The stories in Five-Carat Soul—none of them ever published before—spring from the place where identity, humanity, and history converge. McBride explores the ways we learn from the world and the people around us. An antiques dealer discovers that a legendary toy commissioned by Civil War General Robert E. Lee 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 own messy and hilarious lives. The under Graham railroad box car set—Buck boy—Ray-Ray's picture box—Blub—Goat—Father Abe—The moaning bench—The Christmas dance—The fish man angel—Mr. P & the wind