Deacon King Kong

In September 1969, an old church deacon known as Sportcoat shuffled into the courtyard of the Cause Houses housing project in south Brooklyn and shot a drug dealer point-blank. In Deacon King Kong, McBride brings to life the people affected by the shooting. The victim, African-American and Latinx residents who witnessed it, white neighbors, local cops assigned to investigate, members of Five Ends Baptist Church where Sportcoat was a deacon, and neighborhood Italian mobsters all make an appearance in the story that unfolds. When the truth does emerge, it becomes clear that the lives of the characters overlap in unexpected ways. McBride shows us that not all secrets are meant to be hidden; that growing up means facing change without fear; and that love grows from hope and compassion.