The book claimed by some to lay the groundwork for the Civil War. A heart-wrenching story about the evils of slavery and how it not only affected the slaves in terrible ways but corrupted and twisted the hearts of the owners. The portrayal of the lives of the characters, Uncle Tom especially, are overall believable, and very inspiring. This book also shows the struggles Christians of the time went through in deciding to obey God rather than man. What do you do when injustice is the law of the land? There are some sweeping generalities and portrayals of the time but overall a very thought provoking book. In the conclusion, the author asks this question. Is man ever a creature to be trusted with wholly irresponsible power? I think we all know the answer to that. Illustrated, with a collection of illustrations from different artists.