The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store – James McBride

I absolutely adored this book – a wonderful historical fiction set in Pottstown, PA (in a neighborhood called Chicken Hill) from National Book Award winner McBride. Set in the 1920s & 30s, it’s the story of the marginalized in white America, where Jewish immigrants and Blacks share a common existence – as unwanted by their white neighbors. Part mystery, part social science, it’s a big hearted novel about community and human connections – and the writing is beautiful.