Midnight Rising
John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War
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Midnight Rising
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Narrated by:
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Dan Oreskes
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By:
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Tony Horwitz
About this listen
Best-selling author Tony Horwitz tells the electrifying tale of the daring insurrection that put America on the path to bloody war....
Plotted in secret, launched in the dark, John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry was a pivotal moment in U.S. history. But few Americans know the true story of the men and women who launched a desperate strike at the slaveholding South. Now, Midnight Rising portrays Brown's uprising in vivid color, revealing a country on the brink of explosive conflict.
Brown, the descendant of New England Puritans, saw slavery as a sin against America's founding principles. Unlike most abolitionists, he was willing to take up arms, and in 1859 he prepared for battle at a hideout in Maryland, joined by his teenage daughter, three of his sons, and a guerrilla band that included former slaves and a dashing spy. On October 17, the raiders seized Harpers Ferry, stunning the nation and prompting a counterattack led by Robert E. Lee. After Brown's capture, his defiant eloquence galvanized the North and appalled the South, which considered Brown a terrorist. The raid also helped elect Abraham Lincoln, who later began to fulfill Brown's dream with the Emancipation Proclamation, a measure he called "a John Brown raid, on a gigantic scale." Tony Horwitz's riveting book travels antebellum America to deliver both a taut historical drama and a telling portrait of a nation divided - a time that still resonates in ours.
©2011 Tony Horwitz (P)2011 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Midnight Rising
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr.C
- 20-08-22
A true story of good vs evil
Brave. Compassionate. Determined. Heart. These are just some of the words I want to describe John Brown as. The book and the perfect narration made his story even more immersive giving him and his men the recognition they undoubtedly deserved. It also shone a light on the evil and heartlessness of slavery.
Thank you John Brown and his men and this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mister Peridot
- 03-07-17
Excellent account of this important subject
The author skillfully weaves much research on John Brown into a compelling and fascinating account of his life long struggle against slavery culminating in the Harpers Ferry raid which resulted in his arrest, trial and execution. Its the years preceding the raid and the consequences of the raid that make Brown such an interesting and important person. Throughout, the author writes with a deft touch, introducing each of many characters with brief descriptions and colourful incidental material which brings the story alive. The reader also does a brilliant job, subtly intoning the words of each character, not least Brown himself. Oreskes is clearly a very talented actor.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- michael Billington
- 15-05-22
Terrorist attack or righteous uprising
A well written and honest accounting of the raid at Harper's ferry which was subject to passionate and forceful denunciations by even those who in their hearts supported John Brown, to say nothing of slaveholders reactions, but is now seen a major sign post on the road to civil war.
The nature of John Brown the man and those who followed him are examined alongside the larger context of the abolitionist movement. But the author never loses sight of the main focus of the book and that is the planning and exection of the raid at Harper's ferry Virginia and all that occurred both before during and the aftermath.
The headline I have chosen is not to compare the abolitionist movement with any terror movement of today, but to reflect how it was seen and felt by Southerners in particular but also by white northerners who had reservations about anti-slavery men. All told I would reccommend this audiobook for anyone interested in learning about a crucial event in U.S history.
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