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Reviews tagging 'Forced institutionalization'
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
164 reviews
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: Racism, Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Sexual violence, Ableism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Rape, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Pedophilia, Violence, Grief, Classism, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Excrement, and Death
Minor: Alcohol, Cursing, Infertility, and Death of parent
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: Death, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Child abuse, Ableism, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Violence, Antisemitism, Excrement, Pedophilia, and Xenophobia
Insight into the deplorable, torturous conditions at Pennhurstpixie_d's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Excrement, Rape, Sexual violence, and Pedophilia
sara_o's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed it, in spite of the slow start. I loved the characters and the balance of heartache and brutality with love, hope, and community. There are a LOT of characters and they all were well-drawn and had their own complexities and motivations. I didn't find it to be an easy book, but neither did I find it hard to read, in spite of the difficult subjects broached. I really glad I picked this one up.
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Forced institutionalization
megansoetaert's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Violence, Forced institutionalization, Antisemitism, and Racism
Moderate: Rape
jowestendorf's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Antisemitism, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault
maddiet425's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
marissaumble's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, Death, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Rape
jordymyers'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
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Forced institutionalization, Sexism, Antisemitism, Racism, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
isaarusilor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Pedophilia, Medical trauma, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, and Rape