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perfect_leaves's review
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
amdame1's review against another edition
3.0
Set on the streets of Brooklyn, Kid has been kicked out by his parents so he sleeps in various places pursuing music and love. When an abandoned warehouse burns down, Kid is the prime suspect.
jswense's review against another edition
5.0
This book is bursting with truth and with love. Kid and Scout completely won my heart.
reluming's review against another edition
3.0
It’s summer in Brooklyn, and summer, for Kid, is the season of freedom and music and love. Last summer, Kid fell in love with Felix. This summer, someone new appears: Scout. Scout arrives in Brooklyn, holding a flyer that Kid and Felix once made and asking for Felix. But Felix is gone. And as the summer goes on and Kid falls in love again, the truth about what happened—with Felix, with the warehouse that for a time was Kid and Felix’s home but has recently been burnt down—gradually comes out.
BROOKLYN, BURNING did not really affect me as much as I thought it would. For one thing, the novel is quite disjointed. It’s very short, coming in at under 200 pages. I found it hard to get into; I started it several times and had to give up because the beginning just did not hold my attention. I did finally manage to read the whole book, but because it’s so short, by the time I actually got into it, it was already almost over.
Still, I do find this book interesting for several reasons. I think this is the first book about homeless youth I’ve read (if I’ve read any other ones, I don’t remember them). Brezenoff appreciates the fact that homeless youth are disproportionately LGBTQ, and this is represented in the novel and mentioned in the Author’s Notes at the end. BROOKLYN, BURNING is also one of the few books out there where the gender of the narrator isn’t explicit, and neither is the gender of the love interest. (The only other I can think of is David Levithan’s THE LOVER’S DICTIONARY.) Brezenoff pulls this off with remarkable skill. He uses the first person, and addresses the love interest as “you”. The names of both characters are also gender neutral (“Kid” and “Scout”). There is one bit in the book which suggests that the narrator is genderqueer/non-binary—when Kid’s father says, disparagingly, “I’ve got the only kid I know who doesn’t know whether to be straight or gay or a girl or a boy or what.” However, this is of course coming from someone else, and the book never tells us what gender Kid actually identifies as. I’m inclined to go with genderqueer because I think that reflects how Kid is written and the themes of the book. Kid is also shown as attracted to people regardless of their gender in the book, so they’re probably bi/pan.
I do like Brezenoff’s prose; it's lyrical, reads smoothly and has its glimmering moments of beauty. But on the whole, the book is just too short and even at its length, it meanders with no real purpose or momentum. I don’t think it digs deep enough into the issues of its subject matter. Just a few hours after finishing the book, the only impression it’s left on me is one of a hazy dream, barely recollected upon waking. I wouldn’t be averse to reading more of Brezenoff’s work, however, because I know he can write. I’m just not sure there was enough material in BROOKLYN, BURNING to sustain a whole novel rather than, say, a short story.
BROOKLYN, BURNING did not really affect me as much as I thought it would. For one thing, the novel is quite disjointed. It’s very short, coming in at under 200 pages. I found it hard to get into; I started it several times and had to give up because the beginning just did not hold my attention. I did finally manage to read the whole book, but because it’s so short, by the time I actually got into it, it was already almost over.
Still, I do find this book interesting for several reasons. I think this is the first book about homeless youth I’ve read (if I’ve read any other ones, I don’t remember them). Brezenoff appreciates the fact that homeless youth are disproportionately LGBTQ, and this is represented in the novel and mentioned in the Author’s Notes at the end. BROOKLYN, BURNING is also one of the few books out there where the gender of the narrator isn’t explicit, and neither is the gender of the love interest. (The only other I can think of is David Levithan’s THE LOVER’S DICTIONARY.) Brezenoff pulls this off with remarkable skill. He uses the first person, and addresses the love interest as “you”. The names of both characters are also gender neutral (“Kid” and “Scout”). There is one bit in the book which suggests that the narrator is genderqueer/non-binary—when Kid’s father says, disparagingly, “I’ve got the only kid I know who doesn’t know whether to be straight or gay or a girl or a boy or what.” However, this is of course coming from someone else, and the book never tells us what gender Kid actually identifies as. I’m inclined to go with genderqueer because I think that reflects how Kid is written and the themes of the book. Kid is also shown as attracted to people regardless of their gender in the book, so they’re probably bi/pan.
I do like Brezenoff’s prose; it's lyrical, reads smoothly and has its glimmering moments of beauty. But on the whole, the book is just too short and even at its length, it meanders with no real purpose or momentum. I don’t think it digs deep enough into the issues of its subject matter. Just a few hours after finishing the book, the only impression it’s left on me is one of a hazy dream, barely recollected upon waking. I wouldn’t be averse to reading more of Brezenoff’s work, however, because I know he can write. I’m just not sure there was enough material in BROOKLYN, BURNING to sustain a whole novel rather than, say, a short story.
xallroyx21's review
4.0
It took awhile to get into this one. The story goes back and forth between two summers and there is ambiguity in what sex the narrator, Kid, is. I finally just read and got into the love story. The sad tale is heartbreaking at times. How can parents throw their kids out on the street? This review is disjointed, but so is the book.
himissjulie's review
A teen version of Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson--a high compliment.
themaddiest's review
3.0
Kid’s parents don’t understand. Trying to find a place to accept Kid, Kid ends up in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Over the course of two summers, Kid falls hopelessly in love and learns about life and loss. Summer draws to a close, and Kid has to face the fact that there are things to learn about life.
If the summary doesn’t sound like it’s doing the book justice, that’s because it’s not. The narrator of Steve Brezenoff’s novel is never identified by gender. Neither is Scout, the person that Kid falls in love with one summer in Brooklyn. This gender-neutrality is intentional and effective. Brezenoff’s novel is a lyrical, understated love story to Brooklyn. Fast-paced this book is not: this is a slow, deliberate story that unfolds in a way that can only be described as complex. It’s not going to work for many readers, but for readers who don’t mind a hearty dose of complexity with their their books: get ready for a doozy of a story.
Based partially on actual events–Brezenoff took the Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse fire of 2006 and crafted a story around it–Kid’s story flashes back and forth in time to help explain why Kid ended up where they did. Unable to make their parents understand, Kid ends up in Brooklyn, looking for a respite from the pressures of home, and ends up falling in love with music and with Scout, another runaway. The flashbacks offer slow but well-done insights into Kid’s situation, and Brezenoff’s careful descriptions of Brooklyn offer specificity and familiarity, making the book’s setting palpable.
The book handles issues of sexual identity, homelessness, and street life with nary a trace of sensationalism. Brezenoff’s skilled writing keeps these issues from overwhelming the story and provides some of the best commentary on youth homelessness that this reviewer has come across in quite some time. The book’s raw tone only enhances its complex characters and situations.
Also notable is Brezenoff’s decision to keep both Kid and Scout’s genders unnamed. Kid’s first-person narrative keeps the reader at somewhat of a distance (which won’t work for all readers), but Kid’s tendency to refer to Scout as “You” is a touch of sheer brilliance. It takes some getting used to, but it really works.
Recommended. This is a notable book.
Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff. Carolrhoda Books, 2011. Electronic galley accepted for review via NetGalley.
If the summary doesn’t sound like it’s doing the book justice, that’s because it’s not. The narrator of Steve Brezenoff’s novel is never identified by gender. Neither is Scout, the person that Kid falls in love with one summer in Brooklyn. This gender-neutrality is intentional and effective. Brezenoff’s novel is a lyrical, understated love story to Brooklyn. Fast-paced this book is not: this is a slow, deliberate story that unfolds in a way that can only be described as complex. It’s not going to work for many readers, but for readers who don’t mind a hearty dose of complexity with their their books: get ready for a doozy of a story.
Based partially on actual events–Brezenoff took the Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse fire of 2006 and crafted a story around it–Kid’s story flashes back and forth in time to help explain why Kid ended up where they did. Unable to make their parents understand, Kid ends up in Brooklyn, looking for a respite from the pressures of home, and ends up falling in love with music and with Scout, another runaway. The flashbacks offer slow but well-done insights into Kid’s situation, and Brezenoff’s careful descriptions of Brooklyn offer specificity and familiarity, making the book’s setting palpable.
The book handles issues of sexual identity, homelessness, and street life with nary a trace of sensationalism. Brezenoff’s skilled writing keeps these issues from overwhelming the story and provides some of the best commentary on youth homelessness that this reviewer has come across in quite some time. The book’s raw tone only enhances its complex characters and situations.
Also notable is Brezenoff’s decision to keep both Kid and Scout’s genders unnamed. Kid’s first-person narrative keeps the reader at somewhat of a distance (which won’t work for all readers), but Kid’s tendency to refer to Scout as “You” is a touch of sheer brilliance. It takes some getting used to, but it really works.
Recommended. This is a notable book.
Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff. Carolrhoda Books, 2011. Electronic galley accepted for review via NetGalley.
jodiwilldare's review
5.0
I cried when I finished reading Brooklyn, Burning by Steve Brezenoff. While I’m generally a crybaby, I wouldn’t need to use my toes to count how many times a novel has made me cry.
But there I was, snuggled into bed turning the last page of this brilliant, profound young adult novel my face wet. They weren’t tears of sadness or regret, it was joy and happiness.
My joy, at first, was for the tender love story between Kid and Scout, two sixteen-year-old runaways who spend the summer in Greenpoint, Brookyln. Kid discovers Scout one morning outside of Fish’s bar, where Kid likes to spend the night whenever Fish allows it. Scout’s clutching a flyer that Kid and Felix made the summer before calling for band members. Oh, before I get too into this I want to say that I love how this books swirls with music, and not just The Replacements’ references. The music writing is beautiful, but this more than a book about teens who like music. Like I said this is a love story, a beautiful love story.
Read More.
But there I was, snuggled into bed turning the last page of this brilliant, profound young adult novel my face wet. They weren’t tears of sadness or regret, it was joy and happiness.
My joy, at first, was for the tender love story between Kid and Scout, two sixteen-year-old runaways who spend the summer in Greenpoint, Brookyln. Kid discovers Scout one morning outside of Fish’s bar, where Kid likes to spend the night whenever Fish allows it. Scout’s clutching a flyer that Kid and Felix made the summer before calling for band members. Oh, before I get too into this I want to say that I love how this books swirls with music, and not just The Replacements’ references. The music writing is beautiful, but this more than a book about teens who like music. Like I said this is a love story, a beautiful love story.
Read More.
hollowspine's review
4.0
A touching and interesting story, mainly about the summer love between Kid and Scout two street kids who share a love of music, mysterious circumstances and the desire to share something that might last longer than summer.
Brezenoff never reveals the gender of Kid and in the beginning of the story neither Scout nor Kid is immediately distinguished with a gender signifier, which I found interesting. That first chapter was appealing to me because it allowed the characters to develop without me being able to immediately peg them as the love-interests of the story. All the characters are given complex and interesting personalities, not one of them would be easy to label, which is another awesome thing about Brezenoff's writing.
All in all, I really enjoyed the book and even though I was a little bit curious by the end to know what Kid's gender was, I'm also fine with the fact that I still don't know. I'm glad that Brezenoff didn't reveal in the end, so no one can say something like, I knew all along that Kid was this or that because when this happened Kid did this which...blah blah blah.
I wonder if Brezenoff knows or if Kid didn't even let him know, I wonder how it was for him to create a character with the gender neutral, if it was difficult, if he needed to go through the story trying to get rid of obvious gender stereotypes for people to try to use?
I never decided what gender Kid was, in some parts Kid seems to have what I would consider a more feminine response, but at other times I thought, Kid seemed very typically masculine. In a way I wish that I could be like that. I wish the world could be more gender neutral.
Brezenoff never reveals the gender of Kid and in the beginning of the story neither Scout nor Kid is immediately distinguished with a gender signifier, which I found interesting. That first chapter was appealing to me because it allowed the characters to develop without me being able to immediately peg them as the love-interests of the story. All the characters are given complex and interesting personalities, not one of them would be easy to label, which is another awesome thing about Brezenoff's writing.
All in all, I really enjoyed the book and even though I was a little bit curious by the end to know what Kid's gender was, I'm also fine with the fact that I still don't know. I'm glad that Brezenoff didn't reveal in the end, so no one can say something like, I knew all along that Kid was this or that because when this happened Kid did this which...blah blah blah.
I wonder if Brezenoff knows or if Kid didn't even let him know, I wonder how it was for him to create a character with the gender neutral, if it was difficult, if he needed to go through the story trying to get rid of obvious gender stereotypes for people to try to use?
I never decided what gender Kid was, in some parts Kid seems to have what I would consider a more feminine response, but at other times I thought, Kid seemed very typically masculine. In a way I wish that I could be like that. I wish the world could be more gender neutral.
rachela1eaf's review
3.0
This was a sweet little story. I don't generally read realistic fiction, and if it had been longer I'm not sure it would have held my attention, but I liked the characters and the setting enough to stick with it for a novella. The prose was fresh, if a little sappy at times, but teenagers are allowed to be. I did feel the pacing was a bit off--big emotional moments seemed to happen and be over super quickly, while the more in-between rambling scenes dragged out a lot. But overall I enjoyed it.