Deacon King Kong

Deacon King Kong

Author	James McBride
Language	English
Genre	Literary fiction
Set in	Brooklyn, 1969
Publisher	Riverhead Books
Publication date	March 3, 2020
Pages	370 pp. (hardcover 1st ed.)
ISBN	9780735216723 (hardcover 1st ed.)
OCLC	1122690620
Dewey Decimal	813/.6
LC Class	PS3613.C28 D43 2020

Deacon King Kong is a novel by James McBride. It notably won the Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence for Fiction, Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Fiction, and Thurber Prize for American Humor.

Narrative

The story unfolds in September 1969 Brooklyn and centers around volatile Cuffy Lambkin, nicknamed "Sportcoat". Sportcoat, a heavy drinker and church deacon, shocks his community by publicly shooting a young drug dealer, Deems Clemens, in broad daylight at the Cause Houses housing project. The incident sets off a chain of events involving the church community, local gangsters, the police, and residents of the housing complex. As secrets about Sportcoat, Deems, and others come to light, the novel explores their interconnected lives during a period of social and personal upheaval.

Release

It was published in the United States on March 3, 2020.

Critical reception

The novel was by and large praised by critics. According to Book Marks, the book received a "rave" consensus, based on thirty-two critics: twenty-four "rave", seven "positive", and one "mixed". ^[1] In the May/June 2020 issue of Bookmarks , the book was scored four out of five. The magazine's critical summary reads: "But, with its hilarious, digressive energy masking its serious undertones, Deacon King Kong is a work of both chaos and beauty". ^{[2] [3]}

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2020	Booklist Editors' Choice	Adult Audio	Won	[4]
	Goodreads Choice Awards	Historical Fiction	Nominated–14th	[5]
	Kirkus Prize	Fiction	Shortlisted	[6]
	New York City Book Award	—	Won
2021	Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence	Fiction	Won	[7]
	Anisfield-Wolf Book Award	Fiction	Won	[8]
	Audie Award	Literary Fiction & Classics	Shortlisted	[9]
	Dayton Literary Peace Prize	Fiction	Shortlisted	[10]
	Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award	—	Shortlisted	[11]
	Thurber Prize for American Humor	—	Won	[12]

References

1. "Deacon King Kong". Book Marks. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
2. "Deacon King Kong". Bookmarks. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
3. "Deacon King Kong". Bookmarks. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
4. "Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Audio, 2020". Booklist.
5. "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Historical Fiction!". Goodreads. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
6. "2020 Kirkus Prize Finalists". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
7. "2021 Winners | Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence". American Library Association. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
8. "Introducing Our Class of 2021". Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
9. "AudioFile, Discover the World of Audiobooks". AudioFile Magazine. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
10. "2020 & 2021 Awards – Dayton Literary Peace Prize" . Retrieved December 22, 2024.
11. "Mark Twain Award Shortlist Announced". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
12. "Past Finalists & Winners | The Thurber Prize". www.thurberprize.org. Retrieved December 22, 2024.

External links

• Deacon King Kong on Goodreads
• Deacon King Kong at LibraryThing