The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride  385 pp.

This is the latest book by the author of The Good Lord Bird which I think is an excellent historical fiction novel. This one is also historical fiction which begins in 1972 with the finding of a skeleton and a mezuzah in an abandoned well on Chicken Hill in Pottstown, Pennsylvania. The story of the body and mezuzah are then explained by a flash back to earlier in the century and the residents of Chicken Hill which were mostly hard working Jewish immigrants and African-Americans who weren't wanted in the white town. Moshe and Chona Ludlow are the main characters. Moshe runs a theater in town where popular vaudeville and musical acts perform. Chona grew up on Chicken Hill and runs the grocery store on the hill, a store which makes no profit because she makes sure to provide for those who cannot buy. She frequently angers the people in town with her left of center political activity. Nate, the African-American janitor at the Moshe's theater asks the Ludlows for help protecting his deaf nephew, Dodo, who the state wants to institutionalize. But when Chona is attacked by the town's evil doctor and Dodo defends her, he ends up in the horrible state home for the insane. The residents of Chicken Hill join together with the friends and family of the Ludlows to rescue Dodo. The mystery of the body in the well is explained at the end. In addition to the main characters there are many other residents of the hill with small but important parts to the story and interesting names like Fatty, Big Soap, Paper, Son of Man, Monkey Pants, Miggy, and more. All serve to flesh out the story and the plot which is far from linear.   

Tress of the Emerald Sea

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson, 369 pages

Tress lives on a rock in the middle of the Emerald Sea. Except that the rock is an island where nobody (except fancy noblemen) is allowed to leave, and the sea isn't water but green spores that burst into fast-growing vines when they come into contact with liquid. Tress is happy with her life there, but when her beloved Charlie (a duke's son who pretends to be the gardener) is kidnapped by the Sorceress while traversing the many spore seas, Tress decides that she must do everything in her power to rescue him. Much derring-do and piracy ensues.

In an afterword to the book, Sanderson notes that he set out to write something akin to The Princess Bride, if only Buttercup had gone out to rescue Wesley instead of assuming he was dead. As much as I love the classic book and movie, Sanderson is on to something, and his book is a fantastic reimagining of that idea. Tress is a level-headed woman who takes on challenges one step at a time, learning a lot about herself as she searches for her beloved. Really, I aspire to Tress's level of cool competency and bravery. An excellent novel, with a great mix of adventure and whimsy. My only regret is that I read the hardcover, which doesn't have the cool illustrations (or the cover shown here) that accompany the original paperback — I would have loved to see a portrait of Hoid (a man cursed with bad taste) in all his glory.

Volume Control

Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World / David Owen, 292 p.

Interesting, thoughtfully written overview of current and historic issues surrounding deafness and hearing loss, with a particular focus on the development of assistive technology.  Worth reading, as most of us who have the good fortune of living to old age will experience some level of hearing loss.