About OMOB 2009

Students from a Baltimore high school wait in line to meet James MCBride.

The OMOB 2009 book selection was Song Yet Sung by James McBride. Set on Maryland's Eastern Shore in the 1850s, Song Yet Sung weaves an intricate and gripping tale of escaped slaves, free blacks, and slave catchers. It was selected because it offered Marylanders the opportunity to discuss topics such as race, identity, the intricacy of relationships and Maryland history.

About the Author

James McBride is an author, musician and screenwriter. His landmark memoir, The Color of Water, is considered an American classic and is read in schools and universities across the United States. His debut novel, Miracle at St. Anna, was made into a major motion picture directed by Spike Lee, released by Disney/Touchstone in September 2008. McBride also wrote the script for the film.

McBride is also a saxophonist who tours with his six piece jazz/R&B band. He served as a sideman with jazz legend Jimmy Scott, among others. He has written songs (music and lyrics) for Anita Baker, Grover Washington, Jr., Purafe, Gary Burton, and even for the PBS television character “Barney.” (He did not write the “I Love You” song for Barney but wishes he did.)

He is a former staff writer for The Boston Globe, People Magazine and The Washington Post. His work has appeared in Essence, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. His April 2007 National Geographic story entitled “Hip Hop Planet” is considered a respected treatise on African American music and culture. He has been featured on national radio and television programs in America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

McBride is a native New Yorker and a graduate of New York City public schools. He studied composition at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio and received his Masters in Journalism from Columbia University in New York at age 22. He holds several honorary doctorates and is currently a Distinguished Writer in Residence at New York University. He is married with three children.

About the Book

In the days before the Civil War, a group of slaves breaks free in the labyrinthine swamps of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, setting loose a drama of violence and hope among slave catchers, plantation owners, watermen, runaway slaves, and free blacks. Among them is Liz Spocott, a runaway slave, near death, wracked by disturbing visions of the future, and armed with “the Code,” a fiercely guarded cryptic means of communication for slaves on the run. As she makes her desperate flight among the denizens of the swampy marsh lands, Liz’s extraordinary dreams of tomorrow create a freedom-seeking furor among the once complacent slave community. It is one that will thrust them all into a world of haunting choices and inexorably closer to a mysterious, redemptive, and unexpected fate.

View our semi-fictional map inspired by the book.

Buy It Now

Purchase Song Yet Sung today from Barnes & Noble. MHC will receive a donation for every copy purchased online via this link! Click on the book to start shopping.