Bed Stuy: A Love Story

Written by Jerry McGill

Narrated by Preston Butler III

From the author of Dear Marcus comes a breathtaking novel about a fated love affair that crosses the divides of race and class.

Rashid is a young Black man from Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, with a complicated life. Looking for an escape from a neighborhood few ever leave, he finds it in Rachel—married, twenty years his senior, and the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. It begins with a flirtation and a tryst. It becomes an intense romance, exhilarating and enriching, that defies the expectations of Rashid’s friends and family. What draws Rachel to Rashid is his curiosity, his need for intimacy, and his adoration—everything lacking in her crumbling marriage. But as the fault lines of their relationship become more prevalent, so do the inevitable choices one makes when falling in love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Dec 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781713620365

Jerry McGill

Jerry McGill is a writer and artist. He is the author of Bed Stuy: A Love Story and the memoir Dear Marcus: A Letter to the Man Who Shot Me. After receiving a BA in English literature from Fordham University in the Bronx and a master’s degree in education from Pacific University in Oregon, Jerry went on to teach high school and travel the world mentoring disabled children. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews for Bed Stuy

[froxgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a sweet and charming story of a man who falls in love with the wrong woman and becomes deeply involved in an impossible romance, due to differences in ages, race, and mostly in beginnings and in outlook. Rashid, in his mid-twenties, is working as a server in an Italian restaurant for a family that has, for all intents and purposes, become almost as close as his own to him. The comfort of their love and esteem for Rashid has prevented him from developing goals and he is just coasting until he meets a sculptor at the restaurant who invites him to model for her. Through Muriel, he becomes involved with her estranged daughter Rachel, a classical musician who is twenty years his senior and miserable in her marriage. Despite the warnings of his friends, they become obsessed with each other, but Rachel also has children and remains on the fence about whether to stay or go. Her mother's distance has meant ruination for her and contrasts deeply with Rashid's love for his own mother. Hard choices are made, and Rashid moves forward while Rachel goes backwards. The writing in this short but poignant novel is somber and filled with truth and regret.Quote: "The lights were out. They called it a "power failure". It seemed like power had been failing him all of his life."