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I didn‘t like this as much as Deacon King Kong and Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, but it was still good and definitely has some of the funny tongue in cheek satire you‘d expect from McBride. It‘s a low pick for me. DKK is my fave by him.

In this broadly comic account of a tragic story, an enslaved 12-year-old boy is freed by John Brown, mistaken for a girl, and spends the next few years enmeshed in Brown's plans for an uprising to end slavery. Henry, aka Onion, is focused mainly on his own survival and definitely not on heroism. By the inevitable end, his attachment to Brown gives emotional resonance to a death that forced a nation to face its sins.

Very good! This writer is amazing, and again this book doesn‘t disappoint

I loved Deacon King Kong, so I added this one to my book stacks soon after I read Deacon. I loved many things about this book, and McBride's humor is on point. I found, though, that it tended to drag on and become tedious for long sections of the narrative. While I can appreciate his skill and his irreverent humor, it was a less-could-have-been-more situation for me. This was my July #Doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

3⭐️ Really liked the overall story, but felt that it could have used some more editing. I can see why the book won the #nationalbookaward, but felt it was slow in a number of places and it felt at times like the author was trying too hard to make the story more compelling. #2022 #fallreads #fiction #historicalfiction #bookreview #bookstagram #americancivilwar

I really enjoyed this novel that made me discover John Brown, and his fight for the abolition of slavery.
I loved the narrator, Onion, who recounts his time in John Brown's army with a truth-revealing sense of humor.

You can‘t lose with McBride and this lively tale of John Brown‘s wild life is worth picking up.

You can‘t lose with McBride and this lively tale of John Brown‘s wild life is worth picking up.

Finished listening to this one yesterday. I don‘t think I‘ve ever managed to laugh during a book about this time period but it certainly was an interesting, comic voice.

I didn‘t realize there was a movie based on the book now so might have to try to see that too.

I didn't expect this book to be such a lark and a wonderful romp. Pleasantly surprised at how this subject was tackled by the author.

❤️

I loan this out to family so I do not have a real book picture ☹️📚. But this was great! I am going to have to see if I can find the show that everyone is talking about on Showtime and look up more about John Brown.

McBride tells the tragi-comic story of John Brown's abolitionist crusade through the eyes of Onion, a young Black boy posing as a girl. McBride shows Brown in his complexity: idiosyncratic, zealous, delusional, courageous, and very much not detail-oriented. It's a coming-of-age story for Onion, who starts out wanting no part of Brown's crusade but ends up acting as bravely as any of Brown's followers.

It really helps to have read a bit about John Brown before reading this, but if you have, it's especially funny. The scenes with Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman are really good.

McBride tells the story of abolitionist John Brown from the perspective of a Black boy--disguised as a girl--named Onion. McBride uses a sly, ironic tone to portray Brown as idiosyncratic, lucky, and obsessive, rather than a strategic mastermind.

After reading Deacon King Kong (which I loved!) I set out to read McBride‘s backlist list of fiction. There were parts of GLB that I loved, but I found the voice in Deacon more mature.

Henry Shackleton is “freed” by John Brown. Mistaken as a a girl, and known as Onion, he accompanies Brown and his sons from early raids to Harpers Ferry. At the end Henry understands his mission “weren‘t no lunacy.”

“Blow ye trumpet blow”

I read a review in the New Yorker about the new Showtime series with Ethan Hawke playing abolitionist John Brown. The review mentioned the playfulness of the book and the interesting POV, and that was spot on. It depicts a gory time in American history but the novel was never glorifying the violence and instead pointed to the absurdity and mundaneness of it all. This was my first James McBride book but not my last. I loved his tone & language.

Here‘s my #novemberwrapup. What a great reading month. 7 audio books, 2 physical books. Tagged book was my favorite and I just started watching the Showtime series. If it wasn‘t for audio books I would never have gotten through these two mammoth classic tomes. So so good!

This is very good! I want to watch the tv show. Has anyone seen it yet?

Thought this was a great historical fiction look at slave rebellion leader, John Brown. Looking forward to catching up on the new tv series now! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It took me awhile to get into this one. Long past Nancy Pearl‘s Rule of 50. And had I not read and loved Deacon King Kong first, this might have been a DNF. But I stuck with it and now I‘m IN. Looking forward to the Showtime adaptation on 10/4.

This was a little slow at times, but I loved the parts where it did pick up and loved hearing this take on history.

Two more weeks of summer and it‘s not terribly humid out! A book goes even better with wine!

New library book!

I loved this book! I was hesitant to read it because it's way outside of my normal reading genre, but I'm so glad I did. It blew me away. Definitely will be picking up more historical fiction and expanding my reading habits.

My biweekly trip out today for groceries and decided to go to the Dollar Tree. I found these two books there and grabbed them. Happy reading as I have read the one by James McBride. But I love Fixer Upper and Clint so I am anxious to read that book.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ This is the story of John Brown‘s raid on Harper‘s Ferry, an important historical event that helped set off the Civil War. Despite being about such a fascinating topic and the interesting character of John Brown, this book was a bit boring at times. I read this for the #ToB ‘s winners tournament later this year. While it wasn‘t my absolute favorite, I am still glad I read it and am looking forward to reading more from McBride.

In this book, a young, orphaned slave recounts his time at the side of American vigilante-abolitionist John Brown. For some reason, the young narrator pretends to be a girl throughout. The tone, especially with the narration on the audiobook, is a bit of a farce on the stereotype of the black slave. It also calls into question how history is told: was John Brown a genuine fighter for human dignity and justice or was he a maniacal terrorist? 👇🏻

Rollicking tale of Henry (a.k.a. "Onion), a young boy born a slave who joins John Brown‘s antislavery crusade — and who must pass as a girl to survive the attack on Harper's Ferry. Written in a first-person narrative from Henry's point of view, the dialogue and the language are first-rate. A wonderful mixture of history and imagination, I was amused, entertained and educated.

Halfway through . . . And this book has been mind-numbingly repetitive.
But, enter Frederick Douglass! Things are finally getting a little more interesting.

CURRENTLY READING

Imaginative history, slapstick comedy, rip-roaring adventure, exploration of race and identity, delivered in Twain-like tones. On the eve of Civil War, young slave Little Onion and abolitionist John Brown meet and, before one can murmur Huckleberry Finn, they‘re on the run, careening toward calamity at Harper‘s Ferry. The book doesn‘t resolve confusion re: Brown, but Little Onion‘s narrative voice gives the abolitionist flesh and blood humanity.

One of my favorite book stores. Eugene, OR. Tsunami Books. I always visit, peruse, and buy a book when I come to town.

Finished this while grocery shopping this morning. McBride is a fantastic story teller and I loved the idea of this story. I didn‘t love the story though. I think what bothered me the most was what felt like the over use of the N-word. I understand that for the time the story was set in that was an incredibly common word and I try to adjust my brain to that there was A LOT of that word in this book. Maybe if I‘d read instead of listened? 👇🏼

I‘m enjoying the story but I have an issue. The N word is used so frequently in this story. I know the setting is a place and time when it was used without regard and that the story is about a black man in that time. When I‘m reading a physical book I‘m able to skip over the word but with an audio it‘s there loud and clear and there is no avoiding it. I hate that word so much. Aside from that McBride is a fantastic writer and storyteller.

Starting this today. Just a few minutes in and I‘m liking it. This is the first I‘ve gotten to get at a book since the few minutes Saturday.
This is my first book for #blackhistorymonth as well. This year I‘m once again reading books by black authors or about the black culture or community. I do this for 2 reasons. 1) to better educate myself and 2) to expose myself to different cultures and authors

It's safely home @DarcysMom . Reading the commentary from all of you is so interesting! Thanks for such diverse and engaging reading. #LMPBC @suvata @Hooked_on_books

🌟🌟🌟🌟
#LMBPC
@cathysaid @Hooked_on_books @suvata

This book is terrific! Narrated by Henry/Onion, a boy liberated from slavery, it tells the story of the exploits of John Brown, a white abolitionist who fought to free slaves. Using good humor and great phrasing, McBride tells a compelling, inspiring, sad story. I‘ll definitely be reading this author again. #LMPBC

Barely out of my driveway and the audiobook is scratched. #fail #audiobook #roadtripreading

My next book for #LMPBC round 2 has arrived! I‘m excited that we all chose such different books. I really enjoyed the first two and look forward to this one.

On its way to you, @Hooked_on_books

Litsy Markup Postal Book Club
#LMPBC Round 002 - Group G:
@suvata @Hooked_on_books @DarcysMom @cathysaid

A historically fictional account of John Brown‘s attempt to start a slave revolt by raiding the Harpers Ferry Armory in 1859. This is one of those books that just gets better and better as it goes on.

Read as part of Litsy Markup Postal Book Club #LMPBC Round 2 Group G.
 @Hooked_on_books @DarcysMom @cathysaid

#LMPBC Round 002 - Group G
@suvata @Hooked_on_books @DarcysMom @cathysaid

Starting the second book. So far, I‘m loving it.

My April 2018 reading commitments.

My #LMPBC is coming your way @suvata ! Mailing tomorrow 📚

Looking forward to the book headed to my mailbox! @DarcysMom @Hooked_on_books

Just checking in! #LMPBC @Hooked_on_books @suvata @DarcysMom

Starting to enjoy this one!

#LMPBC @suvata @DarcysMom @Hooked_on_books

Spoken by Henry (also mistaken as Henrietta) shortly after being abducted by the abolitionist John Brown near the beginning of the book. #Silence was probably the wisest choice at that moment. 🤐

Just started this book for #LMPBC and so far, it's certainly entertaining! @suvata @DarcysMom @Hooked_on_books

#MagicalMarch

This book really toes the line between masterful satire and WHAT THE HELL. I laughed out loud many times and other times I nearly gasped at what could be read as the trivialization of slavery (!!). Ultimately I think McBride accomplished what he set out to do, and I found the story gripping and entertaining. Definitely wouldn‘t recommend this one to everybody though. Know thyself (which also may well be the core message of The Good Lord Bird).