Urban Life Experience Book Discussion Series

  Thirteen of us met on August 24 th to discuss James McBride’s acclaimed 2023 novel, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store , winner of the 2023 Kirkus Prize for Fiction.    McBride has said that his motivation for writing this book stems from his time working summers at a camp for differently abled children.   He said the nugget for The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store was the story of Dodo and Monkey pants. Bonnie quickly interjected that the theme about the Blacks and the Jews is the one that jumped out at her more. Marian said she agreed with Bonnie here, especially since page one of the novel is about the interview the police had with Malachi about the mezuzah they found with the body at the bottom of the well. There was a lot of discussion about how the mezuzah ended up with the body. Robin offered that Moshe had made it as a gift for Malachi. Malachi refused it and insisted that Moshe give it to his wife Chona. Doc Roberts had snatched it from around Chona’s neck when he a