A review by susanneb01
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

“The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” is mostly set in 1930s Pottstown, PA. Chicken Hill is a struggling neighborhood of Black and Jewish families with Chona‘s grocery store as a focal point.  When Chona, Jewish, physically challenged, an outspoken equal rights supporter, well liked by her mostly Black customers and neighbors, is assaulted, the neighborhood comes together, and not merely to free Dodo, the unjustly detained boy.  I enjoyed  most of the themes of this historic novel - humanity, love, kindness, immigrant life, the horrors of Pennhurst State School, the limitations/discrimination of life in a small, mostly white Christian town - but couldn’t quite relate to the spiritual/superstitious nature of some of the characters. Also, the writing is super detailed, and at times feels a bit unnecessarily lengthy.