Genre: Book
Grade: A-
Notable People: James McBride
Title: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
Review: I got turned on to this book from the Chicago Tribune’s “Best of 2023 List”, where it was the number one rated book for the year. Award winning author, McBride, tells the striking story of Pottstown, PA. in 1936 woven around the lives of the towns’ Jews and Negroes, which are heavily intertwined and often banded together against the Between-Wars white-protestant oppression. McBride’s’ understanding and mastery of traditional Yiddish culture and idioms is impressive and his sense of the 20th century African American experience is illuminating. The book is filled with charm and wit, richly filled in with an assortment of ode and compelling characters. It is long book and started with an absolutely alluring bang, but bogged down a bit in its middle sections. An unusual and thought provoking story that’s also quite a bit of fun.