Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

141 reviews

omarickman's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Ableism, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Infertility, Pedophilia, Rape, Vomit, and Murder

meganpbell's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

While there’s much to love about this book—its strong sense of place, its vast, lovable, diverse, and very human cast of characters, and its central message about community amid difference—religion, race, ability, class—I found it too structurally scattered to enjoy uninterruptedly and the author’s descriptions of women’s bodies (the number of times boobs and angelic singing occur smh) distracting to put it lightly.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Death, Infertility, Medical content, and Death of parent

kimveach's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was an excellent book. I just didn't enjoy it. It felt slow and meandering at first. It eventually picked up the pace, and the various storylines came together for a thrilling ending. However, I spent most of the book wishing I had finished it. Once again, I must remember that just because a book is on a best-seller list doesn't mean I'll like it. I can appreciate this novel and even enjoyed parts of it, but I would have preferred this story as a mini-series to watch instead of reading.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

booknerd_therapist's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Oh my goodness. If you've ever read a book that ripped your heart out and made you examine it.... this is that kind of book.

Admittedly, it was off to a slow start. I had a tough time getting into it, because the author meticulously goes into every character's back story. But without that, there is no story. So it's necessary, and if you want to experience the full beauty of this book, you need to truly understand the characters.

This book isn't just about being black. It's not just about being Jewish. It's not just about racism and antisemitism and surviving those things. It's not just about the horrific abuse disabled children experienced a century ago. Those things are omnipresent.... but they are a backdrop. They are a backdrop for the real story: Friendship, love, resilience, family, hope. 

If you are hoping for a plot-driven story, this is not it. This is unapologetically character driven. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Child death, Cursing, and Excrement

purplepenning's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

In 1972, a construction crew finds a skeleton in the bottom of a well in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. But really, that's the end of the story. The real story takes place in the minority community of Chicken Hill in the 1930s, when Black and Jewish neighbors, estranged friends, quiet community protectors, well-intentioned hustlers, crooked public officials, morally diseased doctors, bankrolling mobsters, predatory monsters, and one deaf child intersect to reveal how an extraordinary community of communities came together to support and protect each other.     

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Terminal illness, Violence, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Infertility, and Death of parent

leighwitz's review against another edition

hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

This book was brilliant. The flow of prose had such a nice musicality--I only want to read books by jazz musicians from now on. The plot is not quick in this story, so I wouldn't recommend this for someone who is antsy to find solve a murder mystery. In fact, the plot elements are really like an added dessert to the delightful cast of characters and inner-workings of a community. We need more stories about Black and Jewish solidarity; I'm so glad this one exists.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence

Moderate: Ableism

ska1224's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

the author writes a lot about women's breasts and butts for certain. distracted from the story

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cursing, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Excrement, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Religious bigotry

Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Infertility, Slavery, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Deportation

ecallahan's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Racism, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Classism

kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

susansdg's review against another edition

challenging dark inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Stunning.
Absolutely changed me.
Challenging yet satisfying, dark yet funny, I don’t feel qualified to use words after seeing how this author uses the English language.
I reread passages as I went even though I read it in a day.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, and Classism