owners, it was also a moral slap in the face to the rest of the country, especially during his trial. The long-range effects of one man and his moral passion are superbly rendered by the award-winning Horwitz.”
— Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, MI
“The Civil War had its origins long before Fort Sumter, but possibly the biggest spark was provided by one extremely intense, driven man, John Brown. Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 not only provided a frightening specter to nervous southern slave owners, it was also a moral slap in the face to the rest of the country, especially during his trial. The long-range effects of one man and his moral passion are superbly rendered by the award-winning Horwitz.”
— Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, MI