John Brown, W. E. B. Du Bois
John Brown, W. E. B. Du Bois
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John Brown
A Biography

Author: W. E. B. Du Bois

Narrator: J. Keith Jackson

Unabridged: 10 hr 6 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/05/2022

Synopsis

Few figures are more seminal in the abolitionist movement in America than John Brown. His firebrand approach to the movement arose out of his religiously inspired and deep-seated belief that slavery was not only morally unjust but that its removal from American society could only be achieved through armed insurrection. Following his capture in 1859 during an unsuccessful raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry and his subsequent hanging he became an electrifying and symbolical figure for the abolitionist movement. Many historians argue that the incident at Harpers Ferry was the breaking point between pro and anti-slavery forces that led to the secession of the southern states and the subsequent Civil War. Prominent African American W. E. B. Du Bois chronicles the life of John Brown in this 1909 biography. In the words of Du Bois, John Brown was "a man whose leadership lay not in his office, wealth or influence, but in the white flame of his utter devotion to an ideal." This audio edition is skillfully narrated by J. Keith Jackson, and includes a chronology of John Brown's life.

About W. E. B. Du Bois

W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963), writer, civil rights activist, scholar, and editor, is one of the most significant intellectuals in American history. A founding member of the NAACP, editor for many years of the Crisis and three other journals, and the author of seventeen books, his writings, speeches, and public debates brought fundamental changes to American race relations.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Donna

This title is among my favorite biographies of all time. The profs teaching the class I took in college featured John Brown as a small figure in American contemporary history and dismissed him fairly quickly. He meant well, but was not stable, they said; in the end, he took extreme, hopeless measure......more

Goodreads review by Geoff

This is the definitive work on Brown. If you had to read only one book on the subject, this would be it. Du Bois manages to do what no other biographer has done, and I've read about a dozen books on Brown. Du Buois manages to place the man in context. After all, there are a whole lot of John Browns o......more

Goodreads review by Brian

My only knowledge of John Brown prior to reading several books on him in the last year was that he had been a overzealous and unrealistic idealist that led a raid on Harper's Ferry to try to spark a slave rebellion. Reading more details about his planning and overall plan show the historical inaccur......more

Goodreads review by James

Today happens to be the 158th anniversary of John Brown's ill-fated raid on Harper's Ferry. I was there just a month ago, and took that as a motive to read this bio by Du Bois. Du Bois is an excellent, literary writer, and it was a great book. It was published in 1909, commemorating the 50th anniver......more

Goodreads review by Shira

"The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression." This was the refrain that Du Bois repeated, particularly in the last chapter of this surprising biography. I listened to it, and upon finishing, immediately had the urge to read much of it over again at once, in print, especially the beaut......more

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