Deacon King Kong

In a housing project in south Brooklyn, a shambling old church deacon called Sportcoat shoots – for no apparent reason – the local drug-dealer who used to be part of the church’s baseball team.

The repercussions of that moment draw in the whole community, from Sportcoat’s best friend – Hot Sausage – to the local Italian mobsters, the police (corrupt and otherwise), and the stalwart ladies of the Five Ends Baptist Church. Deacon King Kong is a book about a community under threat, about the ways people pull together in an age when the old rules are being rewritten.

It is very funny in places, and heartbreaking in others.

From a prize-winning storyteller, this New York Times bestseller shows us that not all secrets are meant to be hidden, and that the communities we build are fragile but vital. From the winner of a National Book Award and author of the bestselling memoir,The Color of Water, and The Good Lord Bird, a TV series starring Ethan Hawke’A hilarious, pitch-perfect comedy set in the Brooklyn projects of the late 1960s.

This alone may qualify it as one of the year’s best novels.’

The Washington PostWhat Goodreads readers are saying:

'Deacon King Kong is one of those novels whose brilliance sneaks up on you.'

I haven’t been this pleasantly surprised by a book in a while.’

‘I do believe I just finished one of my all time favorite books.

I loved every minute spent with Sportcoat and his community.

A good old fashioned yarn shot through with truth, spirit, and humor.