A review by kari_f
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

4.0

“Living on a land that ain’t yours, pretending to know everything when you don’t, making up rules for this or that to make yourself seem big, that puts a terrible strain on a body.”

I absolutely love books where members of a community come together, especially when they find ways to unite despite differences. This book has that and so much more, focusing in on community members of Pottstown, whose lives overlap and intertwine as they strive for a common goal.

Some aspects of the book I loved:

🫱🏾‍🫲🏽 The Black and Jewish experiences in 1930s Pennsylvania, while vastly different, had many overlaps. Seeing the characters recognize traits and struggles in each other that felt relatable to their own was so important. There was quite a bit of discord at times, but there was also so much goodness.

🗞️ The book dives into systemic corruption, inequality, racism and antisemitism, power, and the value (or lack thereof) of a life in an authentic way. And doing so really helps the reader to understand how those things impact everyday people and their views, belief systems, and treatment of others in today’s world.

🕍 We are introduced to Chona early on, and she’s a fabulous example of a strong female character. She is a champion for the marginalized and forgotten, she stands up for her principles, and she talks the talk and walks the walk during a time where women were heavily discouraged to be loud or take up space. I love so much that she embraced change and diversity when it wasn’t “cool” to do it.

😭 The book made me cry twice. The humanity in the characters and the heartbreak our youngest character must endure were utterly heartbreaking, and the fact that I cried means I truly cared for these fictional people.

🪡 The way the plot and characters are woven into a tapestry that starts to take shape is so well done, and while it took a bit of time to get into the story and differentiate between the large cast of characters, it was all worth it to see how everything came together!

📝 The author’s note at the end is for sure one I’d suggest reading once you finish the book!


This was my first book by McBride, but it definitely won’t be my last!
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