Community

Although McBride investigates the connections that his characters forge across lines of race and class throughout the novel, its ultimate, overarching interest is in the power of community. By spending time observing the actions of Moshe and Chona Ludlow throughout their early lives in Chicken Hill, McBride interrogates the question of how community is forged in spite of divisive social factors. Furthermore, he uses the novel's conclusion in order to elaborate on the power of community in creating social uplift for marginalized individuals.

When Chona and Moshe first begin running their businesses in Chicken Hill, they stand as the last remaining Jewish family in the area; most of the other Jewish people have moved away to a different, more affluent part of town as they have begun to assimilate into white society and achieve financial independence. Although Moshe is tempted to do the same, Chona encourages...