Deacon King Kong: A Novel

I loved this book. Sportcoat is a wonderful character; a flawed human making mistakes but also making a difference in his community. He’s joined by a colorful cast of characters including drug dealers and Italian mobsters as a series of near misses almost does him in. It’s more of a fable about what is truly valuable in this life and how, because of our own blindness, we often miss it. I found it a joy to read and the ending was quite satisfying. Sportcoat is now with his dear Hettie and, at least at this point in time, 1969 or thereabouts, all is right in the world.

Well written and a tour of different lives striving to do better in the face of societies’ ills and unfairness.

“The fact is, no one in the projects really knew why Sportcoat shot Deems—not even Sportcoat himself.” (p3)This novel has a lot in common with McBride’s more recent “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store”; any reader who enjoyed one of the two will almost certainly like the other. Both are compelling stories about the difficult lives of a diverse group of (mostly) lower-class folks struggling to get by. Both are sad and hopeful, tragic and humorous. The major difference between the two is the setting – “Grocery Store” takes place in a small town northwest of Philadelphia, while “Deacon” sets us down in the projects of New York City.And what a difference the setting makes! At first, I found it hard to relate to the characters in “Deacon” (murderers, mobsters, dealers, addicts), while the small-town folks in “Grocery Store” felt a little more comfortable and familiar. But here’s the thing. In both stories, McBride wants us to see the humanity in his characters and identify with their struggles. In “Grocery Store” it wasn’t hard for me to do that. But McBride pulled it off in “Deacon” as well: I recognized the murderers, mobsters, dealers, and addicts as people, found them interesting, and cared about them. I think you will too. Deep into the story, when you begin to feel it happening, it will startle you.

McBride expertly drops the reader into the projects in Brooklyn in 1969. His level of descriptive writing ability is rare and impressive. McBride plays on several themes as he weaves multiple story lines into a fully connected, cohesive plot. This is a technique that I personally enjoy seeing play out and I was overall pleased with the journey.The primary themes in this story are friendship, family, humanity in criminality, mentorship, loss, poverty and home. The story immediately opens with action when a church deacon shoots a drug dealer. This is the primary plot line around which all other plots play out, until most are connected and resolved by the end of the novel. There are three main character groupings which are criminals, church attendees and police officers. The story illustrates the interesting complexities of relationships between these groups. For example, the drug dealer that the church deacon shoots is a 19-year-old young man that the deacon has known since the drug dealer was a small boy, and the deacon used to coach him in baseball and teach him at Sunday school.There are multiple characters to keep track of in the novel and many of the characters have at least two names, one nickname and their actual name which is more rarely used. At points I wished I was reading an e-book, so I could highlight a character name and see where it had first appeared in the novel so I could recall the character’s relationship to others and origin.McBride effectively crafts dialogue that sounds like it authentically portrays each group which helps to get the reader into the story. The dialogue is at times so funny that I laughed out loud. The characters live in a dangerous place but despite the fact the plot was life-threateningly serious, McBride paints characters that seem accustomed and desensitized to the constant danger, and they still have moments of joy, celebration, and happiness despite it.The “Cause Houses” as a setting is practically another main character in the story. Most of the characters live in the Cause Houses and some are responsible for the care taking of it. If you are a reader who enjoys a strong sense of place, and you want to learn what it is like to live in a housing project, then you will appreciate this aspect.If you are considering reading this book, be aware that McBride subjects the reader to periodic seemingly pointless rants on what appear to be disconnected topics such as lengthy descriptions of ants and cheese. I will admit I started to feel frustrated during these points, and wished McBride wasn’t quite so descriptive, as I was left grasping to connect these random descriptions to the plot line. However, if you continue to follow the through line, McBride will lead you to the connection eventually. (I still wish I hadn’t read the ant portion, however, as it painted images in my mind I’d rather forget.)

I am having a very difficult time how to write of this wonderful story. There is so much in the story, and the the depiction of the characters, the setting, and the circumstances the characters live in makes for a fine, sweet, funny tale.The story is set in the late 1960's in a fictional housing project in South Brooklyn. The central character is a 70 year old black man who spends most of his time swilling the homegrown liquor made my a friend of his. This character is only known by the name Sportcoat. As a matter of fact, almost all the characters have some other name other than their birth name. The story opens with the event of Sportcoat, in a drunken state, taking an ancient pistol and shooting the local drug dealer, who has been perpetrating the scourge of heroin in the community. Sportcoat has no memory of this activity, but it serves a beginning of a tale of the crime community, the strong influence of the small church community and the life of the residents of the broken down projects where they live. Life there is a hard life and for most, it is the only life they will ever know. The temptation of fast money is too strong for many and use the dark and terrible world of drug dealing to make a better life (or their perception of a better life) for themselves. The older members of the community are appalled by this horrible disease as they have made a life, difficult though it may be, and try to live a good and honorable life.Mr. McBride weaves a wonderful funny tale while drawing the story of the black people who struggle to eke out an existence in a white world. It is a tale of loyalty, humor, pathos and love. The characters grow and make discoveries of their own lives and character. There is a mystery and there is danger. Yet the faith and trust prevails and we are all the better for their personal journeys.I highly recommend this book. Please read it and share with others. It is an uplifting story in these disturbing times.

This author never disappoints.Good enough for use in any book club

As familiar a story as our own lives and our own lies. A little bit of Americana that matters more than most. Give the Deacon his due.

This novel was recommended by the New York Times. Once I got to know the characters, I became charmed by their stories. I was sad to reach the end but left with a warm fuzzy feeling.It is set in Brooklyn in the housing projects where the author was born and brought up. The year is 1969, but Apollo 11 is a very long way off. It is cleverly referenced by the moonflowers growing in the empty lots of Red Hook. And cheese!The story begins with a shooting, introducing us to the victim, Deems, and the shooter, an eccentric old man, nicknamed Deacon King Kong after his preferred illicit brew. This is only one of several plot lines played out by a wonderful cast of characters, managed beautifully by the author. James MacBride gives the best lines to the old people.The Cause Houses are grim as heroin moves into an abandoned community. The Italians who came to work the docks are [almost] all gone, and the wharfs are used by smugglers. Heroin is coming in on the tide. Most of the characters bemoan the decline, but the little gospel church, Five Ends Baptist, stands strong and traditional values are held firm by the older female congregants. They have faith and the story offers hope.There are similarities with Visitation Street by Ivy Pochoda, also set in Red Hook, with a diverse cast and a great read.

Life is hard all around us. Good literature helps us to see the spark of deep humanity and our ability to discover humanity even in the most desparate surroundings. It gives us hope that there can be a brighter future for us if we look beyond all prejudices and biases, no matter where you see yourself in our new BIPOCW world.Deacon King Kong is such a story. Full of heart, humor, tough reality. I was reminded of John Steinbeck's Cannery Row which showed a deeply human community in the midst of a tough world. James McBride has given us a 2010s version of it.This will make a great gift - for yourself, of course!

The story is great and the writing is fantastic. Highly recommended.