The Good Lord Bird (tv Tie-in)

(Paperback, Media tie-in)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

The National Book Award-winning modern classic from James McBride, the tragic, funny story of a boy who joins John Brown's antislavery crusade - and passes as a girl to survive. The tie-in edition to Showtime's eight-part TV series starring Ethan Hawke and Daveed Diggs, which premieres in spring 2020. 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.

Reviews

Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction

Winner of the Morning News Tournament of Books

"A brilliant romp of a novelMcBridepulls 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 Americas 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.SalonBoth 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 Birdis 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

Author Bio

James McBrideis an accomplished musician and author of the National Book AwardwinningThe Good Lord Bird, the #1 bestselling American classicThe Color of Water, and the bestsellersSong Yet SungandMiracle at St. Anna. He is also the author ofKill Em and Leave, a James Brown biography. A recipient of the National Humanities Medal in 2016, McBride is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University.