signsoflifebooks.com

John Hendrix, whose art our gallery has represented in the past, has written and illustrated a new children’s book - John Brown:  His Fight for Freedom.

Though Hendrix’s intended audience is children, I think anyone can appreciate this book.  I learned a lot from reading it about a man who is inextricably linked to the history of our area.

I find it commendable that Hendrix doesn’t talk down to his audience.  In fact, parents or teachers will have to explain certain words to students or, heaven forfend, they might need to look them up in a dictionary!

The caricaturistic images and bold calligraphy make John Brown appear larger than life, but the text portrays a real man with both wonderful and terrible qualities.  Hendrix describes a simple man who wants to take seriously Jesus’ admonition to love one another.  By desiring not just freedom for the black man, but equality, Brown went far beyond the general abolitionist sentiment of the day.  Brown’s fervor caused a massacre at Pottawatomie Creek, but his zeal for human equality exceeded even that of the celebrated abolitionist Frederick Douglass who noted “I could live for the slave, but he could die for him.”

We are in the planning stages at Signs of Life for an event tentatively titled Bleeding Kansas: Sights and Sounds to be held Oct 24th.  The day will feature a book signing by John Hendrix and exhibit of artwork from the book as well as music by Jed Marum who has worked on the soundtracks for film maker Kenneth Spurgeon’s Bleeding Kansas documentaries.  We will announce details of the events as they become available.