The Good Lord Bird, a uniquely humorous novel based on abolitionist John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, surprised everyone—no one more so than author James McBride—when it won the ...

McBride was "noticeably shocked," according to Millions, saying: "I didn't think I would win today ... If any of the other writers had won, I wouldn’t feel bad because they are all fine writers, but ...