Summary and Reviews of Miracle At St. Anna by James McBride

Book Summary

A singular evocation of war, cruelty, passion, and heroism, based on an historical incident at a small village in Tuscany, and on the experiences of the famed Buffalo soldiers from the 92nd Division in Italy during World War II.

James McBride’s powerful memoir, The Color of Water, was a publishing phenomenon, spending more than two years on the New York Times bestseller list and becoming required reading in high schools and colleges across the country. Now, in his long-awaited second book, McBride turns his highly acclaimed talent as a storyteller to fiction.

Based on the historical incident of an unspeakable massacre at the site of St. Anna Di Stazzema, a small village in Tuscany, and on the experiences of the famed Buffalo soldiers from the 92nd Division in Italy during World War II, Miracle of St. Anna is a singular evocation of war, cruelty, passion, and heroism. It is the story of four American Negro soldiers, a band of partisans, and an Italian boy who encounter a miracle---though perhaps the true miracle lies in themselves. Traversing class, race, and geography, Miracle at St. Anna is above all a hymn to the brotherhood of man and the power to do good that lives in each of us. It reveals to us a little-known but fascinating moment in history through the eyes and imagination of a gifted writer. Like The Color of Water, James McBride’s stunning first novel will change the way we perceive ourselves and our world.