Bed-Stuy Is Burning

A Novel

By: Brian Platzer

Narrated by: Donald Corren

Do the Right Thing meets The Bonfire of the Vanities in this thrilling novel set over the course of one cataclysmic day when riots erupt in a rapidly gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood.

Aaron, a disgraced rabbi turned Wall Street banker, and Amelia, his journalist girlfriend, live with their newborn in Bedford-Stuyvesant, one of the most dynamic and historically volatile neighborhoods in New York City. The infusion of upwardly mobile professionals into Bed-Stuy's historic brownstones belies the tension simmering on the streets below. But after a cop shoots a boy in a nearby park, conflict escalates to rioting - with Aaron and his family at its center.

Pulled into the riot's vortex are Antoinette, devout nanny to Aaron and Amelia's son; Jupiter, the single father who lives on their block with his son, Derek; Daniel, Aaron's unhinged basement-unit tenant; and Sara, a smart local girl broiling with confusion and rage. As the day unfolds, these diverse characters are forced to reckon with whom they are and what truly matters to them.

With mordant wit and compassion, Platzer conjures a sharp-eyed, fast-paced, and empathetically rendered narrative about a changing neighborhood and its residents as they struggle to raise children, establish careers, and find love, fulfillment, and meaning. Bed-Stuy Is Burning offers a window into an array of complex lives and deftly wrestles with the most pressing issues of our time with unflinching focus, wisdom, and hope.

©2017 Brian Platzer (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Good Story

Overall good story, despite an anticlimactic ending in my opinion. I assume the author is likely a Brooklynite, as the nuances of the story are well-informed. Where this piece really shines from an audio perspective is the narrator. The narrator is excellent at capturing and holding your attention. I guess this is all the more reason to be a tad disappointed at the ending.

The title gave me the impression this story would tackle the effects of gentrification in the "New Brooklyn," with interstate transplant hipsters, new "Nets fans," and the displaced. However, although a valiant effort, it falls short and summarizes best as another cliché white savior take. Kudos for trying.

If you're looking for an interesting story, you've found one. If you're looking for a story that can paint a realistic picture of the intersection of class and race in NYC, you've found it. If you're looking for a story about how the new Brooklynites are drastically changing the cultural fabric of a vibrant landscape, look elsewhere.

Commerce is the new tool of conquest. Gentrification is violence.