Brooklyn's Last Secret (Paperback)
A rip-roaring journey through the highs and lows of tour life
Welcome aboard the tour van of Major Threat—Brooklyn’s finest rock band yet to catch a break—as they traverse the US of A on a last-ditch summer festival tour. On drums we’ve got "band dad" Ed, the stoic drummer who keeps bumping into tech bro coworkers that he can't quite relate to. On bass, there’s Paul, a man of mostly mystery, who drinks hard and yet manages to glide through life, intelligible to no one except energy-drink–guzzling Marco, the baby of the band and newest replacement lead singer. And of course there's the gentle and serene Lilith, a weed–lollipop–sucking, stuffed-animal–backpack–wearing guitarist healing from heartbreak.
There’s sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll, sure, but there are also tender moments as the motley crew take turns behind the wheel, compiling lists of the hottest hunks and best guitar riffs to pass the miles. From tour fashion to breakdowns—mechanical and emotional—Leslie Stein holds no bars in this incredibly funny and heartfelt love letter meets parody of life on the road.
Her first full-length fiction, Brooklyn's Last Secret expertly showcases Stein’s trademark cocktail of charm, wit, and whimsey, leaving readers decidedly affected by their time spent in her world.
“If you’re in a band, read this book. If you’re not in a band, read this book. And if, for whatever reason, you’ve decided to start or join a band, I implore you, before you go any further: PLEASE. READ THIS BOOK! It’s so beautifully done, heavy on laughs, thick with heartbreak, and honestly the best depiction of band/tour life I have ever read. I feel so seen, it’s disgusting. I’m disgusted. Because it’s SO GOOD.”—Tunde Adebimpe, TV on the Radio
“Brooklyn’s Last Secret is an extremely good time. A beautiful, dreamlike, elliptical story that is also the most accurate description of what it’s like to tour that I’ve ever read. It also made me thank god that my gigging days are over.”—John Wray, Godsend and Lowboy
“The most realistic and entertaining band-on-tour story that I’ve read...Sign me up for the European tour!”—Mark Ibold, Pavement
“It you want, you can just read this book and skip tour. Because this is what tour is like.”—Luke Jenner, The Rapture