Historical Fiction · WarmAn enslaved boy in 1856 Kansas is mistaken for a girl by abolitionist John Brown and rides with him
The Good Lord Bird
An enslaved boy is taken for a girl by John Brown and rides with his band toward Harpers Ferry
In 1856, in the Kansas Territory, Henry Shackleford is an enslaved boy whose father has just died in a clash between antislavery and proslavery forces. The abolitionist John Brown mistakes Henry for a girl, nicknames him Onion, and takes him along. Henry stays with Brown and his followers as they travel toward Harpers Ferry. The story is told in Henry's own voice, as if it were a memoir someone had found.
More about this book
Who
Henry Shackleford, called Onion, who is enslaved, and the abolitionist John Brown.
World
The Kansas Territory in 1856 and the road toward Harpers Ferry.
What makes it different
It is told as a recovered memoir, in a voice full of humor. McBride was fascinated by John Brown from childhood, when his father kept a photograph of him, and researched the book in the late 2000s.
Feel
Funny and adventurous. It won the 2013 National Book Award for Fiction and was made into a Showtime series in 2020 with Ethan Hawke.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Behind the book
McBride was fascinated by John Brown from childhood, because his father kept a photograph of Brown. He researched the book in the late 2000s.
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
- The Good Lord BirdWikipedia