‘McBride at his brave and joyous best’

New York Times Book Review

‘A furious joy drives these glimpses of brave lives in perilous places’

San Francisco Chronicle

An antiques dealer discovers that a legendary toy commissioned by a Civil War General 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 messy and hilarious lives.

These stories spring from the place where identity, humanity, and history converge. A collection of surprising, perceptive and evocative short stories from internationally bestselling novelist James McBride, Five Carat Soul is a moving exploration of our human condition.