From the Bookshelf of Constant Reader…

Deacon King Kong

James McBride

Start date: February 15, 2022

Finish date: March 1, 2022

Discussion: Reading List

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 428 topics — 16,892 comments total

Reading List

* The Schedule for July through Dec. 2025
By Lynn · 1 post · 41 views

last updated Jun 20, 2025 08:37AM

Circe - discussion with spoilers
By Jane · 17 posts · 23 views

last updated Sep 06, 2025 04:48PM

showing 8 of 8 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jan 20, 2021 Jenny (Reading Envy) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: tournament-of-books, read2021, ebooks, libby-app, location-usa-ny

A cast of nicknamed characters in 1960s Brooklyn swirl through this novel - it's the minor Italian crime lords and the retiring Black church members making up the majority. The humor actually hit as funny to me (for once, a rarity.) McBride repeats segments as the narrative shifts between characters, so much so that I kept thinking my Kindle had skipped back. I would have enjoyed it more if he had done this less, but found it overall entertaining. Even though there is a shooting that the story r ...more

41 likes · Like · see review

Dec 16, 2020 Ann D rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Deacon King Kong by James McBride. This book has been on different top 10 lists and I heard McBride interviewed on NPR. It took me quite awhile to get into this book, but eventually I got so wrapped up in the story that I couldn't put it down. The novel is set in a New York housing project in 1969 before heroin made such a big impact. Among the characters are an elderly drunk (Deacon King Kong), a 19 year old would-be drug king, some wonderfully drawn church ladies, low level Italian and Irish c ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 24, 2021 Loretta rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, library-books

So the thing about this book is that it is a slow wander through a community. There's a lot of meandering storytelling, with tangents and interruptions. There is a plot, a sort of mystery, a lot of pain and tragedy which only gets hinted at or moved away from but underlies everything about these stories. There is also a lot of humor - much laughter and comedy, both broad and sly.

At first I found this annoying, and wanted the story to get going. But I did eventually fall into the rhythm of it an ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Aug 20, 2021 Joyce rated it liked it

Shelves: book-club-choice

James McBride knows how to tell a great story in a most creative way. "The Wire" this is not but it humanizes "the projects" in much the same way. ...more

Like · see review

Sep 21, 2020 Lee rated it really liked it

Boy I wasn't sure where this was going in the beginning. It was imaginative, satirical, seemingly stereotypical, humorous, and yet it had a lot of humanity. I didn't know what McBride's message was but he got there. All people are lonely and looking for meaning. Great characters. ...more

Like · see review