Skank.īutter’s nonjudgmental yet revealing account of the murder’s aftermath, much like Five-Carat Soul as a whole, slides seamlessly between the absurd and the tragic. Centuries later, the long sought-after toy leads the collector to his own surprising discovery at a grimy Brooklyn nightclub while listening to the cathartic rap of the infamous Dr. Lee, the toy, along with the advanced machinery it contained, fell into the hands of a slave escaping north, inadvertently averting a potential Confederate victory. While the set originally belonged to the ailing son of General Robert E. Banksoff happens upon the invaluable Under Graham Railroad Box Car Set, the value of which we learn is “tied to history, naturally, and complicated by time, war, and the unreasonableness and the emotions of a child’s joy and sorrow” (8). The book begins with a chance discovery by a proud, Jewish antique toy collector named Leo Banskoff. zoo, McBride’s stories breathe surprising and refreshing complexities into the simple narratives we are told and tell ourselves about who we are and who others may be. Set in contexts as far and as wide as a Civil War battlefield to a Washington D.C. In his most recent book, a stunning collection of short stories titled Five-Carat Soul, McBride illustrates how our common desire for freedom and equality outweighs what are often imagined or prejudice-rooted differences.
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