From the Bookshelf of Retro Chapter Chicks …

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

James McBride

Start date: November 1, 2025

Finish date: November 30, 2025

Discussion: Buddy Reads

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Buddy Reads

* Buddy Reads 2025
By Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴… , Founding Retro Chick · 128 posts · 22 views

last updated Aug 03, 2025 05:15AM

* Historical Fiction Timeline Tag
By Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴… , Founding Retro Chick · 208 posts · 25 views

last updated Sep 06, 2025 05:56PM

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What Members Thought

Jun 22, 2024 Maureen rated it really liked it

Shelves: nyt-best-books-21-centuty

This is a beautifully story. It is set in 1930’s in Pottstown, Pennsylvania in a dilapidated neighborhood called Chicken Hil. Jewish immigrants and Afro Americans live there together.
The story starts in 1972 when a skeleton is found in an old well along with a mezuzah . Whose body did this skeleton belong to and what happened?
This book has a cast of characters which I felt at times was hard to keep up with.
The heart of the story is Chona a Jewish woman who owns the Heaven and Earth Grocery stor ...more

42 likes · Like · see review

May 19, 2024 Book Concierge rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, literary-fiction, audio, book-club, racism, abuse, concierge, strong-women, library, social-commentary

Book on CD read by Dominic Hoffman

McBride begins this work of historical fiction in 1972, when skeletal remains are discovered at the bottom of a dry well by a construction crew. From there the story goes back to the early 20th century and the thriving community of Chicken Hill in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where immigrant Jews who originally settled the area are moving out as the African Americans move in. But Moshe and Chona, who run the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store and live in the apartment abo Book on CD read by Dominic Hoffman

McBride begins this work of historical fiction in 1972, when skeletal remains are discovered at the bottom of a dry well by a construction crew. From there the story goes back to the early 20th century and the thriving community of Chicken Hill in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where immigrant Jews who originally settled the area are moving out as the African Americans move in. But Moshe and Chona, who run the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store and live in the apartment above the business, refuse to leave. They continue to serve the African-American community and are comfortable with their neighbors.

The crux of the story revolves around Dodo, an African-American orphan who is deaf (as the result of the gas stove in his residence exploding), and whom the state wishes to consign to the notorious Pennhurst Asylum. The efforts of Dodo’s aunt and uncle, Addie and Nate, and of Moshe and Chona, to keep Dodo away from that hellish environment is the basic plot.

But the novel is less plot-driven than character-driven. McBride paints a colorful and intricate landscape, of two equally strong cultures co-existing because of the strength of character of their leaders. They rely on and support one another. They show compassion and empathy and love. And, yes, anger and disdain as well. There were times when I wanted McBride to “get on with it.” But I was invested in all these characters, even the unlikeable ones. I recognized that I needed to know all of them to understand the dynamics of Chicken Hill. At its heart, this is a story of community, cooperation, tolerance and respect.

The hardest section to stomach was the part set at Pennhurst. My heart broke for Monkey Pants, and I wanted to throttle Son of Man (and the administrators who allowed him to prey on the helpless).

Readers should definitely read the acknowledgement section at the end, where McBride tells of the real-life heroes and mentors who inspired this work of fiction.

Dominic Hoffman does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. He has a lot of characters to deal with, but he is up for the task. I was rarely confused about who was speaking (and when I was, it was MY fault, for not paying attention).
...more

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May 06, 2024 Celia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: bookey, vero-book-club, 2024-read, ten-year-challenge, historical-fiction-read, kindle-list, 2024-kindle-counted, 2023-pub, 2024-sp-rcc

A fantastic book based on the author's own heritage. McBride was born of a white mother and a Jewish grandmother. The theme of different cultures coming together to make community is prevalent throughout.

The story starts in 1972 when workers digging the foundations for a new development, find a skeleton at the bottom of a well. The next day, Hurricane Agnes, destroys all evidence of the death. This is justice at work, since the man deserved to die.

The story then reverts to 40 years earlier to de ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Apr 16, 2024 Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

James McBride's "The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store" is a fascinating look into Jewish and Black relations in early twentieth-century Pennsylvania. The story features many characters with unique backgrounds that weave the plot together. The book examines not only Jewish/Black relations but also how the town's White population treated them. In addition, the story explores the treatment of different abled persons and provides views into the notoriously brutal Pennhurst Asylum. The book is not an e ...more

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Feb 27, 2024 Lory Sakay rated it liked it

Unpopular opinion loading...this book and story was just okay. I appreciate the premise of community, diversity, and humanity but it just seemed to get too muddled in the roundabout way this story was told. Each character, and there were sooooo many, was introduced with a backstory that digressed from the plot and didn't necessarily serve to add to the story. The intention was to build the community of Pottstown and the interconnectedness of all of its residents going back from way back then but ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 19, 2025 bunny ୨୧ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: top-100-nyt-readers, want-in-my-house

Now this will be a book that will certainly stay with me for a long time. I will think about these characters for days, weeks, months to come. All my life I've had a vague notion of what the "Great American Novel" should be and I managed to find it with McBride. This is exactly what I was looking for.

The characters were so rich and well-defined, I would kill to read a book about every single one of them. The mystery presented in the beginning nearly slipped my mind many times, but I was too caug ...more

1 like · Like · see review