Publisher: Hyperion Books (2005)

Pages: Hardcover, 384 pages

Price: £15.00

Buy on Amazon UK

Reviewer rating: 

5

Pros: 

The sense of place, the distillation (no pun intended) of tavern life into a boy's personal journey, the honesty

Cons: 

Some repetition, some omitted detail

If you've ever wondered why drinking in a public group is more enjoyable, or wondered where you felt safest growing up, or gave any thought at all to how you might have given yourself a clearer pathway to your future, J.R. Moehringer's heartfelt memoir will help. This wonderful book, bursting with the most honest, convivial view of tavern life since I read Pete Hamill, isn't just for fun, though. It carries an important message about belonging and about believing in whatever you need to in order to survive. Moehringer's "JR" is a lonely, disaffected kid who finds himself revealed most clearly, in the company of tavern-goers and barkeeps. His journey towards finding where he belongs, is in many ways, follows a universal roadmap. Most young men have been on that road. Having spent some time in similar circumstances, I agree with the writer that while the unique reasons that bring drinkers to a bar may identify them as individuals, it's the transformative nature of the society that enfolds them, barside, that's worthy of acknowledgement. An important parallel journey tyhroughout the book is that of a young man progressing from a boy who enjoys words for their own sake, to a real writer and the self-acknowledgement necessary to arrive there.

Plus, if you're a Long Islander (I mean, from Brooklyn to Montauk) you know these guys really, really well. The writer has given us a sense of place that turns these small towns golden. For anyone who's raised a glass and leaned into a curved oak bar top, this reads like an old friend.

Note: The author won a Pultizer Prize for Journalism for his 2000 article 0n Gee's Bend, Alabama which appeared in the LA Times.