The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

Author: James McBride

Genre: Fiction

Format: Digital via Libby

Publish Date: August 2023

Read: May 2024

Favorite Quote: Who cared that life was lonely, that jobs were thankless drudgery, that the romance of the proud American state was myth, that the rules of life were laid carefully in neat books and laws written by stern Europeans who stalked the town and state like the grim reaper, with their righteous churches spouting that Jews murdered their precious Jesus Christ?

Story Synopsis: When a skeleton is found in a well in 1972, a story from fifty years prior unfolds as to how that skeleton got there and who it might be. In 1936 Pottstown PA, the Black and Jewish communities come together to help one another and find solace in the marginalization they face. The Heaven & Earth Grocery store serves this community and also serves as a gathering place for the residents of Chicken Hill. Together, they work to create improvements in their lives, and then save a deaf child from a horrible fate.

Why does this book beguile? I first heard about The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store as one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2023. After a multi-month wait at the library, I finally nabbed a copy and read it! It was a very interesting story and told from multiple points-of-view. The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store begins an important conversation about minority and marginalized communities and the support they provide one another in a culture dominated by colonialism and white supremacy.

Rating: 3/5 - Wonderfully written

Link*: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

If you’re interested in this, read*: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin