The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
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.
Have yall wondered where all my reviews have been as of late ??????
Don’t worry fellow book worms…I’m still out here reading in these streets 🙂
The thing is I haven’t been digesting audiobooks on the regular like I usually do…..I have been upping my podcast listening game these days instead.
Sometimes I go thru phases where I ONLY listen to audiobooks….and sometimes I throw in a few podcasts here and there when I am in between books, just for a little brain break.
But….the opposite has happened lately! I have been ONLY listening to podcasts most of the time….which has been fun and a good change of pace.
So I’m still here and I’m still reading…you just may not see 4 or 5 book reviews each month right now.
Don’t fret dear readers….I shall always be here to tell you alllll my thoughts when I *DO* digest them!
I would *never* deprive the world of all my random thoughts 🤣
Now….on to the review!
When I saw this was our book club selection for the month, I was very pleased.
I have read James McBride before and thought he was an amazing author….he is able to deal with multiple heavy issues at once–like racism, death, abuse, trauma, and violence–while not making the book feel entirely heavy. Which is QUITE a feat, I dare say.
He balances the gut wrenching and heart breaking moments with joyful and laughter filled ones.
He did that in his book “Deacon King Kong” that I previously read (review can be found here: https://brainglitterwithdani.com/deacon-king-kong/ ) and he 100000 percent did it in this one.
This story deals with so many aspects and layers of systemic injustices–even though it was a work of fiction, so much of what you read is based on historical fact—but it also addresses the importance of community.
James McBride is a MASTER storyteller….and the narrator was a PERFECT fit to voice his words. He did voices, accents, tones for every single character….and there were a LOT to tackle!
The story shifts focus on multiple characters throughout, shining light on many different perspectives and thoughts. This was quite interesting and very engaging to read…..but there WERE lots of peeps to keep track of!
While listening, I did find it a little bit confusing at times to remember tidbits and who goes with what, etc.
But again….the narrator was EXCELLENT at all his various intonations, so that helped me with my focus A LOT!
There were SOOO many tear filled moments for me…..some because of rage, some because of frustration, some because of loss, some because of happiness.
**FYI: TRIGGER WARNING there is child abuse, violence, and sexual assault in this book***
Those things are always VERY hard for me to read about…like VERY hard….but I will say they were not lingered on if that makes sense.
This is a beautiful story yet not one that is only focused on beautiful things….it is a story that is filled with love and light, but also hate and darkness.
It reminds us how to be humans to each other….how much we ALL need each other…and how not to repeat our past.