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Brian Platzer
108 ratings | 31 reviews | avg rating:3.73

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Brian Platzer

Goodreads Author


Born
in New York City, The United States
Website

Twitter
bplatzer

Genre
Fiction, Nonfiction

Influences
James Baldwin, Dave Eggers, Alice McDermott, Philip Roth, Paul Auster

Member Since
December 2016


Brian Platzer is the author of BED-STUY IS BURNING ('17) and THE BODY POLITIC ('20) from Atria/Simon & Schuster, and THE TAKING THE STRESS OUT OF HOMEWORK ('20) from Avery/Penguin Random House. Brian has an MFA from the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars, and a BA from Columbia University. His writing has appeared often in the New Yorker’s Shouts and Murmurs and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, as well as in the New York Times, The New Republic, Salon, and elsewhere. He lives with his wife and two young sons in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, teaches middle school English in Manhattan, and suffers from chronic dizziness. ...more

Combine Editions

Average rating: 3.42 · 1,045 ratings · 269 reviews · 4 distinct works • Similar authors
Bed-Stuy Is Burning
3.13 avg rating — 494 ratings — published 2017 — 10 editions
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The Body Politic
3.51 avg rating — 313 ratings — published 2020 — 8 editions
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The Optimists
3.96 avg rating — 203 ratings — published 2026
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Taking the Stress Out of Ho...
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3.66 avg rating — 35 ratings — published 2020 — 4 editions
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* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

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Brian’s Recent Updates

Brian Platzer and 1 other person liked Abe's review of The Optimists:
The Optimists by Brian Platzer
"Wonderful, sweet, funny, quirky book."
Mar 24, 2026 11:32AM  · see review ·  preview book
Brian Platzer made a comment on Abe’s review of The Optimists
The Optimists by Brian Platzer
" Thanks for the read! "
Mar 24, 2026 11:32AM  · see review
Brian Platzer made a comment on Paula Halcom’s review of The Optimists
The Optimists by Brian Platzer
" Thanks, Paula! I really appreciate your approach to the novel! "
Mar 22, 2026 08:15AM  · see review
Brian Platzer made a comment on Eve’s review of The Optimists
The Optimists by Brian Platzer
" Thanks for such a careful and generous read, Eve! "
Mar 22, 2026 08:14AM  · see review
Brian Platzer and 1 other person liked Renee Metzger's review of The Optimists:
The Optimists by Brian Platzer
"4.5 — probably not for everyone, but i really enjoyed. the characterization was on par with maggie; or a man and woman walk into a bar. certain elements reminded me of stoner, but this was so much easier to read (and significantly less depressing). d" Read more of this review »
Mar 22, 2026 08:13AM  · see review ·  preview book
Brian Platzer made a comment on Jamie’s review of The Optimists
The Optimists by Brian Platzer
" Agreed! "
Mar 22, 2026 08:13AM  · see review
Brian Platzer made a comment on Renee Metzger’s review of The Optimists
The Optimists by Brian Platzer
" Thanks for reading, Renee! I appreciate your positive comparison to Stoner! "
Mar 22, 2026 08:13AM  · see review
Brian Platzer liked Tom Ford's review of The Optimists:
The Optimists by Brian Platzer
"My thoughts are all over the place on this one. At times I thought I would recommend this to teacher friends, or book-lover friends… but now I’m not so sure. The usual format these days: very short chapters, jumping back and forth in time. Very diges" Read more of this review »
Mar 18, 2026 05:08AM  · see review ·  preview book
Brian Platzer liked Cathe Fein Olson's review of The Optimists:
The Optimists by Brian Platzer
"A middle-school teacher intertwines his story with a couple of his students. I found this book and characters intriguing and interesting at first and I love the jokes interspersed throughout, but the story was kind of slow for me and I kept hoping it" Read more of this review »
Mar 18, 2026 05:08AM  · see review ·  preview book
Brian Platzer rated a book liked it
Hollywood Homicide by Kellye Garrett
Hollywood Homicide (Detective by Day, #1)
by Kellye Garrett (Goodreads Author)
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Jan 18, 2026 11:50AM  · 1 like · 
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