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giraffespotter's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There was symbology in how religious John Brown the Old Man was, the titular good Lord bird, and General Tubman's scarf.
I am confused about it a few historical points. For one, what I don't know if it was made up in the beginning that there was a person in this church who wrote the old story and who seemed like he was either a man or a woman. I think it was just a plot device. I also want to check to see if Frederick Douglas was a hypocrite who only spoke out about slavery and didn't take action.
My favorite part was that John Brown's rated on Harpers ferry that helped spark the civil war is geographically close to where I grew up, so after Kansas and Connecticut and other travels, Onion, the narrator, described places that I am familiar with. The saddest part in the book was when young Frederick (not Frederick Douglass), one of the Old Man's sons accidentally shot a Good Lord bird. Frederick reminded me of the simple character in *Of Mice and Men*.
Another quirk in the storytelling was that Onion would finish talking about one character, and then spoil things by saying things like "that was the last I ever seen of him"
The major theme was being true to oneself even during slave time and being a courageous man rather than hiding out as a woman like Onion did.
John Brown was described to be a God-like character, he had a white beard, was old, and would pray to his men for hours on end. The old man would also preach with a lot of emotion. At the end, when he was to be hung for the raid on Harpers ferry, Onion described his first true smile as being like the face of God. It's a funny image to think of John Brown waving a Bible at Stonewall Jackson and Robert e Lee at the gates of heaven.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual content, War, and Blood
tiamia1084's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Sexism, War, Alcohol, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Gore, Cursing, and Sexual content
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