Andrew Cotto's Blog - Posts Tagged "andrew-cotto"
My latest New York Times article
Writing articles for journals is a great way to improve one's fiction. There's an economy required of it, along with the need for a compelling narrative that is developed in every sentence. And, once in a while, you come across a real character, just like this one from yesterday's "Neighborhood Joint" column in the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/nyr...
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/nyr...
An Article about "Domino"
This is an article I wrote for the Good Men Project, a magazine where I am a regular contributor. I write about a lot of things (food, family, parenting, politics, the economy, equality, and so on), but this piece was about storytelling in general and THE DOMINO EFFECT in particular.
http://goodmenproject.com/arts/father...
http://goodmenproject.com/arts/father...
Underground Book Review of Domino
Katie's YA Hotspot: Review of The Domino Effect by Andrew Cotto 03/19/2012
Every once and a while a young adult book comes along that surprises me. The Domino Effect falls into this category, both thoughtful-- yet humorous, moralistic-- yet light-hearted. Cotto's coming-of-age story left me invigorated, and thinking to myself, “Now, that's how you tell a story.”
Though The Domino Effect has not seen the rampant readership like current fantasy and sci-fi novels, it should. The story chronicles the high school career, particularly the senior year, of Danny “Domino” Rorro. After a violent attack at his old school, Danny's parents enroll him in Hamden Academy, a prestigious boarding school far different than life at home. Danny manages to maintain his comical out-look on life in this new setting, though he carries scars from the past. Things begin to change for Danny when he is assigned a roommate, Terance King, the only African American at Hamden Academy. This event propels both boys into a conflict of race that tests them to the core and changes them forever.
Though the novel takes a while to warm up, the depth of Danny's character will draw you in and keep you captive. Danny's wise-cracking, street-wise Italian voice will keep you chuckling. Cotto is a master at the adolescent banter and the descriptions of Hamden, told through Danny, were pitch perfect. The tender romance between Danny and Brenda Devine is touching and heartfelt. My one complaint would be that Cotto opens with pages of exposition on the previous three years, much of which could have been dealt out later or cut completely. I fear that readers may get bogged down in the first few pages and miss the gold lurking beyond.
Overall, The Domino Effect, does not disappoint. You'll find yourself cheering for Danny through the end. But more importantly, you'll find yourself reflecting on deep issues, something that is often lacking in teen literature of today.
Every once and a while a young adult book comes along that surprises me. The Domino Effect falls into this category, both thoughtful-- yet humorous, moralistic-- yet light-hearted. Cotto's coming-of-age story left me invigorated, and thinking to myself, “Now, that's how you tell a story.”
Though The Domino Effect has not seen the rampant readership like current fantasy and sci-fi novels, it should. The story chronicles the high school career, particularly the senior year, of Danny “Domino” Rorro. After a violent attack at his old school, Danny's parents enroll him in Hamden Academy, a prestigious boarding school far different than life at home. Danny manages to maintain his comical out-look on life in this new setting, though he carries scars from the past. Things begin to change for Danny when he is assigned a roommate, Terance King, the only African American at Hamden Academy. This event propels both boys into a conflict of race that tests them to the core and changes them forever.
Though the novel takes a while to warm up, the depth of Danny's character will draw you in and keep you captive. Danny's wise-cracking, street-wise Italian voice will keep you chuckling. Cotto is a master at the adolescent banter and the descriptions of Hamden, told through Danny, were pitch perfect. The tender romance between Danny and Brenda Devine is touching and heartfelt. My one complaint would be that Cotto opens with pages of exposition on the previous three years, much of which could have been dealt out later or cut completely. I fear that readers may get bogged down in the first few pages and miss the gold lurking beyond.
Overall, The Domino Effect, does not disappoint. You'll find yourself cheering for Danny through the end. But more importantly, you'll find yourself reflecting on deep issues, something that is often lacking in teen literature of today.
Interview and review of 'Outerborough Blues' by Andrew Cotto 06/06/12
Link: http://www.andrewcotto.com/
Recently I was fortunate enough to speak with Andrew Cotto, author of ‘Outerborough Blues: A Brooklyn Mystery’ (Ig Publishing 2012) and ‘The Domino Effect’ (Brownstone Editions, LLC Publishing 2011). Andrew has a playful sense of humor which shows up in his writing, endearing him to his loyal readers and also making for a great interview. He is a journalist with regular contributions to New York Times and the Good Men Project, who also writes a monthly blog called “Our Italian Year” on his website retelling adventures of the year he spent living in Tuscany with his wife and daughter.
Presently, and for the past seven years, Andrew teaches creative writing workshops and composition courses in New York City. Andrew also tells me he is a great cook and oenophile saying that one of his greatest pleasures is creating and sharing a meal he has prepared, usually an Italian dish, and bottle of great wine with his family and good friends. However, I’ll have to take his word on that having not had the opportunity to experience his talents.
With all of the things on his plate it’s a wonder Andrew had the time to share a little of himself. But share he did and as a result I am pleased to offer this insight into the workings of Andrew Cotto, the man, the author.
Jodi Hanson (JH): I have been told the biggest piece of advice that authors give is to read everything and everybody. What are your thoughts?
Andrew Cotto (AC): Writers do need to read, a lot, though I think it’s probably best to read those authors/novels that inspire your work. I read such titles very closely, and repeatedly. I actually do so with a pen in hand, underlining every phrase/image/word that especially catches my attention. Then, when I’m done with the book, I write these down, verbatim, in notebooks. I go back to the notebooks often for inspiration, though, of course, I’m careful not to use anyone else’s language. So, when it comes to reading as a writer, I’d advocate a less is more approach when it comes to breadth. I think one can learn more about writing by reading “Gatsby” 10 times as opposed to 10 different random titles.
JH: Andrew, you are an incredibly talented author, at what age did you become aware that writing was your calling?
AC: Thank you! I’m definitely a late-bloomer on the writing-is-my-calling thing. I was in college when I discovered a love for literature, and it was shortly after that when I realized I had a knack for storytelling and an ability to write fairly well. Still, even at that juncture, I wasn’t ready to really pursue writing in a meaningful way for another decade or so after graduating.
JH: Caesar Stiles is complex almost haunted character, did you struggle in your creation of him or does he resemble someone in your life making him almost write himself?
AC: Thanks for saying that, since “complex” characters are what most of us strive to create. I didn’t have a hard time coming up with Caesar, though I can’t really recall specifically from where he came. Like most of my characters, he’s an amalgam of people I’ve encountered in some way (through real life or fiction or whatnot) combined with my imagination. Once I get a character on the page, then they become their own entity, and I kind of let them take me where they want to go.
JH: Your description of Brooklyn in Outerborough Blues creates vivid pictures for your readers. Being that you are from Brooklyn yourself did you write from experience about the seemingly segregated neighborhoods?
AC: I grew up in a lot of places around America, but I’ve been in Brooklyn for the past 16 years, which makes it the place I’ve lived the longest (by far). I love it here, especially all the distinct neighborhoods. I definitely used the wonderful neighborhood of Clinton Hill, where I had once lived, as an inspiration for the primary setting of OUTERBOROUGH BLUES. Even though we moved there at a time actually a little later than when the novel is set, I had no problem imagining the type of strife that gentrification could create since when we arrived it was still pretty early in the area’s shift from an almost exclusively African-American enclave to one that would become decidedly more diverse.
JH: Do you write from an outline with an ending in mind or do you let the story take its course making changes when it has been written?
AC: I like to have a sense as to where the novel is going (beginning/middle/end) though I let the particulars work themselves out as I go along and then write accordingly. For instance, both of my novels had fairly different endings planned in my head which never made it to the page because they just didn’t work anymore when I got there. I think a mix of the planned and impromptu is a healthy way to tell stories.
JH: What makes Andrew Cotto tick?
AC: I like having goals. Things I’m working towards. Getting better, more informed, improving everyday at certain things gets me out of bed in the morning. I believe in incremental change through long-term commitment. I love that theory about having to do something for 10,000 hours before it’s mastered. That works for me.
JH: Who is the person that has had the most effect in you becoming the man you are today?
AC: My father, probably. He’s an amazing man. He’s been a musician, a teacher, a businessman, an entrepreneur (not to mention a great husband and father). Now, in his 70s, he’s a motorcycle riding computer geek. I admire his courage and independence. I also, for as long as I can remember, have been aware of his sense of morality, which has positively informed my life and my character in a major way. I think one of the reasons that I’m just a flat our sucker for father/son stories of all kinds (and have made this a big part of both of my novels) is that I know, first hand, how fortunate it is to have a really good father.
JH: I suspect you have something in the works; can you share what it is?
AC: I have a few things going, though the primary project is another noir story. MARTINIS & BIKINIS is the sort of fun noir I associate with writers like Elmore Leonard, though – at its heart – the story is a serious critique of how corporations are corrupting our arts and media, and – as a result – our society.
JH: If you were to have a biographical movie made of your life, who would you envision playing the role of Andrew Cotto? AC: Oooh. Wow. That’s a tough one. Too tough and fantastic for me to even come up with a legit answer, so I’ll just go with a younger George Clooney since I really like his style.
JH: One of my favorite questions to ask an author is what book do you wish you had written? Why?
AC: Another tough one, though this one I can answer without equivocation: The Great Gatsby. I love the language and the characters and the story, but, most of all, I’m impressed by the insight into those times – specifically how the decadence and corruption of American society in the 20s would lead to such a serious downfall by the end of the decade. Nice call.
I’m glad to have had the opportunity to speak with Andrew and would very much like to thank him for agreeing to my interview. For further information on OUTERBOROUGH BLUES and THE DOMINO EFFECT and Andrew Cotto please visit his website. http://www.andrewcotto.com/ and watch his trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_iF27...
The Review
Have you ever read a book that you know you will read again and again? Outerborough Blues is now a book on my list. Andrew Cotto has a style of writing that is lyrical and commanding. He skilfully draws the reader’s attention with the voice of Caesar Stiles as he tells the history of his family’s lineage and his attempt for redemption.
Caesar Stiles is a man haunted by his past. A drifter recently arrived in Brooklyn, he is looking to set down roots and create a ‘normal’ life for himself. He takes a job in a local joint called The Notch as a bartender and cook, minding his own business and doing a good job of it until an attractive French girl walks in to the bar, orders a drink and enlists him to find her missing brother. Stiles agrees, and his quiet little world is thrown off kilter.
In the course of his search for the artist, Stiles finds himself rooting around in the seedy side of Brooklyn’s underground: a place of drug addicts, prostitution and organized crime. Stiles begins to notice a car tailing him and a growing pile of cigarette butts outside of his front gate. Someone is watching him, leaving a crawling feeling down his spine as he wonders who it could be. Having crossed a nefarious individual who he calls The Orange Man, Stiles is worried the man may be looking to retaliate.
Caesar’s past soon catches up with him in the form of his ex-convict brother who has a violent temper usually directed in Caesar’s direction, and this time isn’t an exception as he seeks to settle a family score. With his brother on the warpath, the continued search for the missing man, and a beating from a group of local thugs, Stile’s life spirals out of control in the course of one week.
With his second novel, Andrew Cotto has firmly carved a niche for himself in the mystery genre. A teacher and seasoned writer with published works in many publications, including regular contributions to the New York Times and the Good Men Project, Cotto has an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. He presently spends his time teaching composition courses and creative writing workshops in New York City while working on a third novel.
This book was provided graciously by the author for review.
Recently I was fortunate enough to speak with Andrew Cotto, author of ‘Outerborough Blues: A Brooklyn Mystery’ (Ig Publishing 2012) and ‘The Domino Effect’ (Brownstone Editions, LLC Publishing 2011). Andrew has a playful sense of humor which shows up in his writing, endearing him to his loyal readers and also making for a great interview. He is a journalist with regular contributions to New York Times and the Good Men Project, who also writes a monthly blog called “Our Italian Year” on his website retelling adventures of the year he spent living in Tuscany with his wife and daughter.
Presently, and for the past seven years, Andrew teaches creative writing workshops and composition courses in New York City. Andrew also tells me he is a great cook and oenophile saying that one of his greatest pleasures is creating and sharing a meal he has prepared, usually an Italian dish, and bottle of great wine with his family and good friends. However, I’ll have to take his word on that having not had the opportunity to experience his talents.
With all of the things on his plate it’s a wonder Andrew had the time to share a little of himself. But share he did and as a result I am pleased to offer this insight into the workings of Andrew Cotto, the man, the author.
Jodi Hanson (JH): I have been told the biggest piece of advice that authors give is to read everything and everybody. What are your thoughts?
Andrew Cotto (AC): Writers do need to read, a lot, though I think it’s probably best to read those authors/novels that inspire your work. I read such titles very closely, and repeatedly. I actually do so with a pen in hand, underlining every phrase/image/word that especially catches my attention. Then, when I’m done with the book, I write these down, verbatim, in notebooks. I go back to the notebooks often for inspiration, though, of course, I’m careful not to use anyone else’s language. So, when it comes to reading as a writer, I’d advocate a less is more approach when it comes to breadth. I think one can learn more about writing by reading “Gatsby” 10 times as opposed to 10 different random titles.
JH: Andrew, you are an incredibly talented author, at what age did you become aware that writing was your calling?
AC: Thank you! I’m definitely a late-bloomer on the writing-is-my-calling thing. I was in college when I discovered a love for literature, and it was shortly after that when I realized I had a knack for storytelling and an ability to write fairly well. Still, even at that juncture, I wasn’t ready to really pursue writing in a meaningful way for another decade or so after graduating.
JH: Caesar Stiles is complex almost haunted character, did you struggle in your creation of him or does he resemble someone in your life making him almost write himself?
AC: Thanks for saying that, since “complex” characters are what most of us strive to create. I didn’t have a hard time coming up with Caesar, though I can’t really recall specifically from where he came. Like most of my characters, he’s an amalgam of people I’ve encountered in some way (through real life or fiction or whatnot) combined with my imagination. Once I get a character on the page, then they become their own entity, and I kind of let them take me where they want to go.
JH: Your description of Brooklyn in Outerborough Blues creates vivid pictures for your readers. Being that you are from Brooklyn yourself did you write from experience about the seemingly segregated neighborhoods?
AC: I grew up in a lot of places around America, but I’ve been in Brooklyn for the past 16 years, which makes it the place I’ve lived the longest (by far). I love it here, especially all the distinct neighborhoods. I definitely used the wonderful neighborhood of Clinton Hill, where I had once lived, as an inspiration for the primary setting of OUTERBOROUGH BLUES. Even though we moved there at a time actually a little later than when the novel is set, I had no problem imagining the type of strife that gentrification could create since when we arrived it was still pretty early in the area’s shift from an almost exclusively African-American enclave to one that would become decidedly more diverse.
JH: Do you write from an outline with an ending in mind or do you let the story take its course making changes when it has been written?
AC: I like to have a sense as to where the novel is going (beginning/middle/end) though I let the particulars work themselves out as I go along and then write accordingly. For instance, both of my novels had fairly different endings planned in my head which never made it to the page because they just didn’t work anymore when I got there. I think a mix of the planned and impromptu is a healthy way to tell stories.
JH: What makes Andrew Cotto tick?
AC: I like having goals. Things I’m working towards. Getting better, more informed, improving everyday at certain things gets me out of bed in the morning. I believe in incremental change through long-term commitment. I love that theory about having to do something for 10,000 hours before it’s mastered. That works for me.
JH: Who is the person that has had the most effect in you becoming the man you are today?
AC: My father, probably. He’s an amazing man. He’s been a musician, a teacher, a businessman, an entrepreneur (not to mention a great husband and father). Now, in his 70s, he’s a motorcycle riding computer geek. I admire his courage and independence. I also, for as long as I can remember, have been aware of his sense of morality, which has positively informed my life and my character in a major way. I think one of the reasons that I’m just a flat our sucker for father/son stories of all kinds (and have made this a big part of both of my novels) is that I know, first hand, how fortunate it is to have a really good father.
JH: I suspect you have something in the works; can you share what it is?
AC: I have a few things going, though the primary project is another noir story. MARTINIS & BIKINIS is the sort of fun noir I associate with writers like Elmore Leonard, though – at its heart – the story is a serious critique of how corporations are corrupting our arts and media, and – as a result – our society.
JH: If you were to have a biographical movie made of your life, who would you envision playing the role of Andrew Cotto? AC: Oooh. Wow. That’s a tough one. Too tough and fantastic for me to even come up with a legit answer, so I’ll just go with a younger George Clooney since I really like his style.
JH: One of my favorite questions to ask an author is what book do you wish you had written? Why?
AC: Another tough one, though this one I can answer without equivocation: The Great Gatsby. I love the language and the characters and the story, but, most of all, I’m impressed by the insight into those times – specifically how the decadence and corruption of American society in the 20s would lead to such a serious downfall by the end of the decade. Nice call.
I’m glad to have had the opportunity to speak with Andrew and would very much like to thank him for agreeing to my interview. For further information on OUTERBOROUGH BLUES and THE DOMINO EFFECT and Andrew Cotto please visit his website. http://www.andrewcotto.com/ and watch his trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_iF27...
The Review
Have you ever read a book that you know you will read again and again? Outerborough Blues is now a book on my list. Andrew Cotto has a style of writing that is lyrical and commanding. He skilfully draws the reader’s attention with the voice of Caesar Stiles as he tells the history of his family’s lineage and his attempt for redemption.
Caesar Stiles is a man haunted by his past. A drifter recently arrived in Brooklyn, he is looking to set down roots and create a ‘normal’ life for himself. He takes a job in a local joint called The Notch as a bartender and cook, minding his own business and doing a good job of it until an attractive French girl walks in to the bar, orders a drink and enlists him to find her missing brother. Stiles agrees, and his quiet little world is thrown off kilter.
In the course of his search for the artist, Stiles finds himself rooting around in the seedy side of Brooklyn’s underground: a place of drug addicts, prostitution and organized crime. Stiles begins to notice a car tailing him and a growing pile of cigarette butts outside of his front gate. Someone is watching him, leaving a crawling feeling down his spine as he wonders who it could be. Having crossed a nefarious individual who he calls The Orange Man, Stiles is worried the man may be looking to retaliate.
Caesar’s past soon catches up with him in the form of his ex-convict brother who has a violent temper usually directed in Caesar’s direction, and this time isn’t an exception as he seeks to settle a family score. With his brother on the warpath, the continued search for the missing man, and a beating from a group of local thugs, Stile’s life spirals out of control in the course of one week.
With his second novel, Andrew Cotto has firmly carved a niche for himself in the mystery genre. A teacher and seasoned writer with published works in many publications, including regular contributions to the New York Times and the Good Men Project, Cotto has an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School. He presently spends his time teaching composition courses and creative writing workshops in New York City while working on a third novel.
This book was provided graciously by the author for review.
A New York Times article about OUTERBOROUGH BLUES
Even a Mystery Novel Is Ultimately About Gentrification
By ANDREW COTTO
Author Andrew Cotto’s new mystery is set in a pre-gentrification Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.
The book jacket synopsis of my new novel, “Outerborough Blues: A Brooklyn Mystery (Ig Publishing, May, 2012) describes the story as “a stylish mystery set on the dawn of gentrification.” The dawn of gentrification — sounds portentous, looming. But it is more than that.
Gentrification is a term rife with dramatic tension since it inherently throws disparate groups of people into a collective scenario, where motivations are usually at odds, cultures can clash, and enormous matters — like home and identity and serious money — are in play. The setting of Clinton Hill/Fort Greene in the early 1990s worked perfectly for me since gentrification informed many of the novel’s major themes.
“Outerborough Blues” is a novel about race. The protagonist, Caesar Stiles, is a white man living in a predominantly African-American neighborhood “with decidedly mixed feelings about his presence.” This was certainly the neighborhood in the early ’90s, when white faces were scarce. Simple appearance can be the symbol of gentrification in the most visceral way, and the presence of the real life Caesar Stileses certainly raised eyebrows. That’s why I explored the manner in which established neighborhood entities react to an outside threat. This equation is only heightened when the aspect of race is a dominant factor, even more so when a black majority is being impeded upon by a white minority as this particular setting allows.
OuterboroughBlues-Cvr-05.indd
This is a novel about community. Clinton Hill/Fort Greene was (and still is) a close-knit area. Gentrification can be considered a threat, though some residents see it as progress. As a result, allegiances are tested; personal agendas conflict, and neighbor is pit against neighbor. For some members of the community — in real life and in my novel — gentrification is an opportunity for riches and advancement; for others, it is nothing short of an imminent threat to their established way of life, to be dealt with by any means necessary.
“Outerborough Blues” is a novel about identity. Caesar Stiles is on a mission to end his family’s curse, and the remedy rests within his ability to reconcile his past. Gentrification, specifically as it applies to the neighborhood of Clinton Hill/Fort Greene, creates a conflict within this quest. Caesar seeks a home, a place where he belongs. The innate resistance his regular neighbors have to him, specifically in the form of his much-desired tenant Angel, obliquely communicates the distance that is kept between a community and its interlopers. There might not be any overt rejection of Caesar amongst them, but it’s clear he is and will always be an outsider. Gentrification can happen rather quickly and without obstruction, but acceptance as one of the neighborhood’s own is a far more difficult accomplishment. This is true in both the real life area of Clinton Hill/Fort Greene and the one depicted in my novel.
By ANDREW COTTO
Author Andrew Cotto’s new mystery is set in a pre-gentrification Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.
The book jacket synopsis of my new novel, “Outerborough Blues: A Brooklyn Mystery (Ig Publishing, May, 2012) describes the story as “a stylish mystery set on the dawn of gentrification.” The dawn of gentrification — sounds portentous, looming. But it is more than that.
Gentrification is a term rife with dramatic tension since it inherently throws disparate groups of people into a collective scenario, where motivations are usually at odds, cultures can clash, and enormous matters — like home and identity and serious money — are in play. The setting of Clinton Hill/Fort Greene in the early 1990s worked perfectly for me since gentrification informed many of the novel’s major themes.
“Outerborough Blues” is a novel about race. The protagonist, Caesar Stiles, is a white man living in a predominantly African-American neighborhood “with decidedly mixed feelings about his presence.” This was certainly the neighborhood in the early ’90s, when white faces were scarce. Simple appearance can be the symbol of gentrification in the most visceral way, and the presence of the real life Caesar Stileses certainly raised eyebrows. That’s why I explored the manner in which established neighborhood entities react to an outside threat. This equation is only heightened when the aspect of race is a dominant factor, even more so when a black majority is being impeded upon by a white minority as this particular setting allows.
OuterboroughBlues-Cvr-05.indd
This is a novel about community. Clinton Hill/Fort Greene was (and still is) a close-knit area. Gentrification can be considered a threat, though some residents see it as progress. As a result, allegiances are tested; personal agendas conflict, and neighbor is pit against neighbor. For some members of the community — in real life and in my novel — gentrification is an opportunity for riches and advancement; for others, it is nothing short of an imminent threat to their established way of life, to be dealt with by any means necessary.
“Outerborough Blues” is a novel about identity. Caesar Stiles is on a mission to end his family’s curse, and the remedy rests within his ability to reconcile his past. Gentrification, specifically as it applies to the neighborhood of Clinton Hill/Fort Greene, creates a conflict within this quest. Caesar seeks a home, a place where he belongs. The innate resistance his regular neighbors have to him, specifically in the form of his much-desired tenant Angel, obliquely communicates the distance that is kept between a community and its interlopers. There might not be any overt rejection of Caesar amongst them, but it’s clear he is and will always be an outsider. Gentrification can happen rather quickly and without obstruction, but acceptance as one of the neighborhood’s own is a far more difficult accomplishment. This is true in both the real life area of Clinton Hill/Fort Greene and the one depicted in my novel.
Review of THE DOMINO EFFECT by Chapters & Chats
The Domino Effect is Andrew Cotto’s debut novel. Having said that, I actually read his second novel ‘Outerborough Blues’ first. Yeah, that’s me, shun what society thinks right? But I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this coming of age novel just as much.
With Danny Rorro, Cotto creates a character that teens and adults will relate to as many have faced bullying in their lives. The Domino Effect is about rising above adversity, racial tension and obstacles placed our paths. Told with a combination of humor and drama the story carries the reader on a wave of emotions in the fluent writing style that Cotto does so well.
Danny Rorro, called Domino by everyone, is a normal kid living in Queens. He has been taught by his parents to accept people at face value and champion for the underdog. This creates a chain of events that will change Domino’s life in ways that leave him withdrawn, sullen and damaged. Eventually sent to a boarding school, The Hamden Academy, Domino begins to heal his demons and befriend a group of his dorm mates. When the only black student Terence, becomes the target of the campus thugs, Domino becomes entangled in the fray when Terence is assigned as his roommate. During the turmoil Domino meets the girl of his dreams; Brenda Divine who is swept away by one of his acquaintances adding more burden to his already troubled mind.
Given the choice of distancing himself from the drama surrounding him or championing the wrongs done to his friends, Domino chooses the latter with consequences that find him once again in Queens with his future in question.
The Domino Effect is one of those books that will have you up until the wee hours of the morning unable to put it down. It would make a great choice for a reading club. Bottom line, you should buy the book as it is a touching story that will draw you in, make you wince and smile as the story unfolds.
With Danny Rorro, Cotto creates a character that teens and adults will relate to as many have faced bullying in their lives. The Domino Effect is about rising above adversity, racial tension and obstacles placed our paths. Told with a combination of humor and drama the story carries the reader on a wave of emotions in the fluent writing style that Cotto does so well.
Danny Rorro, called Domino by everyone, is a normal kid living in Queens. He has been taught by his parents to accept people at face value and champion for the underdog. This creates a chain of events that will change Domino’s life in ways that leave him withdrawn, sullen and damaged. Eventually sent to a boarding school, The Hamden Academy, Domino begins to heal his demons and befriend a group of his dorm mates. When the only black student Terence, becomes the target of the campus thugs, Domino becomes entangled in the fray when Terence is assigned as his roommate. During the turmoil Domino meets the girl of his dreams; Brenda Divine who is swept away by one of his acquaintances adding more burden to his already troubled mind.
Given the choice of distancing himself from the drama surrounding him or championing the wrongs done to his friends, Domino chooses the latter with consequences that find him once again in Queens with his future in question.
The Domino Effect is one of those books that will have you up until the wee hours of the morning unable to put it down. It would make a great choice for a reading club. Bottom line, you should buy the book as it is a touching story that will draw you in, make you wince and smile as the story unfolds.
Review of THE DOMINO EFFECT by Mother-Daughter Book Club
Danny Rorro is happy growing up in his mostly Italian neighborhood in Queens, where he is known as Domino, or little Dominick, after his dad. But the neighborhood is changing, and as much as Danny would like to believe that ethnicity doesn’t count, not everyone feels that way. When he tries to bridge the gap by playing basketball with a group of Latins, older kids call him “Spic lover,” and “traitor.” Before long, they decide to teach him a lesson with a baseball bat that lands him in the hospital.
With his world uprooted, Danny begins to act out at home until his parents give him a choice: military school or boarding school. The boarding school he attends is a relief in some ways, but there are still racial conflicts between an African American basketball player and white wrestlers. Once again Danny finds himself in a situation that won’t be easily solved, but he’s figured out a thing or two about fighting back without throwing a punch.
The Domino Effect by Andrew Cotto is a thoughtful coming of age story that quietly reveals Danny’s struggle to understand ethnic polarization, first love, the meaning of friendship and how to do what he knows is right. He is a flawed character who doesn’t always do the right thing, which makes him even more believable. Yet, as he comes to grips with the challenges he has faced in his life, he learns how to decide what’s right for him and move toward his future.
A book for both boys and girls, I recommend The Domino Effect for readers aged 14 and up.
The author provided me with a copy of this book to review.
With his world uprooted, Danny begins to act out at home until his parents give him a choice: military school or boarding school. The boarding school he attends is a relief in some ways, but there are still racial conflicts between an African American basketball player and white wrestlers. Once again Danny finds himself in a situation that won’t be easily solved, but he’s figured out a thing or two about fighting back without throwing a punch.
The Domino Effect by Andrew Cotto is a thoughtful coming of age story that quietly reveals Danny’s struggle to understand ethnic polarization, first love, the meaning of friendship and how to do what he knows is right. He is a flawed character who doesn’t always do the right thing, which makes him even more believable. Yet, as he comes to grips with the challenges he has faced in his life, he learns how to decide what’s right for him and move toward his future.
A book for both boys and girls, I recommend The Domino Effect for readers aged 14 and up.
The author provided me with a copy of this book to review.
Crime Fiction Lover review: Outerborough Blues
Outerborough Blues is a mystery embedded in a lyrical tale of urban loss. Despite being billed as ‘a Brooklyn mystery’ and ‘urban noir’, the mystery is only one aspect of Andrew Cotto’s novel. This isn’t a whodunit. Instead, the author uses the central plot to explore themes of loss and change. Readers may find that Outerborough Blues does not belong to any genre. It contains mystery, fictional memoir and street-level anthropology.
The protagonist and narrator is Caesar Stiles, a drifter who settled in Brooklyn at the outset of its gentrification. Caesar grew up in New Jersey, and his home there set the tone for most of his life – it was dysfunctional. The narrative is interspersed with anecdotes from Caesar’s travels. He never had much. He had a few women along the way, but none of them stayed for very long. Neither did Caesar. But he gained culinary expertise. So he works at The Notch, a restaurant and bar where he serves up Italian food, soul food, Creole food. His cooking skills earn him a place in the black Brooklyn neighborhood where he otherwise wouldn’t belong, and he gains a measure of stability for the first time in his life.
Loss and pain are nothing new to Caesar. He grew up with both. Now his vicious older brother is out of prison. Caesar is also being shadowed by someone, and a mysterious ‘orange man’ bears an old grudge. Caesar worries about all of these things. But he walks into his biggest problems when a cute French girl walks into The Notch. She’s looking for her brother, and Caesar agrees to help her. The brother is ostensibly in art school, but is nowhere to be found. Like early Easy Rawlins, Caesar works as an unlicensed private investigator.
Unfortunately, his tumultuous past won’t leave him alone. Finding the French girl’s brother is only one of the mysteries that confounds Caesar Stiles. He must survive the encounters with his brother. He needs to figure out what the orange man wants. Caesar also wants to find out who is behind the Montclair Corporation that owns most of the property in the neighborhood. He might find the answers, but the truth may not set him free.
Caesar finds himself thrown into a host of machinations in Outerborough Blues. The central mystery – finding the French art student – is sometimes submerged in the other subplots. This doesn’t make the novel any less readable or compelling, but it does shift the book’s focus. With Cotto writing in a more literary style, we are primarily concerned with Caesar’s development; the plot resolution vis-à-vis the French siblings is underwhelming.
While the prose is occasionally overwritten and purplish, this is a haunting and doleful novel. Outerborough Blues is not likely to overawe readers as a mystery, but the briskly-moving plot and vividly-drawn characters will keep them turning the pages. Andrew Cotto intimately links white Caesar Stiles to the African American Brooklyn milieu, setting up the tragic noir ending.
“In Shakespeare, tragic heroes fall from mountaintops; in noir, they fall from curbs,” says Dennis Lehane. In Andrew Cotto’s Outerborough Blues, that is exactly what we have: a gritty, bumpy fall. Caesar does not fall from grace, but from stasis. Cotto’s incisive prose depicts a worn Brooklyn and an even warier protagonist. Amidst the vibrant Brooklyn characters, this is a novel of subtleties. Cotto deftly handles the complex Caesar Stiles. In Caesar’s misfortunes, readers will find a mournful – and irresistible – beauty.
The protagonist and narrator is Caesar Stiles, a drifter who settled in Brooklyn at the outset of its gentrification. Caesar grew up in New Jersey, and his home there set the tone for most of his life – it was dysfunctional. The narrative is interspersed with anecdotes from Caesar’s travels. He never had much. He had a few women along the way, but none of them stayed for very long. Neither did Caesar. But he gained culinary expertise. So he works at The Notch, a restaurant and bar where he serves up Italian food, soul food, Creole food. His cooking skills earn him a place in the black Brooklyn neighborhood where he otherwise wouldn’t belong, and he gains a measure of stability for the first time in his life.
Loss and pain are nothing new to Caesar. He grew up with both. Now his vicious older brother is out of prison. Caesar is also being shadowed by someone, and a mysterious ‘orange man’ bears an old grudge. Caesar worries about all of these things. But he walks into his biggest problems when a cute French girl walks into The Notch. She’s looking for her brother, and Caesar agrees to help her. The brother is ostensibly in art school, but is nowhere to be found. Like early Easy Rawlins, Caesar works as an unlicensed private investigator.
Unfortunately, his tumultuous past won’t leave him alone. Finding the French girl’s brother is only one of the mysteries that confounds Caesar Stiles. He must survive the encounters with his brother. He needs to figure out what the orange man wants. Caesar also wants to find out who is behind the Montclair Corporation that owns most of the property in the neighborhood. He might find the answers, but the truth may not set him free.
Caesar finds himself thrown into a host of machinations in Outerborough Blues. The central mystery – finding the French art student – is sometimes submerged in the other subplots. This doesn’t make the novel any less readable or compelling, but it does shift the book’s focus. With Cotto writing in a more literary style, we are primarily concerned with Caesar’s development; the plot resolution vis-à-vis the French siblings is underwhelming.
While the prose is occasionally overwritten and purplish, this is a haunting and doleful novel. Outerborough Blues is not likely to overawe readers as a mystery, but the briskly-moving plot and vividly-drawn characters will keep them turning the pages. Andrew Cotto intimately links white Caesar Stiles to the African American Brooklyn milieu, setting up the tragic noir ending.
“In Shakespeare, tragic heroes fall from mountaintops; in noir, they fall from curbs,” says Dennis Lehane. In Andrew Cotto’s Outerborough Blues, that is exactly what we have: a gritty, bumpy fall. Caesar does not fall from grace, but from stasis. Cotto’s incisive prose depicts a worn Brooklyn and an even warier protagonist. Amidst the vibrant Brooklyn characters, this is a novel of subtleties. Cotto deftly handles the complex Caesar Stiles. In Caesar’s misfortunes, readers will find a mournful – and irresistible – beauty.
THE DOMINO EFFECT is up for an award!
THE DOMINO EFFECT has been named a Finalist in the coming of age category for this year's Readers Favorite Award. Oh, yeah.
