The Tender Bar

J. R. Moehringer grew up in Manhasset, New York. His mother has big dreams for him while watching her own die repeatedly, forcing her to move in with her miserly parents and other relatives. J. R.'s DJ father left when he was young, leaving him nothing but his voice on the radio. J. R. fills the male void through his uncle Chas, a bartender at Dickens. As J. R. gets older, the bar becomes his second home, too, and more of the male regulars become part of his family. J. R. recalls this formative period in his memoir. The men at the bar share their stories, their wisdom, and their advice as they nurture him through the highs and lows of college, his first love, and his first job. Reading this book felt like pulling up a stool at the bar of Dickens and listening to one guy's life story, complete with asides and commentary from his buddies down the way.