Today is the discussion day for our Read With Us fall selection, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. Kym, Carole, and I are each posting discussion questions on our blogs today, and you are welcome to respond in the comments. I would also encourage you to reply to others' comments if you choose. This is a book discussion, after all, so there are no correct answers or right opinions. I've been looking forward to discussing this book ever since I finished it, and I don't know of a better bunch of people for a book discussion than all of you.
Here are my questions. McBride has said that his inspiration for this novel came from his Orthodox Jewish grandmother, Hudis Shilsky, whom he never knew, and Sy Friend, the director of the Variety Club Camp where McBride worked. Hudis Shilsky led a tragic life and died at the age of 46. Are there themes present in the book that these real-life people may have contributed to? Did McBride “set things right” for his grandmother through the character of Chona? Can you see traces of Sy Friend and the camp he ran in the book?
I'm almost always interested in who or what inspired an author to write their novels, and I'll be glad to share my thoughts about these questions tonight during our Zoom discussion. These questions on our blogs and the Zoom discussion are your chance to express your ideas.
I'm really looking forward to this discussion! Although I haven't researched it much at all, I have a feeling this book is likely McBride's most autobiographical (or at least most directly influenced by his own life) work of fiction. The most obvious influence was his experience working at the camp and seeing how much good could come from people working together to help those with disabilities. I think it was also an interesting exploration of his Jewish heritage alongside his Black heritage, and I just loved the community he created, where two communities who were discriminated against joined together.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way about this book being highly influenced by his life. I love how he gave his grandmother a good life in the character of Chona and how he worked Sy Friend and the Variety camp into the story. Because it seemed autobiographical, I could begin to understand how he wanted to include all the characters and tell all their stories.
DeleteI saw the PBS interview with McBride before I read the book... so perhaps that colored my thinking, but I very much saw the thread of McBride's growing up running through the book. It very much felt like a "what if" story... what if this is the way it was, what if this is the way it could be, what if we could just be a connected community. His writing made me think about all the "what if" possibilities!
ReplyDeleteThe accepting communities were definitely the best part of this book, and I do love your description of it as a "what if" story. What if and if only things could be this way!
DeleteI have not finished listening to the book (and still hoping to get the hard copy soon), but I'm looking forward to the discussion.
ReplyDeleteMe, too! I look forward to seeing you tonight, Vera.
DeleteI'm looking forward to our discussion tonight!!
ReplyDeleteMe, too! I thought it was a good one!
DeleteI didn't know about the inspiration for the novel. I found it had a lot of characters but it really brought out the sense of community that they lived with.
ReplyDeleteI thought the sense of community was one of the best things about this book!
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