Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction
Winner of the Morning News Tournament of Books
"A brilliant romp of a novel…McBride…pulls off his portrait masterfully, like a modern-day Mark Twain." —The New York Times Book Review
"You may know the story of John Brown's unsuccessful raid on Harpers Ferry, but author James McBride's retelling of the events leading up to it is so imaginative, you'll race to the finish." —NPR
"A boisterous, highly entertaining, altogether original novel ...There is something deeply humane in this [story], something akin to the work of Homer or Mark Twain.” —The Washington Post
“Wildly entertaining… a rollicking saga about one of America’s earliest abolitionists.” —People
"McBride delivers another tour de force...A fascinating mix of history and mystery." —Essence
"A story that's difficult to put down." —Ebony
“Outrageously entertaining… rockets toward its inevitable and, yes, knee-slapping conclusion. Never has mayhem been this much of a humdinger.” —USA Today
“An impressively deep comedy.”—Salon “Both breezy and sharp, a rare combination outside of Twain. You should absolutely read it.” —New York Magazine
"Superbly written....McBride...transcends history and makes it come alive." —The Chicago Tribune
"Absorbing and darkly funny." —San Francisco Chronicle
"An irrepressibly fun read." —The Seattle Times
"The Good Lord Bird is just so brilliant. It had everything I want in a novel and left me feeling both transported and transformed." —John Green
"[McBride's] effervescent young narrator is pitch-perfect and wholly original." —Geraldine Brooks
Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction
Winner of the Morning News Tournament of Books
"A brilliant romp of a novel…McBride…pulls off his portrait masterfully, like a modern-day Mark Twain." —The New York Times Book Review
"You may know the story of John Brown's unsuccessful raid on Harpers Ferry, but author James McBride's retelling of the events leading up to it is so imaginative, you'll race to the finish." —NPR
"A boisterous, highly entertaining, altogether original novel ...There is something deeply humane in this [story], something akin to the work of Homer or Mark Twain.” —The Washington Post
“Wildly entertaining… a rollicking saga about one of America’s earliest abolitionists.” —People
"McBride delivers another tour de force...A fascinating mix of history and mystery." —Essence
"A story that's difficult to put down." —Ebony
“Outrageously entertaining… rockets toward its inevitable and, yes, knee-slapping conclusion. Never has mayhem been this much of a humdinger.” —USA Today
“An impressively deep comedy.”—Salon “Both breezy and sharp, a rare combination outside of Twain. You should absolutely read it.” —New York Magazine
"Superbly written....McBride...transcends history and makes it come alive." —The Chicago Tribune
"Absorbing and darkly funny." —San Francisco Chronicle
"An irrepressibly fun read." —The Seattle Times
"The Good Lord Bird is just so brilliant. It had everything I want in a novel and left me feeling both transported and transformed." —John Green
"[McBride's] effervescent young narrator is pitch-perfect and wholly original." —Geraldine Brooks
Penguin Random House Author Events at the 44th Annual First-Year Experience® Conference February 16-19, 2025 New Orleans, Louisiana Hyatt Regency New Orleans Click Here to RSVP A complimentary meal and a limited number of books will be available to attendees. Each event will also be followed by an author signing. Interested in hosting one of these
With the fall semester in full swing, colleges and universities around the country have announced their Common Reading books for the upcoming 2024-25 academic year. We’ve compiled a list of over 336 programs and their title selections, which you can download here: First-Year Reading 2024-25. We will continue to update this listing to provide the
We are delighted to present our new First-Year & Common Reading Catalog for 2025! From award-winning fiction, poetry, memoir, and biography to new books about science, technology, history, student success, the environment, public health, and current events, the titles presented in our common reading catalog will have students not only eagerly flipping through the pages,
