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The Good Lord Bird

By James McBride
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Brief Description
'Wildly entertaining. A rollicking saga about one of America's earliest abolitionists' People 'Just so brilliant' John Green Henry Shackleford is a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1856. When an argument between Henry's master and legendary abolitionist John Brown turns violent, Henry is forced... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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The National Book Award-winning story of a slave boy who joins an antislavery crusade - and who must pass as a girl to survive. From the internationally bestselling novelist James McBride

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
'Wildly entertaining. A rollicking saga about one of America's earliest abolitionists' People 'Just so brilliant' John Green

Henry Shackleford is a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1856.

When an argument between Henry's master and legendary abolitionist John Brown turns violent, Henry is forced to leave town - along with Brown, who believes Henry to be a girl and his good luck charm.

An absorbing mixture of history and imagination, The Good Lord Bird is both a rousing adventure story and a moving exploration of identity and survival.

WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781399632461

Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 August 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 34.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 332g

Pages: 480

Collections

Fiction General Fiction James McBride Literary Fiction

About the Author

James McBride is the author of the New York Times-bestselling Oprah's Book Club selection Deacon King Kong, the National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird, the million-copy-bestselling memoir The Colour of Water, the novels Song Yet Sung and Miracle at St. Anna, the story collection Five-Carat Soul, and Kill 'Em and Leave, a biography of James Brown. The recipient of a National Humanities Medal and an accomplished musician, McBride is also a distinguished writer in residence at New York University.

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