The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store - James McBride

A young deaf black boy in Pottstown Pennsylvania in the 1920's and 30's is hidden from the authorities who want to put him in an institution as feeble-minded.  The downtrodden community of Chicken Hill, made up of African Americans, Jews and immigrants, band together to keep him safe.   

I've done research in Pennsylvania for genealogy in the area north of Pottstown, not knowing the setting of this book and was intrigued when I recognized the references to places in Pennsylvania.  I checked it out because it had received the Kirkus prize, a book award in 2023. It's based on the true makeup of the town at that time though the characters are fiction.

The author shows how disconnected and yet supportive a community can be, despite their differences. He reveals the misunderstandings and biases based on race and culture with gentle humor and heartbreaking consequences.

 I got bogged down in parts with the detailed descriptions used to illustrate the different perspectives of the townspeople and their living situations.  I sometimes lost track of the myriad of characters, where they had come from, and how they related to one another.  After finishing it and stepping back, the broad arch of the story was clearer.  A good story that should be read slowly.

Published: 2023  Read: January 2025  Genre: Fiction

Here One Moment - Liane Moriarty

 I say this often: this is the best book I've read in a while.  What makes a book a "best" for me?  One factor is that the writing doesn't distract from the story; another that the characters are believable and interesting.  Both of those find me reading without noticing the passage of time late into the night.  I want to know how the story ends, but I don't rush through because their are bits almost every page to savor.

This is a story of an older woman who predicts the death of passengers on a plane.  What do people do if they know when and how they will die?  Moriarty takes us through their reactions while at the same time revealing the lives they were living and how the prediction changes or does not change them.  Interlaced with their stories, is the story of Cherry, the prognosticator, and how she came to be on the plane.  

It's an engrossing story that made me smile and cry and appreciate how the author weaves the stories of many people into a meaningful whole.  Read this book, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Quotes:

"The belief that the probability of future events changes based on past events (assuming those events are independent) is known as the Monte Carlo fallacy or the gambler's fallacy. [26 consecutive landing on black in 1913 in Monte Carlo casino]."

"Math, by the way, is a language, I would argue a beautiful one, and it's the only universal language there is, because it's the same all over the world."

"Those big open landscapes gave me a not unpleasant sensation of vertigo.  I enjoyed the feeling of being small and insignificant.  It's healthy to be reminded of your insignificance."

"I still think that, sometimes, even though I know full well I am exemplifying the just-world fallacy, which is the erroneous belief that the world is fair.  We are socialized to think that.  It makes the world feel more predictable if we believe good behavior is rewarded and bad behavior punished."

Alexander Von Humboldt - Andreas W Daum

 Sub-title: A concise Biography

I had no idea who this man was when I picked this book up at the library but I'm always up for a history lesson.  He was a German polymath - a general genius - and explorer, known for exploring Latin America (1799–1804) and his contributions to geography and natural science. So now I know.  

Quote:

"Between 1701 and 1810 the European powers deported almost six million people from Africa to exploit them as a labor force in America."

published:  2024 (In English)  Read: January 2025  Genre: History, Biography

Keep - Jenny Haysom

This is a quick read about decisions we'll all make - what do we do with all our stuff when we age?  The author gently reminds us we're all getting and getting rid of things our entire lives.  She tells a lighthearted tale of a "downsizer" Eleanor, who works for a realtor who is trying to sell an older woman's home.  Eleanor partners with Jacob, a 20 something young man, an artistic fellow, who helps stage the home.  The three of them help each other part with their things and the people in their lives.  A good debut novel with some food for thought.

Quotes:

[Harriett]  "Plenty of people, young and old, had difficulty parting with their homes and belongings.  But it seems to her that the elderly were particularly afflicted, in-part because they resisted change and couldn't bear losing or replacing that which was familiar and comforting.  It was as if their habits were set during a certain period, in youth and young adulthood, and as they aged it was more difficult to reset them.  Perhaps it was also true that a certain period of time defined the habits of a generation."

[Harriett] "If this last chapter of her life had a theme, it would be erasure, the whiting-out of previous chapters. ..Sometimes while talking, she'd suddenly fall quiet, as if someone had pressed a mute button mid-sentence or painted her tongue with Liquid Paper."

[Harriett] "Strange, as she'd always known unconsciousness to be black, but this was wrong because she was certain that if she closed her eyes for good, the end should be a blank page." 

[Jacob] "He'd gone from preserving things, to using them up, burning through them with gusto and joy, because for the first time in his life, he wasn't hoping for a better future; he was living it." 

Published: 2024  Read: January Genre: Fiction

After Annie - Anna Quindlen

 

I've read many of Anna Quindlen's books over the years and have liked them.  This one was sad as it told the story of a father and his four children over a year after losing their wife and mother suddenly.  We see each of them go through the stages of grief, a different experience because of their ages (Dad 30's, children 13, 10, 8 and 6).  Much of the story is about the impact of her death on the Mom (Annie)'s best friend, Annamarie.  She spins out of control at losing her friend.  

Like all of Quindlen's books, the relationship between people are authentic. But the story wraps up too neatly and offers a "happy ever after" ending.  

Published: 2024  Read: January 2025  Genre: Fiction