From the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Lord Bird, winner of the 2013 National Book Award for Fiction, Deacon King Kong, Five-Carat Soul, and Kill 'Em and Leave, a James Brown biography. In the days before the Civil War, a runaway slave named Liz Spocott breaks free from her captors and escapes into the labyrinthine swamps of Maryland’s eastern shore, setting loose a drama of violence and hope among slave catchers, plantation owners, watermen, runaway slaves, and free blacks. Liz is near death, wracked by disturbing visions of the future, and armed with “the Code,” a fiercely guarded cryptic means of communication for slaves on the run. Liz’s flight and her dreams of tomorrow will thrust all those near her toward a mysterious, redemptive fate. Filled with rich, true details—much of the story is drawn from historical events—and told in McBride’s signature lyrical style, Song Yet Sung is a story of tragic triumph, violent decisions, and unexpected kindness.
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"This was an amazing story and I loved the different twists and turns of the plot. I listened to it and was absolutely transfixed. I found myself not wanting to get out of the car when I reached by destination. I learned a wonderful new array of Chesapeake Bay curses, oathes, and colloquialisms. Leslie Uggams did a fantastic job of reading and kept me hanging on her every word." — Belinda (4 out of 5 stars)
"This was an amazing story and I loved the different twists and turns of the plot. I listened to it and was absolutely transfixed. I found myself not wanting to get out of the car when I reached by destination. I learned a wonderful new array of Chesapeake Bay curses, oathes, and colloquialisms. Leslie Uggams did a fantastic job of reading and kept me hanging on her every word."
" I liked this book because the author is confident enough with his story line that "good and evil" are not a racial issue. It is a book about a time in history when one man sets out to right what he perceives to be a great wrong. It is his struggle to know who he is and how he will go about discovering the secrets of "self"and comes to terms with it. "
" newest from James McBride...we'll see how it goes "
" I really enjoyed this book - it reminded me a bit of The Chaneysville Incident but not quite so complex. Well written. "
" I was impressed by this one. It is an interesting story of the underground railroad that is loosely based on the life of Harriet Tubman. "
" This is our next bookclub selection. I haven't started reading it yet... "
" Riveting book, close to a 4 star rating and I learned some new things about the era as well. Of course, it is not a fun read, but very interesting. "
" Really enjoyed this book. Everything was so visual. Pretty interesting ending also. "
" Read this one for my book club. It's an Underground Railway story that has a great connection to the future. This was an easy to read page-turner. It's a story of good overcoming evil. I highly recommend it! "
" Not only well written but a beautiful story of the Underground Railroad on Marylands eastern shore. All time favorite! "
" wonderful writing but I am not sure how I feel about all the references to the future. "
" This book caught my attention recently, after visiting the underground railroad museum.I'm glad I picked it up! I enjoyed the creativity with the Dreamer's character the most. "
" One of my all time favorite books ever - it was on the 2009 vacation reading list. "
" An intriguing historic romantic adventure through a slave driven U.S. that covers the difficult decisions between freedom, loyalty, and love. "
" The author did a great job winding together the stories for each of the characters. It was interesting to read a story about my area and what it may have been like in that timeframe. All and all a good read. "
" This is an amazing book! There are so many valuable life lessons tied into an excellent story that keeps the reader engaged and thinking the entire time. "
" The best book I've read in a while. I hadn't read a fictionalized account of the underground railroad before...it was fascinating. "
" There wasn't enough character exploration in here to me. It could've been a great book, but there wasn't enough room to really open it up and get to the meat of it without it being 500 pages long. "
" This was such a lyrical book. I hate when young children are put in peril but glad that this plot point was resolved in the way that it was. Another book that amazes me with the power of people to overcome their circumstances. "
" good story and, from what I could tell, historical accuracy. "
" This was a great book. I want to go read his others. Interesting book about slaves in the Underground Railroad trying to leave Maryland. "
" This was a very engaging and descriptive book. I enjoyed McBride's writing style and the characters. There were many characters, but they all were connected and played interesting roles in the story. "
" Powerful. Plunked you right down in the era and washed over you with emotion. "
" Gripping plot, beautiful intense description of a section of the Chesapeake area. The main character was inspired by Harriet Tubman. Provocative issues around human evil/good. "
" A fictional story of runaways and slave catchers on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. A quick read. "
" A bit disappointed with the violent end to some key characters but still a very good book. "
" Set in slavery during the secret one-by-one revolution, featuring one psychic escapee. I often read books I can learn from. This fits that category. Very interesting. "
" Even better on CD. Love it. "
" One of the best books I've read it a long time! "
" It was a good story, but I had to take away a star for all the crap about "real men." And something else bothered me about it too, but I haven't put my finger on it yet. "
" This was one of the best books I've read set on my home turf (Maryland's Eastern Shore). "
" Categorized as historical fiction, but lost me as a reader towards the end of the book. I gave it 3 stars because the ending was unbelievable. The ending played like a B rated action movie. "
James McBride is the author of several books, including the New York Times bestseller and Oprah’s Book Club selection Deacon King Kong and the National Book Award–winning The Good Lord Bird. He is a recipient of a National Humanities Medal as well as an accomplished musician and a distinguished writer in residence at New York University.
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