The Tender Bar

Completely readable and entertaining; a memoir by JR that speaks lovingly of 2 things: his mother, and the bar in his hometown (named Dickens, then renamed Publicans) where he learned to be a man and lived many of his best memories. Definitely funny material throughout. Fatherless JR, constantly battling the issues around his name (what does JR stand for?), living at Granpa's with ducttaped furniture and Grandpa saying "Do boo-boo", scrolling through radiostations on the dial searching for The Voice (his dad), Cousins McGraw and Sheryl, shuttling between Arizona, Manhasset NY, and Yale. The bar characters of Uncle Charlie, Steve, Bob the Cop, Cager, Bobo, Fuckembabe, Joey D. Bill & Budd the recluse hermits in the bookstore in the abandoned mall, tearing covers off books and giving the books to JR. The connection between alcohol and writing yet again underscored. Yalie mugging pre-NY Times interview. The wisdom that cacti grow another arm when they start to tilt in an attempt to balance themselves. Days at the beach with Uncle Charlie, Joey D, Bobo; body-surfing, sundials in the sand.