Product Description

Patrick Henry, the famous statesman, has a secret: He keeps his wife in the cellar. Slowly losing her mind, Sarah Henry has become a danger to herself and her children. But daughter Anne has a secret of her own: She knows which child will inherit their mother's madness.

Told from the point of view of the Henry children, this compassionate tale explores the possibility that Patrick Henry's immortal cry of "Give me liberty, or give me death," which roused a nation to arms, was first spoken by his wife as she pleaded for her own freedom.

Includes a reader's guide.

Product Details

• Published on: 2004-11-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Turtleback
• 223 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 6 Up-"I was the first one in the family to know when Mama started to go insane." This introductory line sets the tone for this story about Patrick Henry's two eldest daughters struggling to grow up in revolutionary America. The first part of the book is narrated by 16-year-old Patsy, who strives to gain her siblings' respect and retain control of the family's "Negro servants" when her mother is confined to the cellar. With immature aspirations and clouded by the fear that she will inherit her mother's illness, she longs only to marry her betrothed and to live a privileged, petted life on their Virginia plantation. Willful, provoking, and seemingly spoiled, nine-year-old Anne narrates the second part. She is surprisingly filled with insight, intelligence, and overwhelming compassion as she challenges her domineering sister. Tormented by the question, "when do you keep a secret and when do you tell a lie?" Anne takes measurable yet unrewarded risks to do what is best for those she loves. Rinaldi successfully weaves the past into a fascinating story from two unique perspectives. Although the plot unfolds slowly at the beginning, its appeal along with the pace increases. The book is an intriguing blend of historical fact and fiction within which lies the hint of embedded psychological themes such as mental disorders, precognition, and complex relationship issues.
Kimberly Monaghan, Vernon Area Public Library, IL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 7-9. One of the few novels to deal with the problem of insanity in early America, this opens in 1771, as Patrick Henry's 16-year-old daughter, Patsy, realizes that her mother is going insane. When Mrs. Henry's actions threaten the lives of her two youngest children, the family shut her away in a cellar room for the safety of all and to hide her dementia from the larger community. In 1773, Patsy's younger sister, Anne, takes over the narration, which concludes in 1778 with the breakdown of her brother. Patrick Henry appears at intervals, but for the most part the other family members, and occasionally their slaves, take center stage. Two plot elements seem a bit contrived: Mrs. Henry's anguished plea to Patrick Henry to give her freedom or death (foreshadowing and, the novel intimates, inspiring his most famous speech) and her "second sight" that allows her to predict events. Rinaldi knows how to tell a story, though, and her depiction of the effects of mental illness are true to the period, yet transcend it. The book ends with an author's note and a bibliography. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Customer Reviews

A Review from Scotchtown
As a guide at Scotchtown, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and felt that Ms. Rinaldi brought the house to life with the voices of Mr. Henry's children. The Henry family dealt with complicated issues in growing up 200 years ago just as young people must deal with difficult issues today.

Just to clarify a point, however--Sarah was not kept in the dry well. Scotchtown has a summer bedroom in the English basement, which is very typical for any 18th century Virginia home, and it is there that Sarah stayed during her tragic illness. It has windows for sunlight and a fireplace for heat in winter. Given the options that Mr. Henry had for her care and that we believe he loved Sarah very much, it was the best he could do at the time. The dry well is a completely separate structure used only for food storage. [...]

Delves Into a Famous Person's "Dark Side"
Patrick Henry is known for his fiery cry of "Give me liberty or give me death"...but few realize the insanity of his wife or the breakdown of his family that may have set the scene for this historic remark.

In "Or Give Me Death," Rinaldi decides to have Patrick Henry's daughters, Patsy and Anne, narrate the story of their mother Sarah's decline into madness. Through the voices of these girls-dutiful older sister Patsy and rebelliously clever middle daughter Anne-readers are completely drawn into the complex issues that plagued the Henry family. The hopeless life of the mentally ill in Colonial times is vividly shown, but this novel also adeptly shows something more striking. Indeed, what readers will remember most from this novel is the timeless story of what holds a family together and what tears them apart.

Patsy and Anne both fascinatingly narrate the story. Rinaldi captures Patsy's sense of duty and stability, and convincingly portrays the pressure that she felt from her father to be the "glue" that held the family together. But even as one sympathizes with Patsy's dilemma, they will also feel for Anne. Through her eyes, Rinaldi shows how perhaps the entire Henry family went mad along with their mother and wife. Tensions resulting from secrets and grudges within the family are thoughtfully shown.

"Or Give Me Death" seems even more impressive when Rinaldi says in her author's note that although the entire story is not true, there are powerful "threads" of truth in it-enough truth that Rinaldi's interpretation could seem quite probable.

It is refreshing to find a new angle in the life of an almost-tired historical figure. "Or Give Me Death" generally makes this new view into the life of Patrick Henry's family a riveting one and one that is also filled with deftly included pieces of colonial history. Other than the seeming improbability of Sarah Henry's ability to predict the future, "Or Give Me Death" will please fans of historical fiction who want in a glimpse into a lesser-known chapter of history.

Or Give Me Death...Awesome
Or Give Me Death is an awesome book. It gives you the perspective of Patrick Henry's two daughters, Patsy and Anne. They give their opinions on their mother who hs gone crazy and is being kept in the cellar of their home and each other. Patsy takes over as "head of the household" when their mother Sarah Henry goes "crazy" and tries to drown her son Edward. She gains an overwhelming amount of power very quickly. Patsy feels Anne has been turned against her and when she realizes that one of them might have their mother's madness she becomes very worried. Anne finds out who has inherited it but she doesn't want any of her family members to know who it is. Anne talks about how hard Patsy is on her. All around it is a very interesting book that history lovers and non-history lovers alike will love.