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Steve Brezenoff

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Brooklyn, Burning Kindle Edition

by Steve Brezenoff (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3.9 38 ratings

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When you're sixteen and no one understands who you are, sometimes the only choice left is to run. If you're lucky, you find a place that accepts you, no questions asked. And if you're really lucky, that place has a drum set, a place to practice, and a place to sleep. For Kid, the streets of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, are that place. Over the course of two scorching summers, Kid falls hopelessly in love and then loses nearly everything and everyone worth caring about. But as summer draws to a close, Kid finally finds someone who can last beyond the sunset.

Brooklyn, Burning is a fearless and unconventional love story. Brezenoff never identifies the gender of his two main characters, and readers will draw their own conclusions about Kid and Scout. Whatever they decide, Brooklyn, Burning is not a book any teen reader will soon forget.

Brooklyn, Burning is the story of two summers in Brooklyn, two summers of fires, music, loss, and ultimately, love.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The question raised by all this is not whether their love will last but, rather, do their genders and sexual identities matter." --Booklist

"This will appeal to readers who enjoyed David Levithan's Love Is the Higher Law." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Brooklyn, Burning, an edgy tale of star-crossed street kids unified by music and a desire to catch a break, speaks clearly to the urgency of adolescence." --Mpls.St.Paul

"For readers with little use for labels, it's an intimate yet wonderfully open rock ‘n' roll love story." --Publishers Weekly

"A lyrical, understated punk-kid love song to Brooklyn and to chosen family.... The tone is as raw, down-to-earth and transcendent as the music Scout and Kid ultimately make together." --Kirkus Reviews

"A moving, personal story of friendship, loss, and love, Brezenoff's novel is also a tender tribute to all LGBTQ youth." --The Horn Book Magazine

"Parts of Brooklyn are evocatively portrayed with descriptions that show Brezenoff intimately knows, or remembers, this part of New York and loves it." --VOYA

About the Author

Steve Brezenoff has written several chapter books for young readers, and The Absolute Value of -1 is his first novel for teens. Though Steve grew up in a suburb on Long Island, he now lives with his wife, their kids, and their terrier, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005R9EEOW
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Carolrhoda Lab ® (August 1, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 1, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2507 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 212 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1467716251

Best Sellers Rank: #2,011,177 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
3.9 38 ratings

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Steve Brezenoff

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Steve Brezenoff is the author of young adult novels Guy in Real Life; The Absolute Value of -1; and Brooklyn, Burning, as well as dozens of chapter books for younger readers. He grew up on Long Island, spent his twenties in Brooklyn, and now lives in Minneapolis with his wife, Beth, who is also a writer for children, and their children Sam and Etta.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5

38 global ratings

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C Davis

Powerful

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2019

Verified Purchase

This became my favorite book several pages in, and now that i’ve finished i can say that more confidently. I’m picky about my books, and i can say the writing style is absolutely gorgeous. I lost my breath so many times throughout this novel just with the diction, the way it’s set up and the story. If you’re into self-discovery books, romance, or really just books that make you think about life in general please give it a read. This has changed me a bit. Also it is true that Kid and Scout’s genders are never specified: I projected a lot with that one, myself being some kind of trans and some kind of not straight. Another thing with that, too: It’s really not in your face. I look up lgbt books and shut down the ones that immediately make the whole thing about the being trans or being gay, no characterization or anything. But this book is about Kid, as a Person. And Scout, as another Person and many other people and their intertwined lives. Beautiful book.

One person found this helpful

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Acquisitions, UNLV Libraries

No Problem

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2015

No Problem

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2015

Verified Purchase

This book is not describable for me; it's a thing the reader has to live through to have a clue what it is. It's poetic and graceful and vital. It contains inescapable questions but the answers don't matter. The connections between characters tell me everything I need to know about the universe: that love and comfort and care are what it's all about, and in the end, what survives. Mr Brenzenoff, thank you for one of the best experiences of my reading life.

One person found this helpful

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Tim K

Meh

Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2020

Verified Purchase

Very, very underwhelmed. The only thing notable is the gender-less characters. Other than that, not much to talk about.

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Idigia

Very light teenagers reading with a good message about grief.

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2014

Verified Purchase

This is a book for young people that goes beyond gender barriers. It romantizices one of the ugliest parts of Brooklyn as a home for a street kid.
The caracters do not have any depth, which I found disturbing, also, the autor seems to know a lot about LGBT teenagers and northern Brooklyn, but has no idea about music. His impressive descriptions of places falls short when trying to describe music and can't even name a rythm.
Overall, the best part is to show confused kids, about their gender, sexual orientation, their parents or their role in life, that they are not alone and that they need to face their fears and allow themselves to grief after losing a beloved person.

One person found this helpful

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Benjamin (Ace Of Bens)

Loved it!

Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2019

I’ve had Brooklyn Burning on my shelf for over a year, and the whole reason I even bought this was because a friend was gushing about it on Twitter two years ago. But honestly, they’re the only person I’ve ever heard talking about it, so I suppose that’s the reason why I hesitated on starting this. But I started a TBR Jar to get me to read some books that I own and have had for-literally-ever, and this was the second pick from it! (The first was #Prettyboy Must Die, but I enjoyed this one so much more.)

The thing that stuck out to me most about the book is that it’s told in first and second person. Essentially, the main character, Kid, is telling the story through their eyes to the love interest, Scout. It’s such an interesting way to read a story because it felt like I was overhearing someone’s conversation. It didn’t feel like Kid was talking to me, because “you” is a character in the story. I’m obviously not. This is definitely a trend that books about non-binary characters in like 2015 and before have used to avoid pronouns, but this was well-done. It didn’t feel like that’s what he was trying to do.

Like me go back to the whole “non-binary characters” thing. So this certainly isn’t the most explicit rep, and it’s not Own Voices either. Brooklyn Burning was published in 2011, which was such a different world than the one we live in now when it comes to queer rights and their progress. So neither Kid nor Scout are non-binary on the page. Still, you can tell because pronouns are never used for either of them and there are no gendered descriptions. They’re just people.

Most of the named characters in the story have no problem with either of them being who they are. Kid has problems with their parents, but they have Fish who owns a bar in Brooklyn and is very much a “tough love” type of person, and Jeremy who come around in the summers and is kind of like the good cop to Fish’s bad cop. And now they have Scout and this whole book is about found family and showing that you don’t have to forgive your biological family if they’re Not Good™.

So what is Brooklyn Burning about? It’s about A LOT. There is so much going on in these 200 pages, because they take place over the course of two consecutive summers.

It’s about social class! The main characters are all working class people. A bigger plot point is a gross millionaire looking to get richer by taking over an abandoned building where a ton of homeless people live and turning it into a business.

It’s about falling in love! As I mentioned in the content warnings, Kid has a relationship at sixteen(?) with someone who is WAY older than them and is super bad for them. But then they fall in love with Scout. This is such a sweet love story that ties in so well with the other sub-plot of self-acceptance and self-confidence.

It’s about growing up! This part of the story is done in a great way that I don’t see so much of in books, especially YA. Brooklyn Burning switches between two summers—I want to say it’s the summers of 2009 and 2010?—and this is an interesting way to show character growth, especially for Kid. I really enjoyed the way that the past and present were shown in such a contrast of each other, and it made me realize that this is an aspect I’d love to see in more stories.

FINAL THOUGHT
I’m finished rambling now! This is a really raw, beautiful, and underrated book. I’m so glad I stumbled across this because I feel like it’s always going to hold a special place in my heart. If you’re a fan of complex coming of age stories with casual (albeit possibly too casual) queer rep, definitely pick up a copy of this.

2 people found this helpful

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Donald

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2015

Verified Purchase

Great book

One person found this helpful

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