Birthday Book Recs 6/50 : Brookland by Emily Barton
Brookland by Emily Barton
Birthday Book Recs: 6/50
Brookland by Emily Barton
I mentioned in my post about Paule Marshall’s Brown Girl, Brownstones that books about Brooklyn were my jam while we lived there. I can’t remember how I acquired a copy of Brookland by Emily Barton, but it was either thanks to my parents (awesome book-gifters) or because I had a rare kid-free excursion to the Barnes & Noble on 7th Ave in Park Slope and made a beeline to the “Set in Brooklyn” table. Doesn’t matter.
I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, but this one is worth it if this genre is also not your usual go-to. Did I ever think I would be enthralled with a 500-page book ostensibly about the construction of a bridge connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan? (Not the Brooklyn Bridge you’re thinking of…) Definitely not. Did I devour this book despite having a 2-and 3-year old with me all the time, a spouse that worked and traveled nonstop, and no other help? Indeed. I even preferred the company of this book over my usual Friday evening treat, which was a bag of gummy strawberries (why) and the latest issues of People and US Weekly from the bodega around the corner. Actually I probably I still did that, but I guess I added a NYT Notable Book from 2006 to the routine. If that’s not a ringing endorsement, tell me what is.
{Brooklyn Bridge Park, 2007}
You can find all my 50th Birthday Book Recommendations HERE.
originally published on instagram