McBride's skill at engaging the reader with action, missteps and humor is unique as are the characters he chooses. Using Onion as the Negro spokesperson to 'hive the bees', he leverages long standing friendships with folks in the East, some of which are black. With the Captain's goal to abolish slavery he gathers his sons in Iowa and concocts a complex scheme to free slaves. Stumbling upon a young black girl he nicknames Onion he ignores the fact she is actually a 'he' and becomes the child's mentor. Set during the years prior to the Civil War, John Brown's preacher-like devotion to the Lord is borderline insane. Having loved his most recent book, Deacon King Kong, I anticipated another great story though in this case, the protagonist isn't fictional. A remarkable tale of an abolitionist that changed everything
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