New Book Alert

Everyone and their grandmother has been posting about author/Brooklynite/general rabble-rauser Amy Sohn for writing a new book which "reveals" (shock) that people in their late 30's and 40's who are parents in Brooklyn drink and party too much. You can read her excerpt here. There's also a big "is she/isn't she" backlash about whether the stories are true, or if she's just trying to start an ESCALANDO! That, along with piece after piece about children in bars, I feel the need to respond.

Yes, there are parents who are like the ones Amy mentions. I used to bartend for these people, and frankly, seeing someone who is a nightly regular when they have children at home is kind of sad. Then there are the handful of people I see in my neighborhood who bring their babies and children to a bar - and stay past 7:00pm. This is not to say they are bad parents; it's just not something that most people do. The parents Sohn describes are just a small representation of those in Brooklyn. And while the majority of the parents I know aren't like this, a book about responsible parenting isn't going to be as interesting.

I could write a thousand page novel about some of the shit I saw fully grown adults doing at my bar, but again, it's not a representation of everyone who patronized the joint. Amy Sohn may come across as a fame-grubbing scandalous whistleblower, but I say, read her book if you want - she's telling true stories, and I'll bet they are interesting. Does she want to stoke a fire? Sure, maybe, and it's working. But at the end of the day, it's not about everyone over 40 in Brooklyn. Just the ones who peaked in High School.