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axmed's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
please add anti-Black racism or antiblackness as an option, cuz racism alone doesn't cut it, cuz it is too broad.productioneer's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Racial slurs and Excrement
Minor: Death and Sexual assault
kelly_e's review against another edition
- 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
Author: James McBride
Genre: Literary Fiction
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: August 8, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Human • Meandering • Hopeful
📖 S Y N O P S I S
In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows. Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Moshe integrated his theater and where Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. When the state came looking for a deaf boy to institutionalize him, it was Chona and Nate Timblin, the Black janitor at Moshe’s theater and the unofficial leader of the Black community on Chicken Hill, who worked together to keep the boy safe.
As these characters’ stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins of white, Christian America struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town’s white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community—heaven and earth—that sustain us.
💭 T H O U G H T S
I just had that special feeling about The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store when I first stumbled across it while researching upcoming releases in early 2023. There was no hesitating adding it to my TBR and I became more and more curious about it as it garnered allocades, especially when awarded the Barnes & Nobles Book of the Year Award. Because of all of this I was ecstatic when it was chosen as our March pick for my in-person book club.
McBride introduces the reader to a substantial cast of characters, and intentionally takes a slow, meandering approach in order to deliver an incredibly human story that culminates in a satisfying ending. There is no denying it does take some time to get settled into the complex lives and relationships between these characters, yet the payoff is huge in the end. What made this such a unique reading experience for me, is there is no one central character, rather each new character becomes the main character at a different point in the story. In this way, McBride offers a melting pot community, who despite their individual struggles and differences bond together in order to help one of their own. The real magic is how McBride demonstrates how the worst of us often leads to the best of us when it really counts. It really is pure magic!
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store is one of those stories that just got better and better with each page. What started out as an average read soon turned into so much more, culminating in my five-star review. Each piece of the puzzle was absolutely necessary in completing the picture. I can definitely understand the polarizing reviews as this book isn't going to work for everyone, but it was most definitely for me. This was my first venture into James McBride's work and I will be exploring his backlist further.
📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• character driven stories
• quiet narratives
• jazz music
⚠️ CW: racism, racial slurs, antisemitism, xenophobia, religious bigotry, sexual assault, sexual violence, rape, child abuse, pedophilia, violence, forced institutionalization, ableism, death, death of parent, grief, medical trauma, medical content, chronic illness, excrement, classism, alcohol, infertility, cursing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Light is only possible through dialogue between cultures, not through rejection of one or the other."
"Kindness. Love. Principle. It runs the world."
Graphic: Ableism, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Pedophilia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Classism
Minor: Cursing, Infertility, Death of parent, and Alcohol
death of partnereliselerario's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Pedophilia, Violence, Xenophobia, Excrement, and Antisemitism
Insight into the deplorable, torturous conditions at Pennhurstsopopia's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death and Racial slurs
jasisreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
Minor: Child abuse
elletrixie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Murder
wackydopamine's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Excrement, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
elmtreebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
My mom was reading at the same time as me and I got to a point where I stopped reading to warn her to put it down and not continue further, but it was too late for me at the point so I finished it.
If you don’t like the first 20 pages, do not continue. Check the content warnings and take them very seriously.
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Xenophobia
zombiezami's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Excrement, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Outing, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Moderate: Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Slavery and War