The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: The Million-Copy Bestseller

8, 8, 8.5, 6

McBride’s storytelling masterfully weaves together Black and Jewish histories, unspoken neighborhood truths, and the power of quiet resistance. Our members were drawn to the tenderness within the chaos — how love, loyalty, and community show up in unexpected forms. The narrative structure required a bit of patience, but the payoff was worth it. A rich, layered novel that sparked meaningful conversation about belonging, justice, and memory.

Nope.

I loved Deacon King Kong but unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. I enjoyed the history weaved into the story but other than that, the characters felt flat and the story kind of dragged with bits of unnecessary backstory or ruminations

This one took me 11 chapters to really get into. I am not fond of the writing style and found it confusing to pop a paragraph of current type events into the story. This would have been better left after the tale was complete.