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 … 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.
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James McBride’s The Good Lord Bird is a boisterous novel about abolitionist John Brown. The story begins in 1855.
Henry Shaekleford, 11, is a slave living in Kansas Territory when John Brown arrives in Henry father’s shop. Henry is wearing what many black children wore in those days, a potato sack. A violent fight ensues between John Brown and Henry’s master. John Brown, believing Henry is a girl and in danger, “frees” the young slave by taking the boy with him.
As time goes on, Henry, whom John Brown nicknames “Onion,” finds that pretending to be a girl is to his advantage. He becomes a member of Brown’s army as the renegade band of freedom warriors traverse the country, raising arms and ammunition for their battle against slavery. Onion is with John Brown and his army of volunteers when they fight for their cause in what becomes known as the Bleeding Kansas crisis of 1856. There were many other smaller skirmishers before the raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. Brown’s intention was to initiate a slave revolt by taking over a United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Onion is with the group every step of the way, fearful, yet with courage and ingenuity is faithful to John Brown.
The Good Lord Bird was published in 2013. Although this is a work of fiction, the facts are based on actual people and incidents. The vivid language and colorful descriptions are often raw, but believable. The author James McBride is black, but in reading this book, I wondered if the author were white that the book would have been criticized for what now is considered insulting language and insinuations.
The interesting title of the book is characterized by a now extinct ivory-billed woodpecker, the “Good Lord Bird,” a large bird whose feathers were considered good luck. The bird’s persona plays a part throughout the book.
I enjoyed this novel. In researching the facts surrounding John Brown, I found truth in the book’s message. It’s a story of courage and faith, and of trying to right a terrible wrong.
This historical novel is about John Brown’s raid at Harper’s Ferry, which ignited the Civil War. McBride is a master of maintaining colorful dialog and realistic detail throughout this book. The characters are vividly cut, especially the fanatical Capt. Brown. It’s easy to see the parallels between what happened then and what’s tearing our country apart now.
Fictional character cleverly woven into actual events.
An easy read.
An interesting part of history, especially because I’ve been to Harper’s Ferry.
Hard to imagine this book about a pre-Civil War character and gruesome events could be so engrossing and FUNNY. I dog-eared every page where I laughed out loud and the book was twice as thick when I finished. Not a surprise it won the National Book Award for fiction that year. Outstanding!
This is the 3rd book I have read by this author and I have enjoyed all of them. It was interesting take on a historical event and character.
As thought provoking as it is entertaining. Worth reading!
Loved the characters, especially Onion.
This historical novel portrays the reality of the Civil War period in American history. It sheds a new light on John Brown and his struggle for the anti-slavery cause and the effects this struggle had on his family life.
I loved this book. The characters and story jumped off the page to come alive. The writing was lyrical and engaging. I plan to read everything this author has written. I don’t often feel that way even when I love an individual book. Definitely put this title on your list.
a sensational story, well-constructed and plotted about a young black boy masquerading as a girl kidnapped into the company of John Brown’s king of kings army fighting pro-slavery forces on a path from Kansas to Harper’s Ferry.. Told from the boy’s perspective, “Onion” as he is called by Brown, he becomes a good-luck token to Brown. The machinations the boy must engage in to endure the army’s cross-county path is a personal account of the guile required to survive the larger experience of slave life in the clutches of anti-slavery religious zealotry.
I loved this book. This is storytelling perfection!