"The white folks here just color it different. They don't mind you sitting next to them on the subway or riding the bus in the front seat. But if you ask for the same pay or want to live next door or get so beat down you don't want to stand up and sing about how great America is, they'll bust down on you so hard pus will come out your ears."

A humorous and tender story about the many lives that meet at the intersection of Five Ends Baptist Church and the Cause Houses projects in 1960s Brooklyn.

I loved this book! It is an entertainment. It is a mystery. It is a history lesson. It is an unraveling of the intricacies of race, age, gender, and generational relations. It is a portrait of human decency, and fallibility. It is a masterclass in writing.

The way McBride wove together multiple subplots to actualize the main plot is nothing short of genius. His writing fully captures the poignant silliness of life while leading you toward much deeper soul-searching. I laughed. I was touched. I was in awe. The characters are enchanting and funny and real and insightful and so damn human. I just wanted to spend as much time with them as possible and cannot recommend it enough.