
Building Material
The Memoir of a Park Avenue Doorman
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Narrated by:
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Stephen Bruno
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By:
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Stephen Bruno
About this listen
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.
©2024 Stephen Bruno (P)2024 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
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- What a Black Man Discovered About the White Mother He Never Knew
- By: John Blake
- Narrated by: John Blake
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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John Blake grew up in a Black neighborhood in inner-city Baltimore that became the setting for the HBO series The Wire. There he became a self-described “closeted biracial person,” hostile toward white people while hiding the truth of his mother’s race. The son of a Black man and a white woman who met when interracial marriage was still illegal, Blake knew this much about his mother: She vanished from his life not long after his birth, and her family rejected him because of his race. But at the age of seventeen, Blake had a surprise encounter that uncovered a disturbing family secret.
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Should be required reading!
- By Karen Campbell on 05-15-23
By: John Blake
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A Life Impossible
- Living with ALS: Finding Peace and Wisdom Within a Fragile Existence
- By: Steve Gleason, Jeff Duncan
- Narrated by: Daniel Cummings
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2011, three years after leaving the NFL, Steve Gleason was diagnosed with ALS, a terminal disease that paralyzes the entire body. Doctors gave him three years to live. He was thirty-four years old. As Steve says, he is now ten years past his expiration date. His memoir is the chronicle of a remarkable life, one filled with optimism and joy, despite the trauma and pain and despair he has experienced.
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Willing fight and transformation with ALS
- By Ron S on 12-20-24
By: Steve Gleason, and others
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Unraveling
- What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater
- By: Peggy Orenstein
- Narrated by: Peggy Orenstein
- Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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The COVID pandemic propelled many people to change their lives in ways large and small. Some adopted puppies. Others stress-baked. Peggy Orenstein, a lifelong knitter, went just a little further. To keep herself engaged and cope with a series of seismic shifts in family life, she set out to make a garment from the ground up: learning to shear sheep, spin and dye yarn, then knitting herself a sweater.
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Nailed it!
- By Miss Effie on 02-19-23
By: Peggy Orenstein
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A Gentleman and a Thief
- The Daring Jewel Heists of a Jazz Age Rogue
- By: Dean Jobb
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Catch Me If You Can meets The Great Gatsby meets the hit Netflix series Lupin in this captivating true-crime caper. A skilled con artist and perhaps one of the most charming, audacious burglars in history, Arthur Barry slipped in and out of the bedrooms of New York’s wealthiest residents, even as his victims slept only inches away. He befriended luminaries such as the Prince of Wales and Harry Houdini and became a folk hero, touted in the press as “the greatest jewel thief who ever lived” and an “Aristocrat of Crime.”
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A great story told at a very leisurely pace
- By appreciative reader on 09-06-24
By: Dean Jobb
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By All Means Available
- Memoirs of a Life in Intelligence, Special Operations, and Strategy
- By: Michael G. Vickers
- Narrated by: Michael G. Vickers
- Length: 20 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1984, Michael Vickers took charge of the CIA’s secret war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. After inheriting a strategy aimed at imposing costs on the Soviets for their invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, Vickers transformed the covert campaign into an all-out effort to help the Afghan resistance win their war. More than any other American, he was responsible for the outcome in Afghanistan that led to the end of the Cold War. In By All Means Available, Vickers recounts his remarkable career.
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Great listen, interesting information
- By Amazon Customer on 08-02-23
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Headwaters
- The Adventures, Obsession and Evolution of a Fly Fisherman (Patagonia)
- By: Dylan Tomine, John Larison - foreward
- Narrated by: Dylan Tomine
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Dylan Tomine takes us to the far reaches of the planet in search of fish and adventure, with keen insight, a strong stomach, and plenty of laughs along the way. Closer to home, he wades deeper into his beloved steelhead rivers of the Pacific Northwest and the politics of saving them. Tomine celebrates the joy - and pain - of exploration, fatherhood, and the comforts of home waters from a vantage point well off the beaten path. Headwaters traces the evolution of a lifelong angler’s priorities from fishing to the survival of the fish themselves.
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Beautiful essays on fishing, conservation and humanity
- By Zachary J. Millimet on 10-10-24
By: Dylan Tomine, and others
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Bartleby and Me
- Reflections of an Old Scrivener
- By: Gay Talese
- Narrated by: Mike Ortego
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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“New York is a city of things unnoticed,” a young reporter named Gay Talese wrote sixty years ago. He would spend the rest of his legendary career defying that statement by celebrating the people most reporters overlooked, understanding that it was through these minor characters that the epic story of New York and America unfolded. Inspired by Herman Melville’s great short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” Talese now revisits the unforgettable “nobodies” he has profiled in his celebrated career—from the New York Times’s anonymous obituary writer to Frank Sinatra’s entourage.
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Wonderful meandering
- By nyc2cents on 11-01-23
By: Gay Talese
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Heretic
- A Memoir
- By: Jeanna Kadlec
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Jeanna Kadlec knew what it meant to be faithful--in her marriage to a pastor’s son, in the comfortable life ahead of her, in her God--but there was no denying the truth that lived under that conviction: she was queer and, if she wanted to survive, she would need to leave behind the church and every foundational building block she knew. Heretic is a memoir of rebirth. Within, Kadlec reckons with religious trauma and Midwestern values, as a means of unveiling how evangelicalism directly impacts every American--religious or not--and has been a major force in driving our democracy towards fascism.
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Average story about faith and being LGBTQ
- By A. Sampson on 11-26-23
By: Jeanna Kadlec
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How She Did It
- Stories, Advice, and Secrets to Success from Fifty Legendary Distance Runners
- By: Molly Huddle, Sara Slattery
- Narrated by: Molly Huddle, Sara Slattery, Gisela Chipe, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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The road from a high school track to an Olympic starting line is long and sometimes shadowy. Obstacles like chronic injuries, under-fueled nutrition, and coercive coaching can threaten to derail careers before they’ve even begun. Frustrated by seeing young talent burn out before reaching their potential, professional distance runner Molly Huddle and college coach Sara Slattery have teamed up with trailblazing running legends and sports medicine professionals to create an essential guide to reach your running potential.
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Buy the paper copy
- By Kara Abshire on 07-20-24
By: Molly Huddle, and others
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They Called Us Exceptional
- And Other Lies That Raised Us
- By: Prachi Gupta
- Narrated by: Prachi Gupta
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Family defined the cultural identity of Prachi and her brother, Yush, connecting them to a larger Indian American community amid white suburbia. But their belonging was predicated on a powerful myth: the idea that Asian Americans, and Indian Americans in particular, have perfected the alchemy of middle-class life, raising tight-knit, high-achieving families that are immune to hardship. Molding oneself to fit this image often comes at a steep, but hidden, cost.
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Good good
- By Wild on 08-29-23
By: Prachi Gupta
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Candace Pert
- Genius, Greed, and Madness in the World of Science
- By: Pamela Ryckman
- Narrated by: Jess Nahikian, Pamela Ryckman
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Candace Pert stood at the dawn of three revolutions: the women’s movement, integrative health, and psychopharmacology. A scientific prodigy, she was 30 years ahead of her time, preaching a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to healthcare and medicine long before yoga hit the mainstream and “wellness” took root in our vernacular. Her bestselling book Molecules of Emotion made her the mother of the Mind/Body Revolution, launching a paradigm shift in medicine. Deepak Chopra credits her with creating his career, and he said as much in his eulogy at her funeral.
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Fascinating and important story!
- By Suzanne Duvalsaint on 11-16-23
By: Pamela Ryckman
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Wildflower
- A Memoir
- By: Aurora James
- Narrated by: Aurora James
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Aurora James’s life is a great American “success story”—precisely because it looks so different from others we’ve seen. Scouted as a teen model, James struggled with body image and became disenchanted by the industry’s objectification of women and commodification of race. After she’d hit rock bottom, dropping out of high school and being arrested for street racing, she was forced to reshape her life. A slew of fashion-related jobs led James to discover the power of the runway, and she started her own business in a flea market.
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Mesmerizing!
- By Julie on 05-15-23
By: Aurora James
What listeners say about Building Material
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Lisa
- 10-17-24
Really interesting!
I really liked this! A neat glimpse into the world of nyc buildings and interesting characters!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Noemi Rivera
- 10-04-24
Finally Memoir from a born and bred New Yorker who isn’t filtered by mainstream portrayals and depictions of its residents.
Stephen Bruno's Building Material offers a refreshing and authentic glimpse into the life of a Park Avenue doorman, narrated through the lens of a true New Yorker. Unlike many portrayals of New Yorkers that come from outsiders, Bruno's perspective as a Latino from the Bronx brings raw honesty and depth to his experiences.
The memoir stands out for maintaining the anonymity but unfiltered portrayal of the tenants and the intricacies of their lives, shedding light on a world that often goes unseen. Bruno's storytelling resonates with anyone familiar with similar upbringings, providing a candid look at the struggles and triumphs that shape his journey.
Rather than delivering the polished, glamorous narrative one might expect about the elite of Park Avenue, Bruno’s writing is grounded in real-life events and relatable characters. This authenticity is a welcome reprieve from the often superficial narratives that dominate contemporary media. While some may find his candidness challenging, those who appreciate genuine storytelling will find much to admire.
In a time when cultural conversations can feel stifled, Building Material encourages readers to embrace the complexities of life and identity. Kudos to Stephen Bruno for crafting a memoir that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. A job well done!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Caleb Lee
- 09-24-24
It’s art. It’s literature. It’s life.
A once in a century story of an American life told with exceptional humor, nostalgia, and intrigue. You don’t only fall in love with the author, but the entire cast of unforgettable NYC characters. This memoir offers a witty glimpse into the secret life of New York's elite through the eyes of the man who holds their door. The author will make you appreciate your job in a new way and learn to never take any experience for granted. Bravo to Mr Bruno and his fantastic story – we can’t wait for the sequel!
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1 person found this helpful
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- DAK04
- 01-24-25
Expected more based on NPR interview
Clever book title. Much of the content was about doorman hierarchy and the petty behavior of the author’s coworkers.
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- GG
- 03-12-25
A little slow
I really wanted to like. Interesting story concept. However, thematically was the same story line over and over.
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- Anonymous User
- 03-24-25
Nothing
Not worth the time to listen to even at half price. The story drags on and on.
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- Erica Ratkovicz
- 11-07-24
Don’t bother
Not worth the listen or read. Childish writing and storyline is all over the place. Horrible
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- Grace
- 10-29-24
So torn about this one
I love memoir. I felt very torn through out this one. The authors story is interesting - absolutely, but for me, it had to either be more about his life or more about the job. Being a doorman is secondary to this story, so if you’re looking for a juicy story with gossip about building residents- there is literally none. I didn’t mind the shift to the authors life story, but it completely lacked self reflection or nuance. He repeatedly accused others of assuming things about him and then in the next sentence assumed bold things about others without context or background. There were so many missing pieces- like why was he interested in a relationship with Bam Bam. Memoir has the opportunity to show someone’s growth, development, journey- and make you question your own. The only growth this showed was the actual passage of time, his career development and development as a writer- nothing internal or deeper. Huge miss in my opinion. Sadly I would recommend skipping it. It missed the mark for me.
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1 person found this helpful