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barbaraalfond's review against another edition
5.0
Like you, I’ve read or listened to about a bazillion book since this pandemic began, and some of them, even those I have read recently, have already evaporated from my memory. Not Deacon King King! Lord, no! The audio version, read by the brilliant Dominic Hoffman, is chockablock with some of the funniest and most original dialogue, and brilliantly rendered dialects, that I can ever recall. Funny? Hilarious! Humane? Absolutely! Churchy? In the best way! More than any book save Dickens’s epics, or, perhaps, The Confederacy of Dunces, this book is chockablock with the funniest, most exasperating, irascible and lovable cast of characters imaginable—yet it has a truly important message about the roles of our societal structures. A modest church of modest proportions and inimitable characters plays a central role as a source of common cause and local pride, even though the preacher is lazily inept and the twins in the choir argue endlessly. But it was built by the hands of its parishioners, and they, in turn, rest in the palm of God’s hands. May we all be as lucky. Oh, how I loved this book!
donnawr1's review against another edition
5.0
James McBride is such a good author that I bought this book, even though the topic didn't particularly pull me in. I'm so glad I did, because it's just a fantastic book! When I finished the last word, "Wow" just slipped out of my mouth because the ending was so perfect. It is about a Deacon from a Black Baptist church, all of whose members live in the Causeway Housing Projects in Brooklyn. It's 1969 and heroin is making its first big appearance in the black communities. Deems Clemens is the young head of the drug dealers at Causeway who still has some respect for the elders of his community (he was a member of the church as a child), but the heroin is starting to ruin people's lives. Deacon Cuffy, AKA Sportcoat, AKA Deacon King Kong (for the King Kong hooch he is always drunk on), walks up to Deems in front of a large crowd and shoots him.
What follows is the ripple effect of this act on the many lives linked to the church, to Causeway, to the drug trade and the investigation of the shooting that intersect in a humorous, yet true to life story of life in the project and the characters (Black, Irish, Italian) striving for hope and happiness and taking some risks to do it. At first the characters seem almost cartoonish, an impression enhanced by the cartoon drawing on the cover. But they come to life and are not mere cardboard cutouts representing some point the author wants to make. As I reflected on the characters and the story, I could envision people I've seen walking around by public housing I know of in Brooklyn and see them reflected in this book. McBride said he wanted to give voice to a subset of society that often have no voice and are easily overlooked. How fitting that he finished this book during the pandemic when the people in this book are the very group of people who are now front-line workers, briefly lifted into the public view with a measure of gratitude. But this book is fun and touches on how alike most of us are in what we hope for in life. It is a hopeful book and well worth the read.
What follows is the ripple effect of this act on the many lives linked to the church, to Causeway, to the drug trade and the investigation of the shooting that intersect in a humorous, yet true to life story of life in the project and the characters (Black, Irish, Italian) striving for hope and happiness and taking some risks to do it. At first the characters seem almost cartoonish, an impression enhanced by the cartoon drawing on the cover. But they come to life and are not mere cardboard cutouts representing some point the author wants to make. As I reflected on the characters and the story, I could envision people I've seen walking around by public housing I know of in Brooklyn and see them reflected in this book. McBride said he wanted to give voice to a subset of society that often have no voice and are easily overlooked. How fitting that he finished this book during the pandemic when the people in this book are the very group of people who are now front-line workers, briefly lifted into the public view with a measure of gratitude. But this book is fun and touches on how alike most of us are in what we hope for in life. It is a hopeful book and well worth the read.
yvonnemh's review against another edition
5.0
Such incredibly rich characters that pulled you into their stories headfirst.
picturesarah's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? Yes
4.5
7eloise7's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.5
plindq's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
- 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
sofi0518's review against another edition
4.0
By turns hilarious, sad and hopeful, this book had everything you could want in a story. A Big Bang beginning, a slow burn story and and great payoff in the end. McBride’s descriptions of all the characters and their neighborhood made me feel like I had a front row seat at the Cause watching the story unfold. Highly recommend.
“I’m in the last Octobers of life, boy. I ain’t got many more Aprils left.”
Sportcoat - I think you’ll stay with me a while.
“I’m in the last Octobers of life, boy. I ain’t got many more Aprils left.”
Sportcoat - I think you’ll stay with me a while.
abbie_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
I’m torn on how to rate this one - it took me over a week to read a 368-page book which is usually an indicator that I’m not much enjoying a book or finding it that engaging. But when I did sit down with it and had the time to get into it for more than half an hour, I would become completely immersed in the colourful cast of characters and their antics in 1960s New York. It didn’t exactly call out to me, but when I made time for it I enjoyed it. I don’t feel like we properly got to know the characters - instead they’re all integral to creating the vast, vibrant tapestry that is a New York housing project in the late 60s. Tensions are running high, between Black people and white Italians, between cops and civilians, between drug dealers and old timers. McBride ties all these together in a surprisingly funny, moving, and thought-provoking way. Though it definitely does drag occasionally.