Nat Brandt Books

The book delves into a sensational historical scandal involving Congressman Dan Sickles, who infamously murdered his wife's lover, Philip Barton Key, the son of the "Star Spangled Banner" author. The shocking event unfolded in front of numerous witnesses and marked a pivotal moment in legal history as Sickles employed the groundbreaking defense of temporary insanity. This case not only captivated the nation but also challenged prevailing notions of justice and morality in the 19th century.

Set in October 1892, the narrative follows John Heisman, a young law graduate who takes on the unpaid role of coach for Oberlin College's football team. Known for his distinctive appearance, Heisman leads the team to an undefeated first season. The book delves into the experiences of Oberlin's fans, players, and rivals, capturing the spirit and challenges of early college football.

Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, the narrative follows Confederate spies in Canada who devise a daring plan to incite chaos in New York City by igniting it on the day after Thanksgiving in 1864. A group of rebel officers, former Union prisoners seeking refuge, infiltrate the city under false identities. Their plot ultimately fails due to a critical oversight involving a chemical reaction that demands oxygen, highlighting both their desperation and the stakes of the war.

On the afternoon of December 30, 1903, during a sold out matinee performance, a fire broke out in Chicago's Iroquois Theatre. This work provides a chronicle of this event to assess the titanic tragedy of the fire itself and also the municipal corruption that kindled the flames beforehand and the political cover-ups hidden in the smoke.

The eighteen missionaries who traveled to Shansi were dedicated, pious, hard-working clerics. Ernest Atwater; the young minister Francis Ward Davis and his wife Lydia; Charles Wesley Price and his family; and Susan Rowena Bird; to name a few, were all spurred by their strong beliefs, but they were also quite ignorant of other countries and cultures. Often having to live in disease-ravaged areas of China and under harsh conditions, they were repulsed by the native lifestyle and saw further need to change it.Brandt presents finely wrought portraits of these people, detailing the lives of both the missionaries and their converts, their experiences in the interior province of Shansi, and their struggle in trying to spread Christianity among people whose language they did not speak and whose traditions and customs they did not understand.Brandt's gripping narrative brings to light a penetrating and sincere study of the "Oberlin Band" of Protestant missionaries and captures the essence of their daily life. Considered in a fair and honest context, the descriptions are often taken directly from personal correspondence and journals.This tragic story of the clash between two cultures is primarily the story of the missionaries...six men, seven women, and five children. Their names appear on bronze tablets on the only monument in America ever erected to individuals who died in that uprising, the Memorial Arch on the campus of Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio.

The narrative centers on the dramatic events in Oberlin College in 1858, where the community united to rescue a runaway slave from kidnapping. This act of defiance against the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 led to the arrest and trial of 37 rescuers, igniting a significant abolitionist movement in the North. The case not only highlights the passionate commitment of the Oberlin community to the anti-slavery cause but also illustrates the broader tensions surrounding the enforcement of federal laws regarding slavery during this turbulent period in American history.