Why Join?

  • Add New Books

  • Write a Review

  • Backpack Reading Lists

  • Monthly Newsletter

Join Now

The Good Lord Bird

The Good Lord Bird

Author(s): James McBride

Location(s): Boston, Kansas

Era(s): 1850s

Location

Content

Henry Shackleford is a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1857: 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 is a girl.

Over the ensuing months, Henry, whom Brown nicknames Little Onion, conceals his true identity as he struggles to stay alive. Eventually Little Onion finds himself with Brown at the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, which was one of the major 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.

Review this Book

To review this book, please

Log in

Book Reviews

Lead Review

‘A wise, witty take on the frenetic years leading up to the US Civil War… although we know the outcome for Brown and his army, McBride compels us to follow it through to the...

Read review