Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

It is September of 1969 and the world is changing at a rapid pace. A man has just walked on the moon, Woodstock has rewritten music history, and the New York Mets are about to win the World Series. But for the residents of Cause Houses, a housing project near the abandoned docks of Brooklyn, the changes are of a much more threatening nature. The amount of drugs in their midst, with the attendant participation of organized crime, has recently exploded, replacing the more petty forms of graft and corruption the neighborhood has tolerated for decades. So, when an elderly drunk known to all as Sportcoat shoots a young drug dealer who he used to coach in baseball and teach in Sunday School, it sets in motion a dizzying array of actions and events, the repercussions of which permanently transform the lives of those living around Cause and the Five Ends Baptist church. In Deacon King Kong, James McBride weaves this amazing story with all the humor, wisdom, and panache that anyone who has read his equally engaging The Good Lord Bird would expect. Taking off from Sportcoat’s singular act of defiance—which he was too drunk on King Kong, his homebrewed libation of choice, to even remember—the author expands rapidly to describe the many likely and unlikely ties that bind together the people belonging to this multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-religion, and multi-generational community. And, to be sure, this tale is nothing if not a celebration of community, taking both the blessings and the warts in the balance. The people of Cause Houses cannot survive without each other—although they certainly would like to try from time to time—and McBride brings out the essential humanity of the collective lives they lead and the secrets they keep for one another. I really liked this book, which was a moving and satisfying reading experience from beginning to end. With Sportcoat (aka Deacon King Kong, for his two most prominent passions), the author has created an unforgettable protagonist for the ages. In fact, McBride does a wonderful job fleshing out all of the many, many characters—Hot Sausage, Sister Gee, The Elephant, Deems, Hettie, and Officer Potts, to name but a very few—that populate this sprawling patchwork of a story. This is a novel that is frequently funny, sometimes grim, occasionally thoughtful and philosophical, but never dull. Above all else, it is a deeply compassionate look at a group of people who never lose faith in themselves or each other, despite facing some very long odds. I can recommend this book without the slightest hesitation.