About this title: A runaway slave and a determined slave catcher become tangled in a web of intrigue and adventure in James McBride's intricately constructed and impressive second novel, set in pre-Civil War Maryland.
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Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Audio CD
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Date Published: 2-5-08
ISBN-13:9780143142911ISBN:0143142917
Description: FINE. Superb, crisp, clean, unabridged, 9-CD set-still in original shrinkwrap with remainder mark-GREAT, gift quality! 0.55 lbs. read more
Description: New. 1594489726 May show signs of shelf wear. Choose EXPEDITED shipping, receive in 2-5 business days. Please email with questions. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Date Published: 2009-01-06
ISBN-13:9781594483509ISBN:1594483507
Description: New. New paperback book with publisher's inventory mark. We ship 6 days a week, generally within 24 hours; single CDs and DVDs upgraded to 1st class! read more
Description: Very good. 2009 Riverhead Books Softcover(Trade PB) Edition. Some wear to cover, creasing to spine, text clean with strong binding. Ships Fast! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover
Date Published: 2008-02-05
ISBN-13:9781594489723ISBN:1594489726
Description: Very Good in Like New jacket. Ex-library has clear mylar cover and usual library markings. Pages are clean and in excellent condition. Free Tracking information available. read more
Description: Good. Ships from the UK. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Your purchase also supports literacy charities. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: HODDER & STOUGHTON GENERAL DIVISION Country = UNITED KINGDOM
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780340976432ISBN:0340976438
Description: BRAND NEW PAPERBACK. 368 pages. From the new york times bestselling author of the color of water, this is a powerful page-turning novel of a runaway slave. (Paperback) read more
"It's hard not to be interested in the characters the author creates, or what turns out to be the message(s) of the book at the end. But man, it is a long road to get there!
I think the best part of the book is it's magical, mystical feel. History to me feels like that when a good writer writes it, and fiction, I believe, should always have magic in it somehow. Otherwise, why are we reading? From the characters to the setting to the plot... everything was magical in a way that felt real, not Disney. The author's writing is truly very good.
Now, to what annoyed me, and took this from a possible 5 star to a 4 star. I hated the lack of quotations. I can't ever help but think authors are trying to be, in a fake, insincere way, innovative when they try to invent new ways to do dialogue. Why do we need to invent a new way!? Why can't we just use the old established way!? I think the worst part about this is that it takes so long to get used to. I found myself not wanting to read because I was like, oh my goodness, I have to get used to this every time I pick up the book. It was really distracting. There's no reason to reinvent the wheel when it works just fine.
That said, the book was dense in a way that scared me (I was praying not to have a male Toni Morrison on my hands) but by the end I really appreciated the book as a whole. It might take you awhile, but don't fear--read it."
"This is the One Maryland One Book library selection for this fall. After I found it, I realized I had read this author before--The Color of Water.
This book is set on Maryland's Eastern Shore in the 1850's. The characters are escaped slaves, free blacks, slave owners, slave catchers, watermen. I want to go wander around the places described in the book. I especially want to visit the birthplace of Harriet Tubman, near Cambridge, MD.
Liz, the Dreamer says to Amber, "You love the North. You love a place. There ain't nothing there to love. Not today. Not tomorrow. I seen it already, seen the colored up there, in their tomorrows. You know what's up there? Colored men walking round free as birds. They don't love their women. They don't love their children. They love horseless carriages. And money. And boxes of candy. Clothing. Long cigarettes. And chains. Chains of gold. They cry for their chains. They even kill for them. Ain't nothing they wouldn't do for them. I don't think you're that kind of man." Amber replies, "You the oddest woman I ever met in my life." page 158"
"This is the 2009 One Maryland One Book selection, so we had tons of copies to give out at our library. I picked one up and am so glad I did. Other OMOB selections in the past have not caught my attention like this one.
"Song Yet Sung" tells the story of Liz Spocott, a runaway slave, who life creates a ripple effect through the Eastern Shore. The characters Liz encounters are well-crafted: the legitimate slave catcher, the Gimp; the criminal slave catcher, Patty Cannon, and her gang; the slave who longs to be free, Amber; the legendary wildman, the Woolman; and the slaves and freemen who work to protect the Code. Although Liz is the central character in the story, her story is not the only one told.
The story takes place on Maryland's Eastern Shore in the years leading up to the Civil War, sometime in the 1850's. Although McBride references many local towns, rivers, and bodies of water, one does not need to be an expert on the area to really enjoy the book. (Plus, some of those regional names have changed through time.) I'm still fairly new to the Shore, but I was familiar enough with several of the places mentioned in the book, making it neat to read about places I know.
Maryland's Eastern Shore has quite the history regarding slaves. Since Maryland is so close to the free state Pennsylvania, many runaways traveled through the shore. Harriet Tubman, perhaps the inspiration for Liz, was born in Dorchester County and helped runaways from the Eastern Shore reach freedom. Frederick Douglass was born in Talbot County and lived on the Eastern Shore until his escape to freedom. Unfortunately, Patty Cannon was a real person on the Eastern Shore who ran a gang of both white criminals and black men (often used as decoys). She claimed to be a legitimate slave catcher, but she often kidnapped free blacks and sold them to slave traders."
"McBride is a beautiful writer and storyteller. From the beginning, his writing pulled me into the story and took me all the way to the end. In fact, it didn't take me very long to read it, at all. I really fell in love w/ McBride's writing when I read The Color of Water, so it was no big leap to guess that I'd enjoy this book. I'm now really craving to learn more about the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman - upon whom McBride based his main character Liz Spocott.
I found it fascinating to view modern-day African American society through the eyes of a colonial slave, ultimately coming from McBride himself. He asks African Americans today to question how tied they are to their past, but what I really appreciated was that I felt his question was universal - not tied specifically to race. I was forced to ask myself how much I have taken for granted about the sacrifices that my ancestors made to get me to where I am today. Lots of good things to discuss in a book club or other discussion group."
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