The Tender Bar

De: J. R. Moehringer

Narrado por: J. R. Moehringer

In the tradition of This Boy's Life and The Liar's Club, a raucous, poignant, luminously written memoir about a boy striving to become a man, and his romance with a bar.

J.R. Moehringer grew up captivated by a voice. It was the voice of his father, a New York City disc jockey who vanished before J.R. spoke his first word. Sitting on the stoop, pressing an ear to the radio, J.R. would strain to hear in that plummy baritone the secrets of masculinity and identity. Though J.R.'s mother was his world, his rock, he craved something more, something faintly and hauntingly audible only in The Voice.

At eight years old, suddenly unable to find The Voice on the radio, J.R. turned in desperation to the bar on the corner, where he found a rousing chorus of new voices. The alphas along the bar—including J.R.'s Uncle Charlie, a Humphrey Bogart look-alike; Colt, a Yogi Bear sound-alike; and Joey D, a softhearted brawler—took J.R. to the beach, to ballgames, and ultimately into their circle. They taught J.R., tended him, and provided a kind of fathering-by-committee. Torn between the stirring example of his mother and the lurid romance of the bar, J.R. tried to forge a self somewhere in the center. But when it was time for J.R. to leave home, the bar became an increasingly seductive sanctuary, a place to return and regroup during his picaresque journeys. Time and again the bar offered shelter from failure, rejection, heartbreak—and eventually from reality.

In the grand tradition of landmark memoirs, The Tender Bar is suspenseful, wrenching, and achingly funny. A classic American story of self-invention and escape, of the fierce love between a single mother and an only son, it's also a moving portrait of one boy's struggle to become a man, and an unforgettable depiction of how men remain, at heart, lost boys.©2005 J.R. Moehringer; (P)2005 Hyperion

beautifully crafted.

JR has clearly finally "gotten in". This is a beautiful piece that manages to show-case his tremendous skill at crafting a story (albeit true) while sounding like he is just speaking with you (probably helps that he is reading it). In league with "the kite runner", this memoir reaches out and touches your heart without leaving the feeling that you have been forced into an experience like a puppet! I was truly impressed by the author's ability to present very complex characters without conveying any animosity. I truly enjoyed this book!

Amazing Story

I grew up in a bar JUST like this in Detroit !
JR brought back a FLOOD of amazing memories !
Thanks for sharing your experiences !

Heart warming, funny, sad and beautiful

There are few things that are close to your heart which can be eloquently expressed in word or print. This book has done both - expressed such things, spoken them and written them, truthfully, from the heart. Well done JR.

Excellent voice!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It's a memoir so nothing to change.

Would you recommend The Tender Bar to your friends? Why or why not?

Not really. It's not a very unique nor exciting story.

Loved it.

Would you listen to The Tender Bar again? Why?

Yes - I love JR Moehringer's writing. Didn't realize before I listened to this book that he co-wrote Andre Agassi's memoir, which I also enjoyed so much.

What other book might you compare The Tender Bar to and why?

I just love memoirs - they comprise 90% of the books I read and listen to. This book is among my favorites. I listened to Patti Smith's "Just Kids" just previous to this one and I thought they were both so fantastic.

Have you listened to any of J.R. Moehringer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No - but he's great. I often look for books that are read by the author - makes such a difference.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

OMG - I laughed and cried. I just loved the descriptions of the men at the bar and the loving portrayal of Moehringer's relationship to his mom. Very very touching, so thoughtful and sometimes hilariously funny.

Any additional comments?

I give this one my highest recommendation.