Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War

Chronicles the 1859 raid by radical abolitionist John Brown, his children and a guerilla band on Harpers Ferry, revealing how his acts, deemed terrorism by the South, prompted a counterattack by Robert E. Lee and galvanized Northern supporters during Lincoln's election campaign. (United States history).

"Engrossing... [Horwitz's] vivid biographical portrait of Brown gives us an American original: a failed businessman and harsh Calvinist with a soft spot for the oppressed and a murderous animus against oppressors... Brown's raiders--a motley crew of his sons and various idealists, adventurers, freedmen, and fugitive slaves--come alive as a romantic, appealing bunch; their agonizing deaths give Horwitz's excellent narrative of the raid and shootout a deep pathos."--"Publishers Weekly"

"There's a brilliance to this book that put me in mind of Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," only Horwitz's "Midnight Rising" is set deeper in America's dark past. With stunning, vivid detail, he has captured the sheer drama and tragedy of John Brown and that bloody raid at Harpers Ferry that helped propel America toward civil war."--Erik Larson, author of "The Devil in the White City" and "In the Garden of Beasts"

"Tony Horwitz's gifts as a vivid narrator of dramatic events are on full display in thi

"Superb and amply researched... [Horwitz] renders with empathy and insight the lives of the individuals Brown touched, whether they were family members, victims, or the idealistic raiders who followed him to Harpers Ferry... Brown's raiders thus appear more human, poignant, and fallible and the whole venture more noble, futile, benighted, heroic, and sadder than heretofore."--"American Scholar"

"A gripping narrative of Brown and the raid on Harpers Ferry that in many ways set the stage for Southern secession and civil war. Horwitz brings all his gifts of character building and storytelling to Brown's rise and self-promotion... Horwitz's Brown did not die in vain. By recalling the drama that fired the imagination and fears of Brown's time, "Midnight Rising" calls readers to account for complacency about social injustices today. This is a book for our time."--"Library Journal" (starred)

"Lucid and compelling... The author's archival sleuthing pays off with a rich narrative."--"Kir

"A hard-driving narrative of one of America's most troubling figures... Horwitz describes the disaster in riveting terms... It's impossible to read this fine book without thinking about modern-day Browns." -Kevin Boyle, "The New York Times Book Review "(a "New York Times" Notable Book, 2011)

"Horwitz's skills are a good match for this enormously compelling character, and his well-paced narrative incorporates masterful sketches of Brown's family, foot soldiers, financial backers, admirers and prosecutors... The result is both page-turning and heartbreaking--a book to engage mind and soul."--"The Boston Globe"

"Horwitz, an exceptionally skilled and accomplished journalist, here turns his hand to pure history with admirable results. "Midnight Rising" is smoothly written, thoroughly researched, places Brown within the context of his time and place, and treats him sensitively but scarcely adoringly."--"The Washington Post"(Best of 2011, Notable Work of Nonfiction)

""Midnighty

"""Masterful...both page-turning and heartbreaking---a book to engage mind and soul."---"The Boston Globe

""A hard-driving narrative of one of America's most troubling historical figures... It's impossible to read this fine book without thinking about modern-day Browns."---"The New York Times Book Review""Fascinating and touching...suspenseful and heart-wrenching...Horwitz's compelling account holds this flawed hero up high, offering him to us in all his odd fascination---and his soul-searching rigor."---"The Christian Science Monitor""Superb and amply researched...Brown's raiders appear more human, poignant, and fallible, and the whole venture more noble, futile, benighted, heroic, and sadder than heretofore."---"The American Scholar""Beautifully written and sparkling with fresh insights...In this thrilling, magnificent, and essential book, Tony Horwitz shows how one man and a single event set the nation on a doomed course where the crimes of a guilty land could only be purged by blood."---James Swanson, author of "Manhunt" and "Bloody Crimes"