Was the notion of perpetuating that myth, even though this is based on history, ever a concern? This might be considered a variation of the white savior myth, with a hero who’s part lunatic, part uncompromising warrior. I added a comedic flavor to it because it’s easy to laugh through the pain rather than tell somebody, “Here, take your medicine.” You want to create something that’s enjoyable and celebrates the goodness in people. Onion is a created character that allows the viewer and the reader to view John Brown and the beginning of the Civil War with fresh and somewhat innocent eyes. How much of it is fancy and how much is fact?

This is a rollicking chronicle based on real people and actual events. The rest of us have to wait for the subway.Paramount Shake-Up: Showtime Research Guru Kim Lemon Out, Laurel Weir Upped Morrison outgrew the storytelling form that most writers must adhere to. There's no book that better captures the frustrations, hopes, dreams, and disappointments of black American girls. The Week: James McBride's 6 favorite books - ''The Bluest Eye' by Toni Morrison (Vintage, $14). Such is the persona who narrates James McBride's absorbing and darkly funny novel, 'The Good Lord Bird.'' But sometimes history flatters mediocre people - that is, certain members of the fair-to-middling majority who, by happenstance, act bravely. San Francisco Chronicle: 'The Good Lord Bird,' by James McBride - 'We have heard of good people who get swept up in historical circumstances and act badly. His new novel is ' The Good Lord Bird.' From Tom's Reading List James McBride, author, musician, and screenwriter. This hour, On Point: Bestselling author James McBride and his new book, “The Good Lord Bird.” Guest

We see America on the brink of Civil War. In the novel we meet Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. His sidekick, and our narrator, is Henry, although to a mixed up John Brown, it’s Henrietta. He looks at the notorious abolitionist John Brown, a religious zealot set on ending slavery through violent uprising. (James McBride, photo by Chris Messina)Īt the end of a week where civil rights have been on everyone’s mind, we sit down with James McBride, author of “The Color of Water,” to talk about his new novel, “The Good Lord Bird.” We talk to bestselling author James McBride about his new novel “The Good Lord Bird,” on slavery and the abolitionist movement. Facebook Email This article is more than 9 years old.

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