One of The New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2017 A pinball machine zinging with sharp
dialogue breathtaking plot twists and naughty humor... McBride at his brave and joyous best.
-New York Times Book Review 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 the ways we learn from the world and the people around us. An
antiques dealer discovers that a legendary toy commissioned by Civil War General Robert E. Lee
now sits in the home of a black minister in Queens. Five strangers find themselves thrown
together and face unexpected judgment. An American president draws inspiration from a
conversation he overhears in a stable. And members of The Five-Carat Soul Bottom Bone Band
recount stories from their own messy and hilarious lives. As McBride did in his National Book
award-winning The Good Lord Bird and his bestselling The Color of Water he writes with humor
and insight about how we struggle to understand who we are in a world we don't fully
comprehend. The result is a surprising perceptive and evocative collection of stories that is
also a moving exploration of our human condition.
