The Good Lord Bird by James McBride

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I have to admit I was unenthusiastic about reading this book, as it was an assigned book for our son’s 11th grade English class. (Assigned reading is about as appealing to me now as it was when I was in high school.) That being said, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The book takes place during the events leading up to John Brown’s ill-fated raid on Harper’s Ferry. Henry Shackelford, a slave, is mistaken for a girl by John Brown and his army, and it is from Henry’s perspective that we witness the various events leading up to Harper’s Ferry. Topics such as gender roles, slave vs free, abolitionists vs pro-slavers are all deftly explored in a spirit of genuine curiosity and open-mindedness. The author makes no heavy-handed proclamations but weaves the historical events and characters (including visits with Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass) together seamlessly with the protagonist’s personal journey of growth and self-knowledge.
The end is well-known, of course, but the book is filled with depth, emotion, and a love for humanity that makes it well worth the read.



View all my reviews