Amazon's 2023 Annual English Book List Tops the Charts!
Top 20 English Books of 2023：No.1 The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
Author: James McBride
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Publication Date: August 8, 2023
Number of Pages: 400 pages
In 1972, as workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were excavating the foundation for a new development project, they discovered a set of bones at the bottom of a well. The identity of the individual to whom these bones belonged and how they ended up there were two long-kept secrets in the community of Chicken Hill.
Chicken Hill was a rundown community where Jewish immigrants and African Americans lived side by side, sharing common aspirations and sorrows. Moshe and Chona, who resided in Chicken Hill, were central characters in this tale. At the time, Moshe was working on establishing his theater, while Chona managed the Emporium of Heaven and Earth.
When the state government came looking for a deaf and mute boy, with plans to send him to a welfare institution, Chona and Nate Timblin (the African American gatekeeper of Moshe's theater and the unofficial leader of the Chickensville African American community) joined forces to protect the boy's safety.
As the stories of these characters intertwine and deepen, it becomes evident how those living on the fringes of American Christian white society struggled to survive and what they had to do to endure. When the truth about what transpired in Chicken Hill finally comes to light, the author reminds us that even in dark times, love and community remain our pillars of support.
James McBride demonstrates his exceptional storytelling skills and profound belief in humanity in this book, delivering a novel filled with empathy, reminiscent of "Deacon King Kong" and creatively unique like "The Good Lord Bird." It has been hailed as a must-read for 2023 by the American media.
About the author: James McBride is an award-winning author, musician, and screenwriter. His landmark memoir, "The Color of Water," was published in 1996 and has sold millions of copies, spending over two years on The New York Times bestseller list.