Mine Eyes Have Seen (Horrible Histories Collections) (Hardcover)

by Ann Rinaldi (Author)

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

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590543180
• ISBN-13: 978-0590543187
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,133,776 in Books (See Bestsellers 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

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:

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 (Horrible Histories Collections) (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!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story that will make you think, July 31, 1999

By A Customer

This book was about Annie Brown, the daughter of John Brown, who was involved in the Harpers Ferry uprising in 1860.Annie's story is told with a tenderness that makes your heart break at the end, but that also makes you laugh. As Annie watches her father, brothers and 'lover' go into certain death, she also learns about her family and how it became the way it was.Truly an amazing coming of age story