Mine Eyes Have Seen (Horrible Histories Bind Up) [Hardcover]

Ann Rinaldi (Author)

Book Description

Series: Horrible Histories Bind Up | Publication Date: February 1998

A bound edition of two titles in the Horrible Histories series. "The Terrible Tudors" gives details of Tudor life, including cruel kings such as Henry VIII. "The Slimy Stuarts" is full of facts about James I, suffering school children, revolting Roundheads and crafty Cavaliers.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up?During the summer of 1859, radical abolitionist John Brown covertly gathers his forces to attack the arsenal at Harper's Ferry. His 15-year-old daughter, Annie, is summoned to help keep house and to watch for intruders. She thrills at the chance to become important in the eyes of her distant, Scripture-quoting, dictatorial father. Through the lens of Annie's vision, Rinaldi constructs a believable Brown, one whom Annie alternatively loves, fears, and resents. Readers are given glimpses into the charismatic yet enigmatic leader who could speak of being led by God while at the same time encouraging all sorts of deceit to keep his plans secret, a contradiction that angers his daughter. Annie is also troubled by the strain in her relationship with the young man she plans to marry, who is one of her father's volunteers. In the end, she is devastated by the folly of the attack, the death of her intended, and her father's seeming inability to forgive her for her inadvertent role in the accidental death of a younger sister. This book is written as if it were Annie's journal, her attempt to come to terms with all that has happened and all that she has lost. It is a poignant and deeply moving tale based on extensive research into the life of the real Annie Brown. But Mine Eyes Have Seen is more than just Annie's story. It is also John Brown's. This dual focus, set against the backdrop of the sweeping social and political upheaval of the times, gives readers a broader vision of the period than Rinaldi did in The Second Bend in the River (Scholastic, 1997). An author's note and a bibliography complete the book.?Peggy Morgan, The Library Network, Southgate,
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 8^-12. Rinaldi begins with an actual person, John Brown's daughter, Annie, and weaves fact and fiction into an involving story. The book opens in the Alcott house in Massachusetts where Louisa May encourages Annie to write down the thoughts that trouble her, but the focus shifts immediately to Annie's account of the summer of 1859, which she spent watching for strangers and doing housework in the little house near Harper's Ferry that served as her father's secret headquarters. Annie emerges as a complicated and sympathetic figure, but her position on the periphery of the action makes the book's focus seem slightly off center. Still, hers is an intriguing point of view, and readers will find this a detailed, informative account of what may have happened at Harper's Ferry. Rinaldi's appended author's note helps separate fact from fiction. A good, solid choice for fans of Rinaldi's historical fiction. Carolyn Phelan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590543180
• ISBN-13: 978-0590543187
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,217,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing... and true, too, June 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Mine Eyes Have Seen (Horrible Histories Bind Up) (Hardcover)

I've always greatly enjoyed books by Ann Rinaldi, and "Mine Eyes Have Seen" is great. It tells about John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry in West Virginia from his 15 year-old daughter's point of view. John Brown was an abolitionist who was greatly against slavery, and the raid at Harper's Ferry, the main point of the book, was one of his many attempts to crush slavery. This book is also sad, but it is definitely worth reading. I also learned so much about the real event, like all of her other books too. In History class, we were learning about John Brown's raid, and I felt like I knew so much about it because of this book. Even my teacher said that I knew so much about it, and I recommended the book to her, and she is going to read it, just like you should, too!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars SO DEPRESSING, July 7, 2004

By 

Laura (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mine Eyes Have Seen (Mass Market Paperback)

I'd loved all of Ann Rinaldi's books so far, even though the military talk can be a little confusing, but Mine Eyes Have Seen was an exception. It was just so depressing. I wouldn't want to give it away to someone who is interested in reading it, but in the end I was just so shocked at what happened. The main character, Annie Brown, lives in a household where the father is very menacing and non-caring. He treats his children very badly. He only cares about his abolitionist views. While trying to create a raid against slavery, he forces Annie's brothers, her fiance, and people Annie comes to love to fight with no chance of winning. I wouldn't want to give it away, but people she cares about die. I was disturbed by the way she knew they were doomed, but spoke lightly of it. Her whole family was strange and tragic, and the way her father had a grudge on her because of her little sister's death by falling in a pot of scalding water just made me feel depressed. This was based on a true story, so there was no way that the author could have lightened it up a little, and it was still a good book, but I wouldn't really recommend it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF MY VERY (etc) FAVORITES!, July 1, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Mine Eyes Have Seen (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was a definate GRABBER. Who couldn't love it? Beats me! I learned a whole lot. Well, you probably want to hear the story now, so here it goes: Annie Brown has been called by her father (the famous John Brown) to be the "watchdog" of his little hideout. The deal is, he is planning this raid at Harper's Ferry, to show his views on slavery. So, he is housing about 20 or so men in this house, and Annie is assigned to watch on the porch to see if anyone comes by and finds out. Well, that dreadful raid holds a sadness down on Annie: it threatens to seperate her and her love/fiance, Dauphin Thompson. So, it's really sad. Especially when you hear about the raid results. You are practically depressed yourself when you find out about what happens to Annie's fiance, brothers, and simply the men she grew attached to at the cabin. It's SO sad! Well, that is what makes it even more worth reading. I guarrantee you'll love this, so read it!