The Downtown New Rochelle Community Bookclub

Welcome to The Downtown New Rochelle Community Bookclub! Join us for a fun and engaging book discussion right in the heart of downtown. Our club meets in person to chat about our latest read, share our thoughts, and connect with fellow book lovers in the community. Whether you're a seasoned reader or just starting to dive into books, everyone is welcome to join our meeting. Be a part of our book-loving community!

We will be providing non-alcoholic drinks and light snacks at the meeting.

Our January book is Deacon King Kong!

About the book:

The funny, sharp, and surprising story of the shooting of a Brooklyn drug dealer and the people who witnessed it—from James McBride, author of the National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird
In September 1969, a fumbling, cranky old church deacon known in the neighborhood as Sportcoat shuffles into the courtyard of the Causeway Housing project in south Brooklyn, pulls a .38 from his pocket, and in front of everybody shoots the project's drug dealer at point-blank range.
The reasons for this desperate burst of violence and the consequences that spring from it lie at the heart of Deacon King Kong, James McBride's novel and his first since his National Book Award-winning The Good Lord Bird. In McBride brings to vivid life the people affected by the shooting: the victim, the African-American and Latinx residents who witnessed it, the white neighbors, the local NYPD cops assigned to investigate what happened, the members of the Five Ends Baptist Church where Sportcoat was deacon, the neighborhood's Italian mobsters, and Sportcoat himself.
As the story deepens, it becomes clear that the lives of the characters—caught in the tumultuous swirl of New York in the late 1960s—overlap in unexpected ways. When the truth finally emerges, McBride shows us that not all secrets can be hidden, that the best way to grow is to face change without fear, and that the seeds of love lie in compassion and hope.

Don't forget to bring book suggestions for our February meeting!

Host or Publisher Cassie C