Book cover of Fire from the Midst of You: A Religious Life of John Brown

Book description

Reveals a complex new portrait of John Brown, radical abolitionist and leader of the 1859 raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown is usually remembered as a terrorist whose unbridled hatred of slavery drove him to the ill-fated raid on Harper's Ferry, Virginia, in 1859. Tried and executed for seizing the…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Fire from the Midst of You as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

John Brown was a devout Calvinist who believed that God had chosen him to fight against slavery. In this stimulating book, Decaro provides us with the first full-scale religious biography of Brown, placing him in the context of nineteenth-century revivals and religiously inspired abolitionists. Decaro also explores Brown’s closeness to African Americans and his debt to Black militants such as David Walker, Denmark Vesey, and Henry Highland Garnet.

From David's list on John Brown the abolitionist.

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A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

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