“Gilpin’s book is an outstanding contribution to the growing body of work on historical memory.” — American Historical Review
“Another fascinating study of how Americans have considered violence and change through their memories of one man and one event. . . . An excellent book.” — Journal of Southern History
“[Gilpin’s] analysis is pointed and pertinent. University students will especially profit from his resurrections of Brown.” — Library Journal
“Gilpin provides a compelling analysis of an important topic.” — West Virginia History
“Gilpin’s book shows . . . that John Brown remains a lightning rod in American culture, and the wildly divergent opinions of Brown are a testament to the power of history to define a man, his ideals, and his nation.” — Kansas History
“[A] fine study. . . . [that] examine[s] with equal sophistication the diverse forms in which Brown has become a vehicle for some of the most pressing ideological debates in American political culture.” — Journal of American History
“To read Gilpin’s volume is to be overwhelmed by the unrelieved opportunism that, from every spot on the political spectrum, has found in John Brown the perfect vehicle for partisan gain.” — Journal of American Studies
“[Gilpin] illuminates how the memory of John Brown inspired white and black Americans. . . to understand the relationship between violence, equality, and social change.” — Journal of the North Carolina Association of Historians
“Provides a refreshing reprieve from the typical biography by synthesizing a study of John Brown’s legacy.” — Louisiana History
“Gilpin’s study of John Brown in American memory is a genuine masterpiece. The depth of the interpretation, the comprehensiveness of the research, the intellectual breadth of the narrative, and the lucidity of the prose make this a most outstanding work. The author has contributed enormously not just to our understanding of John Brown and his racial cause, but he has also thrown exceptional light on the cultural, racial, and political climates that altered ”the Old Hero’s“ image in America over the course of fast-changing times.” — Bertram Wyatt-Brown, Richard J. Milbauer Emeritus Professor of History, University of Florida, and author of The Shaping of Southern Culture: Honor, Grace, and War, 1760s–1880s
