BED-STUY IS BURNING is an interesting and well-written novel. It touches upon many difficult topics -- race, religion, class, and politics -- but handles them deftly. A story of the changing nature, flavour and make-up of New York is well-written, thought-provoking, and engaging.
Definitely recommended.

Great reading, well written! Thank you to Netgallery and Atria books for the perusal. I LOVED this book!

Though I liked the book, I made the decision at the time I finished not to review it on my site. Maybe in the future I will include it in a book list post or another article.

A story that takes place all in one day. However, there is a lot of history about Bed-Stuy, so be prepared for that.

It's really a sad sort of story about what can happen, or maybe did, when the rich try to come into a neighborhood and take it over from the people who have been there for decades. People who may not have the ways or means to move anywhere else.

There is also a lot of discrimination going on in this book. Towards the people, the police and the neighborhood.

A story of a riot and the people who were involved whether by choice or by just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Thanks to Atria Books and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Gentrification, policing in violent times, race riots, and ultimately the narratives we tell ourselves, that define who we are and how we react to our circumstances… "Bed-Stuy is Burning” takes them all on.

Brian Platzer uses a large lens to take on the issues of modern New York City. I thought he did a great job of dealing with the moral ambiguity of his characters, in a thoughtful and sympathetic way.

Bed-Stuy is Burning
I liked the premise of this book, addressing the changing demographics of a Brooklyn, NY neighborhood. Bedford Stuyvesant or as it's known for short Bed-Stuy has been a traditionally African American neighborhood with historic brownstones. But slowly white people are buying these brownstones for over $ 1 million, moving in and changing the neighborhood that are resented by those who lived there all their lives. Aaron, his girlfriend Amelia and their baby son, Simon is one of these newly arrived families. Aaron is a disgraced rabbi, his girlfriend is an investigational writer.
When a 12 year old African American boy is killed by the police, tensions heat up resulting in riots and more killings. The events deeply impact Aaron and his family.
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I didn't like the endless ramblings of many side characters that didn't have much to do with the plot. I found, the Nanny, Antonia's character really weird, especially during the riots when she packs the baby's pack'n play with books almost covering Simon. There were other similar oddities I could have done without.
I got this book from NetGalley in e change for an honest review. Thanks also to the publisher and author for the advanced copy.

Lost me on the first page talking about police brutality. Not interested.

I could finish this book. I'm just going to say it wasn't for me. It has received a lot of praise, but I didn't find the characters or story engaging. It just fell flat. I was originally drawn to the book because of the subject matter of are race and gentrification.

I really enjoyed this book! I am confident that this will be this summer's IT book.

I'm at 2 and 2.5 stars here.

No matter how far we believe we've come as a society, the issue of racial tension is still a very real one, one that can trigger violence as a result of real or perceived antagonistic actions. Couple that tension with the resentment often felt when a neighborhood predominantly occupied by minorities is on the cusp of being "gentrified," where long-time residents are pushed out by those with more money and greater ambitions, and you have a recipe for potential disaster.

Such is the environment in which Brian Platzer's novel Bed-Stuy is Burning is set. Bed-Stuy, short for Bedford-Stuyvesant, is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. It's often referred to as "still gritty," even as wealthy people move in, drive up housing prices, and push others out. Aaron and his girlfriend Amelia are one such couple—Aaron, a former rabbi who left the rabbinate in a crisis of faith (among other things), is now a wealthy Wall Street banker, and Amelia is a journalist trying to find her big break. They live with their newborn son in one of the neighborhood's historic brownstones, once occupied by an African-American family.

Already-simmering tensions in the neighborhood are about to come to a head when a 12-year-old African-American boy is shot by police 10 times, and it is discovered he was holding a video game controller, not a weapon. A large group of youths are mobilizing, tired of the violence being perpetrated against them and tired of the haves getting what is rightfully theirs, and they're ready to take their neighborhood back. And in a split second, it explodes at full throttle, as rioting begins, with enormous numbers of young adults taking control and inciting violence, destruction, and total chaos.

It's not long before the riots reach Aaron and Amelia's doorstep. That afternoon, Amelia is home, ostensibly working, and the baby is being cared for by Antoinette, their nanny, a woman seeking religious salvation. Visiting Antoinette at the house is Amelia and Aaron's neighbor, Jupiter, a single father who is smitten with Antoinette, and wants her to know he will protect her, even as he worries about the fate of his own son during the riots. Also at home is Daniel, one of the tenants who lives in Aaron and Amelia's basement apartment. Daniel is an increasingly suspicious person who has grown slightly afraid to leave his home.

While Amelia, Antoinette, Jupiter, and Daniel deal with circumstances at home, Aaron is struggling with dangerous circumstances of his own. And over the course of one afternoon, each of these individuals will be affected by the events of the day, events which will test them physically and emotionally, challenge everything they hold dear, and make them wonder about what the future holds.

I thought Bed-Stuy is Burning had a lot of potential, a lot of things going for it. Platzer is a capable storyteller, and I really found Aaron in particular a fascinating if flawed character. I felt as if in trying to tell a comprehensive story, Platzer took on more than was necessary. If the plot really was about the events of that day, I found the periodic forays into the backgrounds of all of the supporting characters, including a young rioter and even NYC Police Commissioner Bratton(!), extraneous. I also really wasn't sure what Platzer's ultimate message was here, because the characters' actions didn't all add up for me. (In particular, I was unclear about one of Antoinette's interactions with the baby.)

Sometimes books have great ambition but don't succeed in the execution. For me, Bed-Stuy is Burning was one of those books. Platzer's talent is impressive, and he definitely knows how to ratchet up suspense and tension. Some may not be as thrown off course by what I found excessive about the plot, so if what I've described appeals to you, definitely give it a try.

NetGalley and Atria Books provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

This is a stunning debut novel! Not only is it incredibly relevant, but it so very accurately depicts the climate and culture of the unrest in many of our cities. When ex-Rabbi, Aaron and his journalist wife, Amelia get caught up in the melee during a day of chaos in their newly-gentrified neighborhood, we are introduced to their devout nanny, Antoinette, a troubled young teen, Sara, and single father, Jupiter. As their lives become entwined in chaos we see that this one day will forever change their perspectives about grief, family, love, and fulfillment. Dealing with racism, diversity, marriage, parenthood, and many other issues, the novel is a perfect statement reflecting current often-unresolved conflicts we all face. Platzer understands that nothing is "clean or easy or perfectly comprehensible...." And that is the genius of this book!

This novel simmered and erupted into a macabre dance and was utterly un-put-downable. I love how the author got into the heads of so many different people, revealing the effects of the riots from an array of disparate perspectives. Most of the characters were despicable except for Antoinette and Jupiter -- and my heart ached for them. It's been 24 hours since I finished reading, yet I'm still thinking about Amelia and Aaron and their baby Simon ... A very good read.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the e-review edition of this book.

I read 3/4 of this and then I quit. It was bizarre and implausible.

Brian Platzer has written a complex and remarkable first novel blending real people, potentially disastrous events, faith and love. The disaster is the ever-looming potential of pent up racial unrest exploding into riots and murder. This certainly has been on our minds since the recent election. The real people injected in the situation are former commissioner Bratton and his police force. The situation that serves as a catalyst is the shooting of a child by police. The setting is one of the gentrifying neighborhoods in Brooklyn, Bed-Stuy.

The faith and love come from the small family living in their brownstone which becomes the nexus of the racial unrest and murder. The faith comes from Aaron, the failed rabbi and compulsive gambler at the center of the story. The love from Amelia who is a rather odd and remarkable heroine.

Despite the good intentions, kindness and generosity of Amelia and Aaron, there is also Sara, the girl who enters their house and lives, destroys, blackmails and betrays them.

Despite the mayhem, betrayal and chaos, it is a remarkable leap of genuine faith that restores this family.

This novel is flawed at points, awkward, too long, but it is a very special novel, that really should be read for all the extraordinary insights the reader can gain into the racial issues that continue to plague our society.