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Look Inside | Reading Guide
Reading Guide
Aug 05, 2014 | ISBN 9781594632785 Buy
Aug 20, 2013 | ISBN 9781594486340 Buy
Aug 20, 2013 | ISBN 9781101616185 Buy
Aug 20, 2013 | 874 Minutes Buy
Buy from Other Retailers:
Aug 05, 2014 | ISBN 9781594632785
Aug 20, 2013 | ISBN 9781594486340
Aug 20, 2013 | ISBN 9781101616185
Aug 20, 2013 | ISBN 9781101620991
874 Minutes
Now a Showtime limited series starring Ethan Hawke and Daveed DiggsWinner of the National Book Award for FictionFrom the bestselling author of Deacon King Kong (an Oprah Book Club pick) and The Color of Water comes the story of a young boy born a slave who joins John Brown’s antislavery crusade—and who must pass as a girl to survive.Henry Shackleford is a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1856–a battleground between anti- and pro-slavery forces–when legendary abolitionist John Brown arrives. When an argument between Brown and Henry’s master turns violent, Henry is forced to leave town–along with Brown, who believes Henry to be a girl and his good luck charm.Over the ensuing months, Henry, whom Brown nicknames Little Onion, conceals his true identity to stay alive. Eventually Brown sweeps him into the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859–one of the great catalysts for the Civil War. An absorbing mixture of history and imagination, and told with McBride’s meticulous eye for detail and character, The Good Lord Bird is both a rousing adventure and a moving exploration of identity and survival.
Soon to be a Showtime limited series starring Ethan Hawke and Daveed Diggs Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction From the bestselling author of Deacon King Kong (an Oprah Book Club pick) and The Color of Water comes the story of a young boy born a slave who joins John Brown’s antislavery crusade—and who must pass as a girl to survive. Henry Shackleford is a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1856–a battleground between anti- and pro-slavery forces–when legendary abolitionist John Brown arrives. When an argument between Brown and Henry’s master turns violent, Henry is forced to leave town–along with Brown, who believes Henry to be a girl and his good luck charm. Over the ensuing months, Henry, whom Brown nicknames Little Onion, conceals his true identity to stay alive. Eventually Brown sweeps him into the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859–one of the great catalysts for the Civil War. An absorbing mixture of history and imagination, and told with McBride’s meticulous eye for detail and character, The Good Lord Bird is both a rousing adventure and a moving exploration of identity and survival.
James McBride is an accomplished musician and author of the National Book Award–winning The Good Lord Bird, the #1 bestselling American classic The Color of Water, and the bestsellers Song Yet Sung and Miracle at St. Anna. He is also the author of Kill ’Em and Leave,… More about James McBride
Winner of the National Book Award for FictionWinner of the Morning News Tournament of Books“A brilliant romp of a novel…McBride…pulls off his portrait masterfully, like a modern-day Mark Twain.” —The New York Times Book Review“You may know the story of John Brown’s unsuccessful raid on Harpers Ferry, but author James McBride’s retelling of the events leading up to it is so imaginative, you’ll race to the finish.”—NPR“A boisterous, highly entertaining, altogether original novel …There is something deeply humane in this [story], something akin to the work of Homer or Mark Twain.” —The Washington Post “Wildly entertaining… a rollicking saga about one of America’s earliest abolitionists.” —People “McBride delivers another tour de force…A fascinating mix of history and mystery.”—Essence“A story that’s difficult to put down.”—Ebony“Outrageously entertaining… rockets toward its inevitable and, yes, knee-slapping conclusion. Never has mayhem been this much of a humdinger.” —USA Today“An impressively deep comedy.”—Salon “Both breezy and sharp, a rare combination outside of Twain. You should absolutely read it.” —New York Magazine“Superbly written….McBride…transcends history and makes it come alive.”—The Chicago Tribune“Absorbing and darkly funny.”—San Francisco Chronicle“An irrepressibly fun read.”—The Seattle Times“The Good Lord Bird is just so brilliant. It had everything I want in a novel and left me feeling both transported and transformed.”—John Green “[McBride’s] effervescent young narrator is pitch-perfect and wholly original.”—Geraldine Brooks
National Book Award WINNER 2013
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