Raising Holy Hell
by Bruce Olds
Raising Holy Hell is a fascinating novel about that most enigmatic of subjects, John Brown. One hundred and forty years after his death by hanging for the raid on Harpers' Ferry, Brown still haunts us with a host of troubling questions. Was he a madman? A prophet? A terrorist? An instrument of God?
Bruce
Olds takes these questions head-on by presenting a vivid portrait of the abolitionist-turned-martyr
in all his fanatical glory. In a unique writing style which combines narrative
passages with snippets of poems and songs and "interviews" with some
of the principal characters in Brown's drama, Olds gives us a three-dimensional
portrait of a man who let his hatred of slavery drive him to conspiracy, murder,
and treason. The unthinkable horrors of slavery provide the backdrop for Brown's
evolution from a money-grubbing, self-aggrandizing businessman to a national
firebrand. Olds writes vividly, and sometimes sarcastically, of Brown's willingness
to sacrifice himself and his family in the pursuit of freedom for the slaves
-- and fame for himself.
While we may cringe at Brown's methods, Olds also makes it clear that he was one of the few abolitionist leaders who was willing to put his life on the line for the cause. That in itself serves to ennoble him. In the end, the reader is left to decide for himself.
For anybody who is thinking of reading Russell Banks' monumental tome Cloudsplitter, which is also about John Brown, save yourself the agony and read Olds' book instead. You'll come away with a much better picture of the elusive John Brown.
Raising Holy Hell is out of print, but there are many copies available on Bookfinder.
Return to Austin Civil War Round Table Home Page