Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

107 reviews

quinnjuliac's review against another edition

funny reflective slow-paced

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

I enjoyed this book but I only decided that about 3/4 of the way through. Very similar to the author’s book Deacon King Kong, the plot of this book is not the point. It’s a rich depiction of many many characters who live in the town and their relationships to each other. So much happens, but also kind of not much happens. It is a fascinating depiction of what life was like in this time period and the way jewish and black people in the US had shared and yet vastly different experiences. I recommend it, but it is not a page turner by any means. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization

Moderate: Ableism

jade_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

5.0

This one is gonna sit with me for a WHILE. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Ableism, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Hate crime, Grief, and Medical trauma

izzymow's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Racism, Antisemitism, Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexism

Minor: Domestic abuse, Child death, and Rape

noshinbean's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement, Fatphobia, Medical trauma, Ableism, Death, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Grief, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Antisemitism, Racism, Rape, Hate crime, and Sexual assault

lavaly_1's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious relaxing sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Ableism

Moderate: Murder, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Antisemitism, and Infertility

lifesarosch's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad 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? Yes

5.0

Wow. I know some people felt there were too many characters but I think McBride captured the community and intersections of those living in it so perfectly. The tensions and tenderness of the Jewish and black communities in this liminal space in the 1930s...
I'll be thinking about this one a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Ableism, Antisemitism, and Racism

rubybubbles's review against another edition

dark emotional funny lighthearted sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Reading this felt like I was going through two distinct books. The first 3/4 are kind of rambling short stories about minor characters or the odd backstory of a major character. Dialogue is incredibly indirect throughout and each plot point didn't always clearly build off of a previous one. The last 1/4 of the book had clear direction and movement but ended abruptly. I would have enjoyed a balance throughout the entire novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Ableism, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, Rape, and Pedophilia

yulecogs's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Ableism, Religious bigotry, Antisemitism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Confinement, Chronic illness, Rape, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, and Cultural appropriation

gema's review against another edition

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Antisemitism, and Racism

didireadthat's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective fast-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? No

4.75

The layers of development, community, characters, and pot of this book is unmatched. It's an amazing story that takes into account a lot of the complex relationships that were forming in 1930's America during the early Melting-pot age, and it looks at the relationships and between communities and individuals in a very complex and real way. Everyone's actions have consequences but depending on your status in the direct community and overall, in the Amercian hierarchy those consequences and how your actions affect your neighbors will be different.
The characters were all amazingly well developed, diverse, and relatable. I loved them all. 
I think this story is better read than listened to because there are so many characters and smaller plots to follow that it did take more focus from me to really dive into the book and be excited about the mystery rather than confused. (definitely read the first chapter again once you're done with the book)
I took off .25 of a star because there are some points that I think McBride stuck into the novel that felt out of place. The first about cellphones in the future and the second about gun violence in America, also in the future. These are great topics that should be discussed but they felt out of place in this book. At least in the ways they were presented. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Excrement, Rape, Classism, Antisemitism, Sexual assault, Ableism, and Racism