Leaving Brooklyn

An injury at birth left Audrey with a wandering eye. Though flawed, the bad eye functions well enough to permit her an idiosyncratic view of the world, one she welcomes in the stifling postwar Brooklyn of the 1950s. During a journey to Manhattan to see a doctor about her sight, she begins to explore the sexual rites of adulthood. But can her romance last? In this beautifully observed novel, Lynne Sharon Schwartz raises themes of innocence and escape while illuminating the rich inner life of a singular girl.

"An evocative, heartfelt rendering of the American home front in 1943, and the coming-of-age of a wife and husband at a time when young people unquestioningly took on expected adult roles, only later to struggle with issues of identity and individual desire. Flying Out of Brooklyn reminds us that simpler times were not necessarily easier times." -Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander and Paint It Black "Flying Out of Brooklyn shines a light on the often neglected home front during World War II. It is spare, fast-paced, and illuminating." -Denise Nicholas, author of the award-winning novel Freshwater Road The world is at war during the sweltering summer of 1943, and on the American home front, Judith Weissman feels trapped by her mundane office job, her lackluster marriage, and the gossipy neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. But when her upstairs neighbor unexpectedly takes a step off her fifth-floor fire escape and plunges to her death, Judith suddenly realizes how short life really is-and how much she wants to change it. Judith crosses paths with an old crush from school, returning wounded war hero Bobby Levitt, and she suddenly and desperately wants to regain her romantic dreams. But Bobby has been changed by the war, his injuries, and a guilty secret that tortures and embitters him. In the midst of their passionate affair, Judith questions her identity and her role in this war-torn world and soon realizes that nothing and no one will ever be the same again.

This book details the author’s Italian-American beginnings in the New York of the 1950s and the profound effect that his extended, working-class family has had on his life. So great has this effect been that, as the author ages, he finds he thinks less of the momentous history through which he has lived, or of the intellectual life he has enjoyed, than of some things far more permanent, profound, and primordial: the people and places he knew as a youth, and that knew him; the baseball he played, the movies he loved (and the movie stars he spotted), the teachers he revered; the English his family learned as well as the Italian he unlearned, or lost in translation; the Mafiosi he met and marked; and the religion of his youth that he abandoned, yet that did not abandon him. Cardullo knows that he can’t go home again: all he can really do is think about it, which he does so eloquently in Straight Out of Brooklyn.

Written by local experts, Fodor's travel guides have been offering advice and professionally vetted recommendations for all tastes and budgets for 80 years. In less than a generation, Brooklyn has transformed itself into a global capital of culture and creativity. It buzzes with energy, excitement, and the inherent tension of coupling reinvention with a dedication to authenticity. Each of Brooklyn’s neighborhoods has its own allure, including the art and culinary scene in Williamsburg, the amazing views from Brooklyn Heights, and the architecture and greenery of Park Slope. It’s is a melting pot of makers and the food scene here is second to none, with locally minded, innovative chefs all over the borough. This travel guide includes: UP-TO-DATE COVERAGE: This new guide goes far beyond the Brooklyn coverage in Fodor's New York City. It includes 30 top neighborhoods and covers Brooklyn landmarks as well as exciting new restaurants, hotels, night spots, attractions, and events. SPECIAL FEATURES: Fodor's Brooklyn highlights the borough's top attractions, experiences, and festivals and events, and the best ways to see the borough in summer, in winter, and with kids. A special section is devoted to our Best Bet recommendations for everything from the best places to eat pizza to top art galleries, alfresco dining and drinking, shops, bars, and performance venues. Notable neighborhood residents are also interviewed. CHIC DESIGN: Illustrations and hand-drawn color maps by noteworthy local Brooklyn illustrator Claudia Pearson showcase the content. INDISPENSABLE TRIP-PLANNING TOOLS: An opening chapter about Brooklyn helps travelers decide what neighborhood to visit with Best Bets lists and features on where to go, what to do with kids, and top things to do in summer and winter. Other chapters focus on top things to do in specific neighborhoods. DISCERNING RECOMMENDATIONS: Fodor's Brooklyn offers savvy advice and recommendations from local writers to help travelers make the most of their visit. Fodor's Choice designates our best picks, from hotels to nightlife. COVERS: The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Flea, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick, East Williamsburg, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, Park Slope, Prospect Park, Gowanus, Dumbo, Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, Columbia Waterfront District, Windsor Terrace, Greenwood Heights, South Slope, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Brighton Beach, and Coney Island. Planning to visit New York? Check our Fodor's New York City guide.

1845: Felix Schneider, an immigrant from Germany, cheers the New York Knickerbockers as they play Three-Out, All-Out. 1908: Walter Snider, batboy for the Brooklyn Superbas, arranges a team tryout for a black pitcher by pretending he is Cuban. 1945: Kat Snider of Brooklyn plays for the Grand Rapids Chicks in the All-American Girls Baseball League. 1981: Michael Flint fi nds himself pitching a perfect game during the Little League season at Prospect Park. And there are fi ve more Schneiders to meet. In nine innings, this novel tells the stories of nine successive Schneider kids and their connection to Brooklyn and baseball. As in all family histories and all baseball games, there is glory and heartache, triumph and sacrifi ce. And it ain?t over till it?s over.