59 pages • 1 hour read
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
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Book Club Questions
General Impressions
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of racism, ableism, and death.
Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.
1. The novel combines historical fiction with a murder mystery. What did you think of this combination of genres, and which elements in the story most interested you?
2. What insights does McBride’s 1996 memoir, The Color of Water, offer into the novel? What connections can you identify between the author’s life and the characters and situations in the story?
3. Compare and contrast the novel with McBride’s other works of historical fiction, such as Song Yet Sung (2008), The Good Lord Bird (2013), and Deacon King Kong (2020). What similarities and differences do you notice in the stories’ themes, tones, and explorations of race and gender? If this is your first time reading McBride, are you interested in reading more?
Personal Reflection and Connection
Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.
1. One of the novel’s key themes is building community across cultures. Within your own life, who has shown you the value of learning from diverse perspectives? What do you think it takes to build a truly strong and inclusive community?
2. The novel’s characters seek to find a balance between mercy and justice. When do you think it’s necessary for people to take justice into their own hands, and when do you think it’s better to forgive?
3. Do you believe that the sort of karmic or divine justice demonstrated by Doc Roberts’s death and the hurricane exists in real life? Why or why not?
4. Opening Camp Chona helps Moshe honor his wife’s memory and process his grief. Within your own life, can you think of any examples of people who have created something positive out of their pain?
Societal and Cultural Context
Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.
1. How does McBride use Dodo’s character to challenge racism and ableism? What lessons does his story of resilience offer readers?
2. Chicken Hill’s Black and Jewish residents protect one another throughout the novel. How does the story confront intersectional injustices and demonstrate the importance of solidarity and community in a modern world that often feels isolating?
Literary Analysis
Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.
1. The novel contains several examples of life-changing intercultural friendships. Select two and discuss how these relationships contribute to the novel’s structure, themes, and overall meaning.
2. Discuss the importance of the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store as a setting and a motif related to community. How does this setting contribute to the novel’s structure and Dodo and Chona’s character development?
3. How is Nate shaped by the theme of the balance of mercy and justice? How does the conclusion of his character arc contribute to the theme and the novel’s overall meaning?
4. How does McBride develop marbles into a symbol of generosity? How does this symbol contribute to the layers of meaning around Dodo’s relationships with Chona and Monkey Pants?
Creative Engagement
Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.
1. Are there any characters that you would like to see explored further? Imagine a sequel or companion novel that would continue their story. What do you think they would do next?
2. Would you rather see the novel adapted into a film or a TV series, and why? Whom would you cast as the lead roles, and what lessons would you hope that viewers would take away from the adaptation?
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By James McBride
