Building Material: The Memoir of a Park Avenue Doorman—A Hilarious Memoir of a Doorman's Experiences with the Rich and Famous on Park Avenue

by Stephen Bruno

For fans of books like Waiter Rant, and all those who have always wondered how the other half lives, comes this heartfelt, laugh-out-loud memoir from a New York City doorman with astute ears and a penchant for storytelling

As an academically gifted Latino kid growing up in the Bronx, Stephen Bruno’s family had high aspirations for his future. He attended magnet schools and selective academic programs and was on track to realize his potential. But those dreams were derailed when, much to his Mami’s dismay, he followed a girlfriend to Minnesota and a dead-end job. Languishing and unable to get it together, Stephen eventually moved back home. Broke and eager to make a way for himself—and away from the oppressively religious father wreaking havoc on his love life—the affable, easy going, and quick-witted Stephen lands a much-coveted job as a doorman at a high-end building on Park Avenue.

Hilarity and drama soon abound as Stephen learns the dos and don’ts of being a doorman for the rich and famous and witnesses the antics going on behind the front entrance of this swanky building. In Building Material, he shares those entertaining tales and introduces an unforgettable cast of characters—from Puerto Rican and Albanian doormen battling it out for turf to quirky one percenters to slimy sugar daddies to his peers, both friends and frenemies. Throughout, Stephen offers a glimpse into the unfathomable lives of the residents and a sharp portrait of an everyday man wanting more for himself.

Both poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, Building Material is a captivating true tale of class, failure, and redemption—and how to come back swinging—from a gifted young talent. 

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Audiobook, New York, Biography Memoir, Autobiography

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 24, 2024

Reviews

[Gigi Ropp · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I hoped would be a tell-all of the secret lives of Park Avenue residents (based on the title) actually ended up being a repetitive, long-winded memoir of a semi-interesting doorman. This would’ve been an enjoyable essay, but not a whole ass book.

[Yaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

In retrospect, I'm happy that I wasn’t approved for this book on NetGalley.

I got a copy from my library after it was released.

Let's just say an editor would have had a blast with it. 🫣

[Tetyana Skrypkina · Rating 1 out of 5]

The idea is brilliant! The cover is awesome!

While reading this book, I had the impression that the author took a break while writing it. The beginning (about 40%) differs in style from the rest of the book.

The stories could be written in a more interesting and dynamic way.

There are some punctuation mistakes, by the way.

Also, I wonder if the author signed any NDAs while he was working as a doorman.

[sean hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

a snooze fest

Most of the book is the author talking about all of the mistakes he made rather than an inside look at what the doorman job is or his actual experiences. It was a sufferance to finish this because I kept hoping it would improve.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did whoever wrote the endflap actually READ the book? It is described as "laugh-out-loud", "hilarity", "riotous". It was none of these, but the description "poignant" is spot-on. Was this book the result of Mr. Bruno's MFA memoir class?

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Harper Collins for the Digital Review Copy of this book.

I went into this book thinking it would only be stories about being a Park Avenue doorman. There are quite a few stories about that, don’t get me wrong, but there is also some “real life” sprinkled in there too. Not that being a doorman isn’t having a real life, but it showcases the complexity of a seemingly simple job.

I found myself with a new appreciation for the people you might not typically think about. I’ve never been in a Park Avenue building (and probably never will), but that didn’t stop me from throughly enjoying this book. There were some parts that seemed a little repetitive or unnecessary to me, but even those details helped me look inside the mind of the author.

[Courtney McIlvoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not everyone should have a podcast, and not everyone should write a memoir.

I also don’t like the way he talks about women and addicts.

[Maggie Uebelacker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the few moments about the doorman’s relationship with the residents and the residents’ lives but I expected way more of that considering the title of the book.

[Mediaman · Rating 1 out of 5]

A total loser thinks he's hot stuff because he's a doorman to rich people in New York City! Can't believe this guy hasn't been told that not only is he not as talented as he claims throughout the book, but that most of his life choices have been bad, hurting others without care for anyone beyond himself. Ironic for a service worker, right?

Start off with the bad title of the book and the misleading subject matter--this isn't really about the rich people he serves, it's stupid stories about how smart he claims to be while making dumb mistakes or tricking the system. None of it is inspiring and it makes for a pretty dull read.

But it goes beyond that--Stephen Bruno is simply wrong in some spots and infuriating in others. The guy lived in St. Paul, Minnesota for a couple of years and comes up with this hilarious faux pas that those of us who lived there will instantly recognize: As he is driving to work in a St. Paul suburb, he claims "the cars (are) shooting past me on I-90." To those of you that don't study interstate highways, I-90 is nowhere near the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. It's over 100 miles south, in the very southern part of the state just a couple of miles from Iowa. Oh, you say, he probably just made a "mistake." Well then he makes the same mistake again. And to top it all off, he adds on that page, "People from the Midwest use their hands and stain their clothes...the men hunt and return from the woods with deer the sturdy course-skinned women convert to venison chili."

Not only is that poorly written, but it is a form of racism from the Latino author. It's certainly offensive stereotyping and nothing even close to the truth for the vast majority of St. Paul residents, who are incredibly cosmopolitan and culturally diverse. Where he lived in Minnesota is one of the top 20 metropolitan areas in the United States with millions of people...they aren't Danish Vikings walking the streets with skinned deer and chomping on venison chili.

The doofus had already told us that he was raised evangelical Christian but also creates offensive caricatures of pastors, family members, and churchgoers. He hates religion, then decides to go to a Christian and Missionary Alliance college in New York where he gets arrested for his many pranks, eventually kicked out of school. You've got to be a pretty big low-life to get kicked out of a college in the middle of the semester, yet he wears it as a badge of honor. This should immediately tell you that the guy is clueless and lacks any introspection.

He doesn't even mind offensive stereotypes of his own Hispanic people. Bruno is offensive on all levels, never apologizing for how much destruction and harm he causes with his words and actions.

Then he returns to college years later and stands up in front of an English professor, claiming his "C" grade is actually an "A" paper, saying in front of the class that he's smarter than the teacher. Bruno is a 20-something doorman, remember, who was kicked out of a previous college and had a 1.8 GPA in high school. Brilliant, right? He then storms out of class and complains to authorities (who changed the grade to "B" but probably because the guy is an ethnic minority who could sue them).

What an obnoxious brat the author is. I've read two recent books in a row now where the writer claims to be a brilliant genius and was put into gifted classes when younger--only to also reveal that he was an extreme rebel who often got into trouble with authorities and no one would control. Bruno, like the other writer, is a total loser who was destructive and doesn't seem to understand that he was put into "gifted" classes in order to corral him. His "memoir" is a rewrite of history, trying to make himself look good but he ends up doing the opposite.

The guy only got his job as a doorman through family connections--this isn't a genius who earned his position and has amazing writing ability. He hops and skips around timelines, in some chapters starting one time period, then jumping back, then jumping again while back. It's a confusing mess that can be difficult to follow, and I think that English professor was generous with a "C."

There is little here to learn beyond how screwed up our educational system is to make young people (especially minorities) believe they are "gifted" and overpraised when in fact they are "troubled" and need discipline. These modern egotists become self-satisfied with a meaningless lowly job that requires little talent beyond opening doors, sorting mail, and pushing elevator buttons. My grade school kids could do all of those things...and they had enough smarts to never end up with a job as a dull and talentless as a doorman.

[Anna Timmons · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t finish it but I’ve suffered enough so I’m counting it as “read.” The writing itself is okay but the structure of the book sucks. There’s so much uninteresting fluff that could be edited out. Many of the stories the author shares made him pretty unlikable to me, and there weren’t really any redeeming chapters to make me root for him or keep going. Also l hated how he speaks about women. So much of this book made me cringe 😬

[Brian Weisz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as much stories about being a doorman as stories from his life in general. He makes a lot of bad decisions and the results are predictable - to everyone but him.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A Puerto Rican kids finds a job as a doorman. A pretty good job, as these things go. He has little misadventures, and goes back to school to become an author.

I thin someone went to a few too many creative writing workshops, but on the whole, an engaging book.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this book - it was a quick easy read with some glimpses of my favorite city. I heard an interview with the author ion NPR and thought his story sounded interesting. My hope is his next book is “fiction” and based on high dramas and more of the kooky rich characters in the building.

[Ian Estevez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feel bad giving this rating for a guy who hustled his way from the bottom to being a writer. So not a personal shot at the author, just my thoughts.

The story jumped around far too much it was tough to keep up with time, place, etc. felt like every other paragraph the author would digress into some day dream.

It was written in a way that reminds me of Kitchen Confidential and the greatness of that book, with the author trying to write punchy one liners that stick with the reader - but they were so common and forced, it didn’t read well.

Also lacked any substance to be honest - there were not really any significant, interesting stories of his time as a doorman.

I gave 2 stars because I did find it very helpful empathetically to read life from the doorman’s perspective.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
It's always interesting to read about people who have careers that are nowhere near like my own. This was a pretty fun read because it gives the reader the behind the scenes of doormen in New York City. The various doormen provide an array of characters. I thought there would be more on the tenants and how their interactions would be. The book did kind of get repetitive but it does show the similarities between 2 building's doormen.
The background of how the author became a doorman was funny and told a good story of his growing up and making life decisions.

[Olivia Swindler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited for this memoir! The cover is amazing, and I loved the premise. However, I had a hard time with how the book was structured and in every vignette Bruno was the hero and everyone else the annoying fool.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy!

[Han Beenenga · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was left a little disappointed. I hate feeling that way, especially in the telling of someone’s life. Who am I to say what’s good or not when one bares the innermost parts is their own story?

I was expecting more gripping stories of the ins and outs of the NYC, of the residents of the building and honestly of the authors life. He shared a few pivotal moments in his life, but then stopped, and instead went on and on about coworkers squabbles or seemingly irrelevant stories about a resident or two.
It was a strong and engaging start, a terribly boring middle and awkward ending. I enjoyed the afterword (and acknowledgements) more than half of the actual book.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Chris Bumgardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read! He tells his story well. I like being reminded that everyone is a person, regardless of the zeros in their income. If the people who make less than you stopped working, your life would fall apart. Trust me.

[Maine Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful counterpart to Bringley's All the Beauty, here is another NYC inside story/memoir, this one following the author as he uses his job as a doorman to provide a base from which he can focus his competitive drive and develop his talent. Including just enough dish to justify the title, Bruno's characterizations from the other side of the class divide are subtle and on point but never show-offy; he wisely keeps the snark to a minimum and focuses instead on his gratitude to the residents who saw his talent and his struggles and made them their own. When and how he can follow this up I have no idea, but I will be watching for it.

[V · Rating 2 out of 5]

The blatant misogyny took away from my experience reading this book, diminishing and distracting from all of the anecdotes and stories. Relies a little too heavily on writing cliches.

[Leonardo Etcheto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, very different life experience. The main negative for me is that while there is kind of a thread tying the chapters together it is evident that it started life as a series of social media posts and then got fleshed out. I also feel that while he did a good job of showing how his infatuations with ladies got him into trouble, he never really talks about if he overcame that. It seems he decided to put "serious" relationships aside to pursue his goals, which works, but is quite limiting. His thinking on the topic is not really addressed. It was all hormones at first, then a little of the "white knight" syndrome and then ??
There are many times where I was saying "Don't be an idiot" and he was. He did find that in the company of a lot of highly educated "artsy" females he had no issues avoiding relationships. Not his type - they probably don't dance salsa.
I very much like that he put in the work to get and keep the job that then gave him the resources to finish his schooling and pursue his writing dreams. A good job changes everything and his attitude was great about it. Instead of seeing himself as a victim made into a servant of the rich, he appreciates the work and its opportunities.
I did not realize doormen are unionized and how coveted the positions are for being good pay and relatively easy work. The Albanians replacing the Puerto Ricans is also an interesting tale in tribal control of positions. Illuminating read for showing me a world I know very little about.

[Pat Crowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know how a book about being a Park Avenue Doorman could be at all interesting, but you know, if it says "memoir" on the cover, I'll read it.
And this was such a pleasant surprise.
Yes, a doorman's life can be repetitive and humdrum, but the interesting part is not the job, but the author. Stephen Bruno grows up in a large religious Latin family in New York. Although a star student initially, he kind of got in his own way as he got to be a teenager, with stunts, pranks, bad behavior, indifference. He got into one college and misbehaved his way out of there. What's funny is his recounting of these incidents: none particularly serious, but enough to get on administrator's nerves.
So, back home again he takes a doorman job and that's where the very entertaining reading comes in. He learns the rules of being a Park Ave doorman. He breaks several of those rules. He also learns how very many brands of doorman he has to work with. He is intrigued with the (very rich) residents who can be either nasty and snobby or kind and interested in him.
He has a way of writing that is so authentic for his background and upbringing. He is a funny guy. Still, he has a lot of ups and downs in his life, but after many years of this career, he decides he's going to finish college and get a degree in Creative Writing. He does! So don't look for him on Park Ave any longer, but do enjoy his book!

[Haleh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stephen Bruno grew up in the Bronx, was academically gifted, attended magnet schools, and then made a few bad decisions in his life getting kicked out of college and of his church. Eventually he turned his life around, ending up as a doorman in a Park Avenue building, a job in NYC that is very hard to obtain ("you have to know someone"), and hard to hold on to.

Having this job gave Bruno focus and direction. While working as a doorman Bruno enrolled in a masters degree program at night, obtaining his MFA at Hunter College. One of the couples in the building mentored him, encouraged him when he was struggling in the MFA program, and were very supportive of his writing.The memoir has interesting stories about the hierarchy among doormen who work in the same building. Not as much of the upstairs-downstairs stories I had hoped for, which is understandable as he still works in one of the buildings he wrote about.

[Lori Kaufmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, especially getting a glimpse into the lives of people who both live and work in those imposing Park Avenue apartments. Through Bruno's unique perspective as both a doorman and an MFA graduate, he crafts an authentic narrative that goes beyond mere gossip to explore the complex relationships between staff and residents. The memoir particularly shines in its portrayal of meaningful connections that transcend class boundaries, like his touching relationship with the Blooms, who helped revitalize his academic journey. Bruno's ability to navigate the delicate balance between professional boundaries and genuine human connection makes this memoir both insightful and heartwarming, offering readers a thoughtful exploration of community, perseverance, and personal growth in one of New York's most exclusive neighborhoods. Highly recommend it!

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought there were going to be many interesting stories about the tenants in the buildings where he worked and wondered how you could do it without being sued even with name changes. Well, maybe if I had carefully read the title of the book, I would have realized it was a memoir.

Bruno explained that he was in gifted classes from his early years and always managed to mess that up with actions that got him into trouble. In hs world as a doorman, he described the hierarchy, infighting between nationalities and a kind couple who saw his potential and encouraged him.

In short, the book was interesting. It had a few lines that were funny, but it certainly was wrong to describe it as laugh out loud funny. By the way, I never knew that the doormen had a union!

[Dodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never lived in a building with a doorman, but I had friends who did. Stephen Bruno writes about his experience as a doorman in Building Material. I assumed the doormen at the buildings I visited gossiped about the tenants, and Bruno proved me right. His memoir is more than stories of his doorman profession; he talks about growing up, his academic success (and failure) and life in New York City. Bruno's story is one of struggle and perseverance. His accomplishments are inspiring. I loved reading the behind-the-scenes workings of a big apartment building in New York, and I wished there had been a little more of that.

[Carien Spagnuolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought my signed copy of this book during a once-in-a-lifetime trip to New York City and will cherish it for years to come. I read this one slowly, over a couple of months, picking it up in between other reads. This means I got sit with Stephen Bruno’s story and let is sink in and really marinate. This is such a powerful view on the bits of New York City that you don’t often see or hear people talk about. An honest picture of the overlooked people who keep New York City running: the doormen and street cleaners and all the background actors. It’s also a story of becoming, determination, grit and believing in yourself. A must-read if you’re a New Yorker or if you’ve ever visited New York!

[Carianne Carleo-Evangelist · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I was a couple of chapters in when the audio book came off the library hold and I finished this in two short commutes. Bruno was an interesting narrator, and his path was an uncommon one, even for a boy from the Bronx as Nyack College, during its existence, was not a school of prominence. I like that Bruno's stories were his own as well as that of his fellow doormen-all men - rather than the famous residents of his two buildings. I appreciated the dynamics among the Latino men, but also between them and the increasing Albanian population as the older Irish and Latino men aged out.

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

title is a bit misleading

I enjoyed this book but it was different than I expected from the title. It’s a memoir but there really isn’t too much about the “rich and famous”. I guess that's too be expected given that he appears to still be working as a doorman so it's not going to be some kind of tell-all. It's more of a personal story with the doorman piece almost being secondary. Each chapter almost stands alone, as though it were a series of blog posts rather than a story that is going somewhere. It also ends sort of abruptly and I felt robbed of knowing how it all ends up. That being said, Stephen is an engaging writer and I did enjoy it.