Elaine Newton reviews The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. The review will begin at 1:30 p.m. and is preceded by lunch at 12:45 p.m. This program will also be available to join over Zoom.

In 1972, when workers in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, were digging the foundations for a new development, the last thing they expected to find was a skeleton at the bottom of a well. Who the skeleton was and how it got there were two of the long-held secrets kept by the residents of Chicken Hill, the dilapidated neighbourhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived side by side and shared ambitions and sorrows.

As these characters' stories overlap and deepen, it becomes clear how much the people who live on the margins struggle and what they must do to survive. When the truth is finally revealed about what happened on Chicken Hill and the part the town's white establishment played in it, McBride shows us that even in dark times, it is love and community-heaven and earth-that sustain us.

Pre-registration required. To register, click HERE.

FEES

2024-25 Series — All 6 sessions: $125 Beth Tzedec member / $165 Community at-large

Individual session: $30 per session