Or Give Me Death
A Novel of Patrick Henry's Family
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
A surprising Revolutionary War tale of a family beset by a mother's mental illness: "Often gripping…the portrayal of Patrick Henry is unusually complex."—Publishers Weekly
Patrick Henry, the famous statesman of the American Revolution, has a secret: He keeps his wife in the cellar. It's the only alternative to an asylum, for, slowly losing her mind, Sarah Henry has become a serious danger to herself and her children.
Narrated by the Henrys' two daughters, Patsy and Anne, who must take on new responsibilities, this compassionate novel explores the possibility that Patrick Henry's immortal cry of "Give me liberty or give me death" may have first been spoken by his wife as she pled for her freedom—and "delivers another intriguing spin on history" from the popular author of young adult fiction (Kirkus Reviews).
Includes a reader's guide
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This often gripping but also melodramatic novel set just before the Revolutionary War explores Patrick Henry's tragic domestic life, from the point of view of two of his daughters. Patrick's wife, Sarah, is "mad" in the opening scenes, she tries to drown their infant son. As Patrick travels extensively, "to talk about the new evils sent to us by the king," 16-year-old Patsy, the oldest child and the first narrator, is left to cope with his disregard for "the evil going on here at home under his own roof." It falls to Patsy (and her intended, MyJohn) to investigate the institution someone recommends and, when it proves barbaric, to contrive for her father to confine her mother to the cellar. Throughout, Patsy must run the household and supervise her four youngest siblings, albeit with the help of slaves. Rinaldi (A Break with Charity) effectively switches narrators midway through, when she adopts the voice of spirited middle sister Anne, who chafes under Patsy's tyrannical rule and the web of household secrets. While the portrayal of Patrick Henry is unusually complex, the author romanticizes Sarah's illness. For example, the unstable woman's pleadings get credit as the source of Henry's most famous line ("Give me liberty or give me death!"), and the plot hinges on the device that Sarah is both prophetic and recognized as such by her daughters. Some young readers may enjoy the supernatural overlay; to others, it may cloud an otherwise perceptive view of the dynamics of a family in distress. Ages 10-14.
