When Stephen Vincent Benet finished John Brown's Body in 1928 and the critics awaited its issue, the South was most anxious and skeptical that they would be portrayed honestly. They were and Stephen Benet's masterpiece is America's greatest epic poem and a most unappreciated work of literature. But, I love it and always will love it, because it makes those historic figures of so long ago - come alive. Out of the mist, they ride. Come traveler, pick it up, open its pages and from fish hook Gettysburg to the end, watch them ride and try to understand over all the years what was happening and why they were fighting. It was not all about Slavery!

During the Pax Romana the emperor Augustus commissioned Vergil to write an epic history of the Romans. The result, of course, was The Aeneid, a stunning blend of epic poetry and historical fiction that some would argue has yet to be topped. John Brown's Body is the closest thing we have to an epic poem "about" America. And while it takes place during the civil war and makes no claim to be an authoritative history, the book is no less impressive as a literary feat. No book in the history of this country has so artfully depicted our nation's great schism.

Written in the 20s, John Brown's Body redefines the word ananchronism. Its contemporaries are The Great Gatsby, The Sun Also Rises, and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Professors widely praise these modern works for their groundbreaking aesthetics, and not without justification. However, it's hard to imagine a more daring or daunting task than the writing of John Brown's Body. Never mind the fact that he pulled it off marvelously. Stephen Vincent Benet remains the only writer to have even _attempted_ to write an American epic poem. Stephen Vincent Benet deserves high scores both for degree of difficulty and final product. Yet conventional education regarding 20th century American books never seems to give him these high marks.

Why Benet and his book don't get the recognition they merit is a terrific question. Is his book canonically superior to Gatsby and Their Eyes? No. And on some level, it's difficult to see what someone living in Taiwan could glean from this document of American struggle and triumph. To wit, the book can also be criticized for being slightly skewed toward a Yankee perspective. But as a whole, the book is outright better than a lot of works revered as American classics.

What does better mean? What it should mean. Simply a more impressive work of art. More entertaining. More provactive. More fun to read. More intellectual depth, conveyed subtly and beautifully, embedded skillfully but not invisibly in an absorbing tale. On these counts, John Brown's Body is vastly superior to classics like The Sun Also Rises; The USA series of John Dos Passos; Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis; and certainly Hawthorne's later novels. Yet John Brown's Body continues to get short shrift, to the point where it's well nigh unfindable in many a book store. One can only hope that the critics and canon-makers of later generations restore the book to its proper place, high atop our shining history of American letters.

This book won the Pulitzer Prize in the '40's. It covers the Civil War principally from the perspectives of a young, small town Connecticutt boy and the heir to a Geogia plantation. It begins with a gripping view of events on a slave ship and ends with two crippled young men and the women they love, beginning to rebuild ther lives. Part poetry, part prose, it all sings.

Too often are works of historical note written with cold dispassion. You won't find any dry writing here. Hinton manages to encapsulate the drama and tension of the period in grand style. To those looking for simply a overview of the Harpers raid, be prepared for an information overload that includes biographies, primary excerpts and a rousing tale of cathartic proportions.

I was searching for my ancestors through the Keagy line and found this book. In it, I discovered that John Henry Kagi, an earlier form of the spelling "Keagy", was one of John Brown's men. Later I found another book about John Henry Kagi entitled, "John Henry Kagi and His Old Log Cabin Home." I am interested in learning more about Keagy Family Line and especially John Henry Kagi. My wife and I traveled to Harper's Ferry, VA to visit the site of John Brown's raid. Unfortunately, the papers and photographs of John Henry Kagi were damaged in the Spring flood. It was a great disappointment to us. The only records that we have are the information that I gained through those books, "John Brown and His Men," and "John Henry Kagi and His Old Log Cabin Home." Both of these books covered the raid on Harper's Ferry and gave me a wealth of new facts about John Henry Kagi. It brought history to life and presented a hero to my family.

I love learning about history by reading about the actual people who have lived it. As a teacher, I would recommend this for social studies classes at the middle school level and up. The Civil War characters are memorable, the action fast-paced and students will appreciate the fact that it's based on true events. Kathleen Ernst's Teacher Guide includes discussion questions and activities. It's available by contacting Whine Mane Publishing, Inc., PO Box 152; Shippensburg, PA 1725

I found this story exciting, fast moving, and poignant. Though Samuel is a soldier from New York State and Mahalia's family's sympathies lie with the Confederacy, the generosity of heart and spirit shown toward each other is a wonder on each page. Friendship between opposites in the harrowing time of the Civil War is brought to dramatic life by a gifted storyteller. Highly reccomended for adults and young adults alike

'Free Enterprise' is fabulous. There are many counterpoints in this novel which is filled with historical reconstructions. Catch this novel if you can, as soon as you can. It offers almost a perfect balance between historicity and creativity.

If you have some literary theory behind you then the novel is particularly suited to a postcolonial readng.

so you'll want to read the novel several times so as not to miss anything.

The novel presents a perfect balance between historicity and creativity. Catch it if you can.

If you want to get to know John Brown, his family, his life, his problems and his ways, you have to read this book, from his childhood to his death in Virginia after the raid of Harper's Ferry each station of his life is shown in detail (which makes it sometimes difficult to read with pure pleasure). Before I read this book I knew about Brown as a criminal, a fanatic, a murderer may be. Yes, he was... but you have to know what shaped him to be a fanatic and a murderer. His life was a struggle for freedom, and he was beat hard by life. He came on the wrong way or better: He went too far on the right one. This is a very exciting and helpful book! Just read it!

This book is filled great historical information, and good black and white photos. It also contains information about John Brown's life and ideas, the abolitionists, the raid on Harper's Ferry and the results. This will be a good report resource. Also has a nice timeline. Recommended reading for the 6th grade level and up.

As a historian of the abolitionist period, and the raid at Harpers Ferry in particular, I strongly recommend the work of Osborn Perry Anderson. His work is the only surviving manuscript which gives the story from the perspective of the men who fought against slavery with John Brown -- not the confederacy or other biased versions. Anderson was also an African American, and thus further adds a missing perspective. I find it unacceptable to buy into the "academic" establishment's version of history in this regard, that Anderson, an African American, does not carry equal weight with the white writers of the time. If we acknowledge that racism was a bias in historical accounts, then Osborn Perry Anderson's account shares what it meant without the racist distortions, as he was part of a multiracial movement for emancipation. While the text covers some aspects of raid that may embarass some, the truth needs to be told. It should also be noted that Osborn Perry Anderson him self was given the special Sword that belonged to President George Washington, as one who would uplift the new nation of justice. Brown recognized him as a leader, and his leadership was well proven in his ability to escape at the end of the battle, and seek refuge in Canada. He saved the day with a more objective account, which was edited by Mary Shadd, and published in 1861. He seems to avoid mention of some details to protect comrades working against slavery, and their families. Finally, the book helps us to reflect on where we need to go from here, in order to achieve justice and equality. It is a great inspirational and yet factual book. It is excellent and highly recommended!

This is a terrific novel about the radical abolitionist John Brown. The style of the book is remarkable. Olds writes in short bursts of prose, not more than three or four pages at a time, and from different perspectives: first person, third person, quotes from actual historical documents, and what appears to be an interview with Brown from beyond the grave. The effect is like channel-surfing on cable TV. And it works beautifully--it's an exciting way to write about history for the '90's reader. Olds strips down his language--it reminds me a little of James Ellroy's recent work--but he uses archaic words and sentence structure combined with impressive poetic imagery to achieve a convincing historical density. This book has great resonance. This is a time of intense, moralistic political warfare and this depiction of intense pre-Civil War passions should be disturbingly familiar. Bruce Olds makes us recognize and respect complexity. His final take on John Brown seems to be that he was an unpleasant, possibly insane man who nevertheless knew what the most important moral issue of his time was. Great reading.

richlvau2 from Grand Haven, MI misses the point when he writes that "the style [of RHH] is very interesting and it is an easy read, but the historical accuracy leaves a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, many will believe it to be "gospel" -(pun intended)"

Olds, by way of a form of literary deconstruction very rarely seen in contemporary fiction, painstakingly blurs the line between accuracy and innacuracy in historical writing. And he is not writing this way because it's the "in thing" to do.

It is also *deceptively* easy to read, with Olds hiding many of his devices from the suspecting eye and the text itself offering a number of simultaneous interpretations.

There is no "gospel" and Olds makes every effort possible to reconstruct the many narratives surrounding John Brown and to prevent any one voice from gaining authority -- especially his own.

I more than highly recommend this book: not only will you view this particular event differently, but you just might call into question the "truth" of other historical figures and events.

(Olds is overdue for a new one, let's hope the luke warm review in the NYTimes didn't blow it!)

An astonishing retelling of the life of John Brown. I selected this book for my book group after having listened to Banks' "Cloudsplitter" on BOT. I had read a few reviews of that book post hoc only to find that many critics cited this text as superior. I would say that the experience of listening, rather than reading, to Banks' book likely boosts my appraisal as I thought it was brilliant in its expanse, detail and imagination. As for Olds' work, it reads as though one is living through the time in a dream-like state. The wickedness and cruelty that is frequently attributed to "historical context" is brought to bear so that it is difficult to fathom how we look back at our American history as somehow noble and founded on justice. As for the man, John Brown, it was a serendipitous reading choice given the current state of world affairs. When resistance is linked to terrorism, the results are necessarily unpredicatable and frightening, regardless of the outcome.

This story is about the daughter of the famous John Brown and her summer she spent being his lookout on the farm he rented in Maryland. John Brown is famous for his fighting against slavery, but sometimes he goes too far. Some of his sons have refused to join him in Maryland after their experiences in his Kansas expedition. But others go along, including Annie and her sister-in-law Martha. Marth cleans the house and cooks while Annie keeps watch on the porch all day, making sure no one passing by becomes aware of the men stashed upstairs in the house. Annie's love Dauphin Thompson comes along with his brother, along with another pair of brothers and some other men. The men become restless over the days, waiting for the raid on Harper's Ferry to happen. As the raid gets pushed back farther and farther, Dauphin pushes Annie away. The ending is sad, but the story awesome. You really should read this book.

Mine Eyes Have Seen is a terrific novel about a teenage girl named Annie Brown, daughter of the infamous John Brown who lead the attack on Harpers Ferry, and the inner turmoil she goes through as she helps her father prepare for the attack. The book gives insight into his sadistic nature and his quest for abolition and recounts exactly how he was able to hold a federal arsenal without gaining suspicion. It is wonderful and it held my attention. I could hardly put it down. Everyone should read it.

This book was a definate GRABBER. Who couldn't love it? Beats me! I learned a whole lot. Well, you probably want to hear the story now, so here it goes: Annie Brown has been called by her father (the famous John Brown) to be the "watchdog" of his little hideout. The deal is, he is planning this raid at Harper's Ferry, to show his views on slavery. So, he is housing about 20 or so men in this house, and Annie is assigned to watch on the porch to see if anyone comes by and finds out. Well, that dreadful raid holds a sadness down on Annie: it threatens to seperate her and her love/fiance, Dauphin Thompson. So, it's really sad. Especially when you hear about the raid results. You are practically depressed yourself when you find out about what happens to Annie's fiance, brothers, and simply the men she grew attached to at the cabin. It's SO sad! Well, that is what makes it even more worth reading. I guarrantee you'll love this, so read it!

This is an impressive book in scope and execution. It's told through the tortured memories of John Brown's third son, Owen, who survived the doomed attack on Harper's Ferry.

The book pays little attention to the Harper's Ferry adventure and to the Browns' adventures in Kansas, and concentrates instead of the social and familial context of Brown's actions. There is considerably more attention paid to Owen's relationship with his father and his obsessions about sex and human relationships than to the cowboy style adventures in Kansas.

While it is written in a stately and measured tone, it does not have the feel of something written in the late 18th century, and Banks' narrator seems comfortable using words and constructions which sound quite modern. Perhhaps because of this, the book never drags in spite of its enormous length.

The central question the book seems to me to ask his the eternal one about ends justifying means. The Browns' seemed to know that the actions that they took in Kansas were morally wrong--yet they believed, and Owen believes at the time of the writing, that had John Brown and his gang not perpetrated the Pottawatomie massacre that the entire course of American history would be different. They believed that the moderate free-soil politicians would have sold out, that Kansas would be admitted to the Union as a slave state, and that Lincoln would never have been elected and the NORTH would have seceded. Of course we'll never know, but we have to ask ourselves if their actions were justified given what they believed. Definitely shows you the terrorists point of view.

Very good book on a fascinating subject.

Seldom in American history have the actions of one man had so great an impact on human events as did those of John Brown, the famous Abolitionist. Russel Banks' epic novel, Cloudsplitter, recounts the life and times of the enigmatic man who changed the course of a nation. The author imagines John Brown's last-surviving son, an aged Owen Brown, who narrates the story and fills in many historical gaps that still surround the juggernaut unleashed by his fanatical father. The real Owen Brown remains a vague footnote in history. Although he occasionally surfaces like an apparition in some John Brown biographies, Russel Banks takes advantage of this particular gap in history to create his own expansive narrator, sometimes verbose and full of remorse, a living paradox racked with guilt and grandiosity. At his best, Owen tells his story with love and devotion and much largesse. Other times, when he is most guilt-ridden and self-absorbed, the narrative bogs down and becomes suffused with rancor and hate. John Brown the stoic patriarch is cast as a savage self-righteous prophet of biblical proportions, and Owen plays a convincing role as the would be son of Abraham.John Brown was the scourge of "Bleeding Kansas" (Osawatomie Brown) and the martyr of Harpers Ferry (Butcher Brown) but to Banks' Owen Brown, he was also a failed farmer and often made bankrupt by dreams of get-rich schemes. For Owen, in the end, he was a brutal father who destroyed his own family for the sake of the anti-slavery cause. Absolutely nothing stood between John Brown and his God.John Brown died that the slaves might be free...He sired twenty children, but only half lived to be adults, and three of those were killed in his Kansas and Virginia campaigns. With the blessing of Abraham Lincoln, under the command of Robert E. Lee, John Brown was hung in Charleston in 1859.Ironically, John Brown's execution brought together three of the most extraordinary characters in American history. Besides the old zealot himself, there was the marine colonel in charge of the affair, Robert E. Lee, who would later lead the Confederate armies against the Union, and a federal militiaman named John Wilkes Booth, who six years later as a famous actor would perform the last tragic act of the Civil War. Henry David Thoreau compared John Brown's martyrdom to that of Christ. "Some eighteen hundred years ago Christ was crucified; this morning, perchance, Captain Brown was hung. These are the two ends of a chain that is not without its links."And Ralph Waldo Emerson promised that Brown's martyrdom would "make the gallows glorious like the cross."And his soul goes marching on...As Owen tells it, John Brown was consumed by divine wrath. "The man had read every word of his Bible hundreds of times; nothing human beings did with or to one another or themselves shocked him. Only slavery shocked him." From the Ten Commandments, John Brown cobbled together a single imperative that southerners would come to loath: Thou shalt not enslave another human being. John Brown planned his assault on slavery from the high moral ground of the Adirondack Mountains, at the foot of a peak called "Cloudsplitter". His dream was to stretch the Underground Railroad from Alabama to the Canadian border and to eventually crush the Slavocracy through mass insurrection and economic ruin. The raid on Harpers Ferry, the climax of Banks' story (or anticlimax of Owen's) was meant to trigger that insurrection. But the raid failed terribly and resulted only in the capture of the great emancipator himself. What it did trigger, though, was the Civil War. Cloudsplitter is well researched and masterfully written. It is Russel Banks' best effort since Continental Drift (1993). This imaginative, ambitious novel humanizes the legend of John Brown much the way Bruce Olds did in his remarkable first novel, Raising Holy Hell (1995). But even in death, John Brown's juggernaut could not be stopped, and seldom in American history have the actions of one man had so great an impact on human events.Glory, glory, hallelujah!

Russell Banks is a wonder to the literary world! Here we have a man who has invested so much of his time to give a fictionalized account of the life of martyr John Brown and his mysterious son Owen. Banks spent years learning the history of this historic family, and before creating his fictionalized version, he spent a cold winter in the mountains near the location of the Brown Family for many years.

Banks loves to play around with the ideas of truth vs fact, insanity vs sanity, private life vs public scrutiny, and more than anything else, the relationship between father and son. His recreation of the mythical John Brown seems almost too real for comfort, and the imaginative birth of the historically allusive Owen Brown is likewise worthy of praise.

Cloudsplitter is a book of biblical proportions, existing on multiple levels and asking a reader to do, what in today's standards is virtually unheard of, stick with him through the short of 800 page novel. Not many today have what it takes to embark such a monumental effort as Banks has, and his merits are his rewards. This book belongs on your shelves, next to Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" and snuggled up beside James's "The American" for this truly is American Fiction at its most prolific best. It is one for the ages, and Banks can sleep soundly at night, he has done no injustice to John Brown nor the world for bringing such a wonderfully spun tale to life.