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Loading... The Good Lord Bird (2013)by James McBride
  
Top Five Books of 2014 (101) » 14 more Books Read in 2014 (135) Top Five Books of 2020 (635) Historical Fiction (451) Books Read in 2020 (1,424) Animals in the Title (114) No current Talk conversations about this book.  Jonathan5 | Feb 20, 2023 |  Alternate history of John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry in 1859 told from the perspective of a fictional young survivor, Henry Shackleford, nicknamed Onion. Three years earlier, at age eleven, he reluctantly joins Brown’s radical abolitionist group after his father is killed. Brown initially believes Onion is female, and Onion goes along with the pretense in deference to Brown’s authority. Onion becomes the “Forrest Gump” of the antebellum, meeting such notables as Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. McBride portrays Brown as a little off kilter, displaying the intensity of a religious zealot, while not quite realizing his goal is beyond his grasp. He is prone to lengthy impromptu prayers and rambling lectures. It is surprisingly humorous – a satirical adventure that does not always adhere to the historic record. Onion accompanies Brown on his journey through Kansas, New York, Canada, and Virginia, camping out and, at one point, being housed (as a servant) in a brothel. There are many colorful characters. It is a clever conceit – Henry’s narrates his interactions with Brown looking back from many years in the future. It is written in a moderately anti-grammatical dialect, as if Henry is talking to the reader “country style.” This is not my preference, but I think it was necessary for a more realistic feeling. I found this novel is a unique interpretation of the many hypocrisies of the era. (  ) Castlelass | Oct 30, 2022 | I admired many things about this book, including the crackling, hilarious, inventive dialogue. But I found it tonally incoherent, unable to decide if it was farce, satire, or homage to John Brown. I wonder if reading it--rather than listening to the audiobook, like I did--would have resulted in a better experience of the text. ( ) jalbacutler | Mar 19, 2022 | 3.5 stars. I did not finish this, because it simply wasn’t my cup of tea. The strong narrative voice is funny and captivating and I read the first 1/3 pretty fast. It’s a page turner for sure. But I got bored by the violence and sort of meandering story. It felt historically accurate to some degree (what do I really know, tho), but at the same time a bit too zany to be realistic. Nevertheless, I heartily recommend it if you’re in the mood for comedic, candidly brutal, historical fiction. (  ) invisiblecityzen | Mar 13, 2022 | 3.5 stars. I did not finish this, because it simply wasn’t my cup of tea. The strong narrative voice is funny and captivating and I read the first 1/3 pretty fast. It’s a page turner for sure. But I got bored by the violence and sort of meandering story. It felt historically accurate to some degree (what do I really know, tho), but at the same time a bit too zany to be realistic. Nevertheless, I heartily recommend it if you’re in the mood for comedic, candidly brutal, historical fiction. ( ) invisiblecityzen | Mar 13, 2022 |
 The book appears to be very random, as though the author and his editor had failed to spot that there are a troublesome number of repetitions and inconsistencies. Brown’s endless praying seems to be a comedic line that McBride has overinvested in.... McBride’s other running joke is that most of the slaves have not the slightest interest in being liberated.... Onion, although occupying hundreds of pages, is never interesting or even fully realised.... After the inevitable tragedy of Harper’s Ferry..., Onion finds his way to Philadelphia and freedom. Unexpectedly, this final section of the book really takes wing and almost redeems what I think is a missed opportunity.  ...unpretentious, very funny, and totally endearing.... Still, any comic novel about such a calamitous time is a daring conceit, which in the wrong hands could go painfully wrong. McBride’s America feels huge, chaotic, and very much in formation.... Comparisons to Twain are inevitable, particularly given McBride’s use of vernacular.... But the raucous joy of traveling with Brown and his army also recalls Chaucer and Boccaccio. Brown may not be a polished hero, but he’s certainly an entertaining one, particularly with his band of not-so-merry men and one spunky, cross-dressing kid in tow. This is a story that popular culture doesn't often visit, and it takes a daring writer to tackle a decidedly unflattering pre-Civil War story. Yet, in McBride's capable hands, the indelicate matter of a befuddled tween from the mid-19th century provides a new perspective on one of the most decisive periods in the history of this country. In McBride’s version of events, John Brown’s body doesn’t lie a-mouldering in the grave—he’s alive and vigorous and fanatical and doomed, so one could say his soul does indeed go marching on.... McBride presents an interesting experiment in point of view here, as all of Brown’s activities are filtered through the eyes of a young adolescent who wavers between innocence and cynicism. There is something deeply humane in this, something akin to the work of Homer or Mark Twain. We tend to forget that history is all too often made by fallible beings who make mistakes, calculate badly, love blindly and want too much. We forget, too, that real life presents utterly human heroes with far more contingency than history books can offer. McBride’s Little Onion — a sparkling narrator who is sure to win new life on the silver screen — leads us through history’s dark corridors, suggesting that “truths” may actually lie elsewhere.
Henry Shackleford is a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1857, when the region is a battleground between anti- and pro-slavery forces. When John Brown, the legendary abolitionist, arrives in the area, an argument between Brown and Henry's master quickly turns violent. Henry is forced to leave town with Brown, who believes he's a girl. Over the ensuing months, Henry, whom Brown nicknames Little Onion, conceals his true identity as he struggles to stay alive. No library descriptions found. |
LibraryThing Early Reviewers AlumJames McBride's book The Good Lord Bird was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.  Popular covers
 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6 — Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.91)
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Wikipedia in English (1)
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Having loved his most recent book, Deacon King Kong, I anticipated another great story though in this case, the protagonist isn't fictional. Set during the years prior to the Civil War, John Brown's preacher-like devotion to the Lord is borderline insane. Stumbling upon a young black girl he nicknames Onion he ignores the fact she is actually a 'he' and becomes the child's mentor. With the Captain's goal to abolish slavery he gathers his sons in Iowa and concocts a complex scheme to free slaves. Using Onion as the Negro spokesperson to 'hive the bees', he leverages long standing friendships with folks in the East, some of which are black. McBride's skill at engaging the reader with action, missteps and humor is unique as are the characters he chooses. In many ways, Brown's 'insanity' and unrelenting commitment to his goal bears similarity to Don Quixote with Onion as his Sancho. In case you wonder what the title refers to, he withholds the meaning until the very last paragraph though there are hints throughout the story. Highly recommended, its especially valid in the divided times of today. And for those with Showtime, you'll be happy to know the series follows the book closely. (