Author: J. K. Savoy

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2009-08

Total Pages: 462

ISBN-13: 9781441528940

Young Executive Walks Away From It All to Begin a Journey of Self-Discovery on the Streets of 1970s Brooklyn. Somewhere in Brooklyn is loosely based on the real life experiences of its author, J.K. Savoy. The novel follows the odyssey of Joe, who begins to see through the moral void of the business world, choosing instead to live a more humble life on the streets of Brooklyn. After being forced to carry out the unethical policies of his corporate masters, Joe chooses to shed his assumed identity as well as his need for material gain. In doing so, he becomes a new individual, shaped wholly by his own design and utilizing his own resources. To distance himself fully from the bonds of commercial slavery, he chooses to be known by his middle name, Kenny. After denouncing the decadence brought on by the pursuit of possessions, Kenny sets off in search of truth and meaning on the streets of Brooklyn's Park Slope. There, he finds himself drawn to an abandoned after-hours club. The tiny old store becomes the chrysalis for his reemergence into the world. Living within its mystical environment nurtures artistic and poetic qualities he never knew were within him. Using the building as his canvas and industrial scrap as his brush, Kenny fashions a coffee house called, "September's Child." Intrigued by the fruits of his awakened creativity, he moves a step further in his quest for understanding and vows to live without the need or use of money. Poets, artists and street people alike mingled within "September's Child's" mysterious presence. But Kenny, contemptuous of commercial success, envisions that having the resolve to walk away from from his enterprise would be the litmus test of his sovereignty.. Achieving the success he sought, "September's Child" fails. Left with only his wits and an old blank journal, salvaged from the rubble of the erstwhile coffee house, Kenny begins his day to day life as a street rogue. The quest for spiritual and intellectual gratification would soon give way to the needs of warmth and sustenance. Seduced by street life, Kenny adapts to it and becomes a drug-dealing vagrant. His spiritual quest becomes mired in reading Tarot Cards for food and favors. In following Kenny's exploits, Somewhere in Brooklyn holds a mirror to the coming of age of a person, a neighborhood and a generation. It is a story that resonates as true for those who experienced the Seventies as well as truth seekers of any generation.