The Good Lord Bird - James McBride

[753C]

The rollicking and hilarious account of Henry Shackleford, a black slave boy in Kansas, "freed" from slavery by John Brown in a shootout that leaves his father dead. John Brown mistakes him for a girl because of a sackloth garment he is wearing at the time, and the boy decides for various reasons to grudgingly keep up the charade.
The story is recounted by the boy, and McBride uses his matter of fact, yet innocent voice to paint an interesting portrait of one of this country's most controversial figures in the abolitionist movement. Brown is a religious zealot who feels he is God's instrument (Sword) in the cause of freeing blacks from bondage. He is that most dangerous sort of man who feels that any level of violence that he perpetrates against his enemies is sanctioned by The Almighty. Slave State supporters in Kansas and Missouri fear him as an almost mythological being. He dubs the boy "Little Onion" and claims him as his good luck charm. Together with Brown's ragtag army they travel from Kansas to New York, to Canada, and then on to that fateful destination at Harper's Ferry.
Laugh out loud funny, interesting, and suspenseful. A great read.

 

[Reads to Sleep]

The rollicking and hilarious account of Henry Shackleford, a black slave boy in Kansas, "freed" from slavery by John Brown in a shootout that leaves his father dead. John Brown mistakes him for a girl because of a sackloth garment he is wearing at the time, and the boy decides for various reasons to grudgingly keep up the charade.
The story is recounted by the boy, and McBride uses his matter of fact, yet innocent voice to paint an interesting portrait of one of this country's most controversial figures in the abolitionist movement. Brown is a religious zealot who feels he is God's instrument (Sword) in the cause of freeing blacks from bondage. He is that most dangerous sort of man who feels that any level of violence that he perpetrates against his enemies is sanctioned by The Almighty. Slave State supporters in Kansas and Missouri fear him as an almost mythological being. He dubs the boy "Little Onion" and claims him as his good luck charm. Together with Brown's ragtag army they travel from Kansas to New York, to Canada, and then on to that fateful destination at Harper's Ferry.
Laugh out loud funny, interesting, and suspenseful. A great read.

753C, I totally agree. I never would have guessed a book about abolitionist Old John Brown could so heartbreaking, enlightening, and funny, all at the same time. McBride brings Brown and his men to rip snortin' life. And you're right: even though I knew what happens at Harper's Ferry, it's very suspenseful. A fantastic book.

 

[753C]

I googled John Brown out of curiosity and found that this book is being made into a movie starring Liev Schreiber as John Brown. Now if only they could get the Cohen Bros to direct....

 

[Reads to Sleep]

I googled John Brown out of curiosity and found that this book is being made into a movie starring Liev Schreiber as John Brown. Now if only they could get the Cohen Bros to direct....

Yes, the Coen Brothers definitely, but they might have to be the Coen Brothers on something. Just what, I'm not sure.

As for Liev Schreiber as John Brown, he's going to have to get gaunt and obsessed looking.