J
James McBride
James McBride (born September 11, 1957) is an American writer and musician. He is the recipient of the 2013 National Book Award for fiction for his novel The Good Lord Bird.
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
- Pages
- 400
- Published
- 2023
- Language
- English
Synopsis
James McBride's Kirkus Prize-winning novel opens in 1972, when construction workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, find a skeleton at the bottom of a well. The discovery unravels four decades of buried history centered on Chicken Hill, the real Pottstown neighborhood where Jewish immigrants and African American families built a life together in the 1920s and '30s. Moshe and Chona Ludlow run the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store at the heart of the community; when Nate and Addie Timblin ask them to hide a deaf boy named Dodo from authorities who want to send him away, the neighborhood closes ranks to protect him. McBride weaves a wide cast of voices into a story about the cost, and the necessity, of community across lines of race and faith.
Genres
Characters
Moshe LudlowProtagonist
Jewish theater and dance-hall owner in Chicken Hill, married to Chona; his store and businesses anchor the neighborhood.
Chona LudlowProtagonist
Runs the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store; her defiance of the town's white establishment and care for the neighborhood's outcasts drives much of the plot.
Nate TimblinProtagonist
Black janitor at Moshe's theater and the unofficial leader of Chicken Hill's Black community; works with Chona to protect Dodo.
Doc RobertsAntagonist
A physician tied to the local KKK who represents the town's white establishment threatening Chicken Hill's residents.
Addie TimblinSupporting
Nate's wife; helps care for the grocery store and joins the effort to shield Dodo from institutionalization.
Kirkus Prize for Fiction (2023)
Frequently asked questions
Is Chicken Hill, the setting of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, a real place?
Yes. Chicken Hill was a real, low-rent neighborhood in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where Jewish immigrants and African American families lived side by side in the early-to-mid 20th century. James McBride's novel is a work of fiction, but its setting and community draw directly on that history.
What awards has The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store won?
The novel won the 2023 Kirkus Prize for Fiction. It was also a New York Times bestseller and was named a best book of 2023 by NPR/Fresh Air, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and Time.
Is The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store part of a series?
No. It is a standalone novel by James McBride.
Who narrates the audiobook of The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store?
The unabridged audiobook, published by Penguin Audio, is narrated by Dominic Hoffman.