Williamsburg native’s novel features the neighborhood as it was fifty years ago
Guy Thomas Breen authored the recently released novel, Last Night’s Heroes. The events in the book take place on a summer’s night in Williamsburg during 1979.
Breen is a born and raised Williamsburgian who came of age in the 70s. He was raised by a single mother. His first home was on Devoe Street; he pronounces it Devoo. He also lived on Metropolitan Avenue and Judge Street, pretty much within the same area.
The pronunciation of Devoe Street can define how long one has lived in Williamsburg. Those who pronounce the last syllable “oo” are usually old school and default to the Dutch origin of Devoe where the pronunciation of “oe” is “oo”.
Williamsburg gave Breen many of life’s early hallmarks. He went to St. Nicholas grammar school. He broke his leg playing baseball in Cooper Park, then was taken across the street to the Greenpoint Hospital where they set it. He worked at a candy store/luncheonette on Grand Street where he met his wife.
For Breen the nostalgia of Williamsburg back in the day, isn’t all rose tinted.
“In the 70s there were turf issues. For white guys, you didn’t go south of Grand Street,” said Breen. But then he remembers, “There was a bakery, the Warsaw Bakery on South 6th Street, they had the best rolls. Sometimes we ventured to go there.”
When he married his wife, who worked nights, “the neighborhood was dicey, and I wanted safety for my wife. I’m talking about NYC in the 70s when NYC had no money. And the only reason to come to Williamsburg was Peter Lugers.” They were living on Judge Street in a four-room apartment and paid $225 a month. When they moved to Queens, the rent went up around $150 per month for a smaller space.
Many books start with a question. What was the question that created Last Night’s Heroes? Breen said it was a major crossroads when he saw the neighborhood going downhill and yet he had great friends and great times. “How can I have a love/hate relationship with the neighborhood, that’s the question.”
His book sends the messages: be more than a neighborhood, don’t be afraid to push yourself, and don’t be afraid to follow your dreams.
What does he think might surprise a reader who only has recent knowledge of Williamsburg?
“Kids playing in the street, johnny pumps (fire hydrants), just the amount of kids playing in the streets.”
For the longtime residents, Breen says the book features places like Cooper Park, Orient Avenue, etc. “But most people can relate to how could you grow up and run away from a place where you have so many memories?”
Does he think current Williamsburg has changed for the better? “I’m blown away by the whole area, the foot traffic, the coffee houses, restaurants.”
However, he thinks there were somethings that were better when he lived here. “We did things on our own. Took it upon ourselves to entertain ourselves. Now everything is organized: play dates.“ He recalled he and his pals used to scream “Charlie” from the street to his friend’s upstairs window to get him to come down. “Then there were the old women on the stoops having coffee and cake.”
Last Night’s Heroes by Guy Thomas Breen is available for purchase at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/last-nights-heroes Also online at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com
The Greenline 