James McBride

"Henry Shackleford is a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1857, when 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's a girl. Over the ensuing months, Henry, whom Brown nicknames Little Onion, conceals his true identity as he...

Who is Ruth McBride Jordan? A self-declared "light-skinned" woman evasive about her ethnicity, yet steadfast in her love for her twelve children. James McBride, journalist, musician and son, explores his mother's past, as well as his own upbringing and heritage, in a poignant and powerful memoir. This volume is the autobiography of the author, first published in 1995; it is also a tribute to his mother. The chapters alternate between the author's...

"Exciting new fiction from James McBride, the first since his National Book Award-winning novel The Good Lord Bird. The stories in Five-Carat Soul--none of them ever published before--spring from the place where identity, humanity, and history converge. They're funny and poignant, insightful and unpredictable, imaginative and authentic--all told with McBride's unrivaled storytelling skill and meticulous eye for character and detail. McBride explores...

"A product of the complicated history of the American South, James Brown was a cultural shape-shifter who arguably had the greatest influence of any artist on American popular music. Brown was long a figure of fascination for James McBride, a noted professional musician as well as a writer. When he received a tip that promised to uncover the man behind the myth, McBride set off to follow a trail to better understand the personal, musical, and societal...

"Everything an aspiring memoirist needs to know, in one readable volume, a follow-up to the acclaimed writers' handbook Why We Write For the many amateurs and professionals who write about themselves--bloggers, journal-keepers, aspiring essayists, and memoirists--this book offers inspiration, encouragement, and pithy, practical advice. Twenty of America's bestselling memoirists share their innermost thoughts and hard-earned tips with veteran author...

The latest in Spike Lee's Chronicles of Brooklyn series, RED HOOK SUMMER tells the story of Flik Royale, a young boy from Atlanta who has come to spend the summer with his religious grandfather, Bishop Enoch Rouse, in the housing projects of Red Hook. Between his grandfather's preaching and the culture shock of city life, Flik's summer appears to be a total disaster, until he meets Chazz Morningstar, a girl his age, who shows Flik the brighter side...

Readings of excerpts from and critical analysis of Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, a novel about four mothers, four daughters, and four families whose paths cross in 1949 in San Francisco as four Chinese women begin meeting to eat dim sum, play mahjong, and talk.