Once a month a bunch of intellectual Jews gather in the Lower East Side. Surrounded by Soviet propaganda, the evening could have taken place 50 or 100 years ago, but this is New York City circa 2006. Novel Jews is a series of readings by Jewish authors that is organized by Alyssa Abrahamson of the 14th Street Y and Alana Newhouse of the Forward. KGB Bar provides a kitschy venue with Communist icons adorning the red walls.
When I arrived, I ordered a KGB energy drink that was actually re-labeled Red Bull. Ilana Stanger-Ross read a slightly erotic excerpt from her book Sima’s Undergarments for Women. Narrated from the perspective of an older Jewish saleswoman, she talked about different sizes of breasts and nipples. I heard how women bond by making fun of men for not noticing underwear. Finding a bra that fits is important according to a recent New York Times article I read. I pay attention to lingerie, but it’s not something I’m going to buy for a woman without her being there with me. It was a week before Valentine’s Day and I was seated next to many women in the tightly packed red-themed room. I wonder if my cheeks reflected an image of bashfulness when the Stanger-Ross character admitted to an unwanted glance at a customer’s breasts. I was self-conscious about my own glances and thoughts. The other author that night was Lara Vapnyar, who read from a yet to be published novel, Memoirs of a Muse. She spoke from a Russian immigrant’s perspective. Unfortunately, I got bored trying to listen to the soft-spoken women with a thick accent.