Dear Great Book Guru,  Sea Cliff seems  quiet this time of year but very beautiful. Like many folks, I will be leaving here for a few days so I will need a good book to read while vacationing- something fast moving, possibly a local setting, and thought-provoking.  Suggestions? 

Reluctant Vacationer

Dear Reluctant Vacationer, Yes- I too find it hard to leave Sea Cliff even for a short vacation, but I do have a book that will make the time go quickly : BED-STUY IS BURNING by Brian Platzer.  Platzer touches on an amazing array of topics in this 330 page first novel.  Aaron the main character is a non-believing ex-rabbi fired because he was caught embezzling funds to support a gambling addiction. He is living with a pop star journalist Amelia and their newborn son Simon in a beautifully restored brownstone they recently purchased on a block in a neighborhood that is quickly becoming gentrified.  The story opens with the shooting of a 12 year-old child by the police. Residents rally to protest this act and when the police respond by arresting a group of high school students for turnstile jumping, the situation become even more inflamed.  By the end of the day, the streets are littered with victims and Aaron’s family is barricaded in the once beautiful brownstone.     This book makes for an uncomfortable but rewarding read- probably because it questions so many of our beliefs and ideas about American society.  Recommended!