Written by Albert Marrin
While the book’s focus is on John Brown, he is not the only topic of the book. The author tells the John Brown story along with the broader topic of slavery and the Civil War. The book does a great job not only of telling the story of John Brown’s life and infamous actions, but shows the reader how John Brown fits within the history of the Civil War. It has an entire chapter on the history of slavery throughout the world. The author makes the reader aware of other abolitionists, Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, compromises regarding slavery, and the Civil War. It’s a great history of the U.S. in the 1800s with a focus on John Brown. He concludes with the controversy that surrounds John Brown and those like him. Brown is a complex individual and the author portrays the complexity very well.
Review by J. Kesler, Teacher, Eisenhower Jr. High School
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 8-12
Author Website: http://www.albertmarrin.com
A Volcano Beneath the Snow: John Brown’s War Against Slavery
Written by Albert Marrin
Alfred A. Knopf
244 pages
Release Date: April 8, 2014
ISBN: 9780307981530 (hardcover)
Categories: High School – Nonfiction, Jr. High – Nonfiction
Tags: John Brown, slavery, Civil War, abolitionsts
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