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Fathers and Sons and Other Village Idiots: Underdogs and Angels in 1969 South Brooklyn
Life's too precious to be careful with. Kazimierz Baranski achieved that level of self-awareness during the last months of his 77-year-long life.
Fathers and Sons and Other Village Idiots is partly a story of generational divide, but it is so much more. Kazimierz is on a journey not only through turbulent 1969 America but also through decades of the Polish American immigrant experience in South Brooklyn.
He's a poor immigrant in a rich man's country, continually being sent into the breach by the powers that be. Nevertheless, he was happy in America, content with his lot in life, and devoted to his religion. All that changed when God took his wife away from him.
After Marysia's death, Kaz exercised his free will, an inalienable tenet of his Catholic faith, and rejected God and the church. As he enters 1969, he comes to realize that in order to join his wife in heaven, he needs to reconcile with God and do it soon. Foolishly for Kaz, it still must be on his terms. He refuses to be extorted by religion to behave. Obediently going to church once a week and not eating meat on Fridays, wasn't going to be his recipe to redemption. On New Year's Day 1969, he resolves to find a good that needs doing.
In 1969 New York City, there are civil rights protests, campus takeovers, war moratoriums, and gay rights riots. Mobsters, both in and out of uniform, rule the streets of his South Brooklyn neighborhood. He knows he needs help. He prays for a guardian angel and discovers they are all around him.
Kaz embarks on his journey by writing a winter haiku for his dead wife. During his quest, he pounders the wisdoms of a 18th century writer, Ivan Turgenev, and a 20th-century Catholic radical, Dorothy Day. He encounters underdogs defying reason and resisting power. They include a centuries-old Polish Catholic icon, Battle of Brooklyn warriors, Warsaw Ghetto and Stonewall Inn rioters, Vietnam War protesters, and the worst team to ever play major league baseball, the New York Mets. All lead him to a cold beach where he needs to make a choice.
Fathers and Sons and Other Village Idiots is a historical fiction taken from the newspapers of 1969. It's a literary tale of the protagonist battling his psychological demons. It's an inspirational story of a soul opposing devilish odds for a heavenly desire.
Fathers and Sons and Other Village Idiots is partly a story of generational divide, but it is so much more. Kazimierz is on a journey not only through turbulent 1969 America but also through decades of the Polish American immigrant experience in South Brooklyn.
He's a poor immigrant in a rich man's country, continually being sent into the breach by the powers that be. Nevertheless, he was happy in America, content with his lot in life, and devoted to his religion. All that changed when God took his wife away from him.
After Marysia's death, Kaz exercised his free will, an inalienable tenet of his Catholic faith, and rejected God and the church. As he enters 1969, he comes to realize that in order to join his wife in heaven, he needs to reconcile with God and do it soon. Foolishly for Kaz, it still must be on his terms. He refuses to be extorted by religion to behave. Obediently going to church once a week and not eating meat on Fridays, wasn't going to be his recipe to redemption. On New Year's Day 1969, he resolves to find a good that needs doing.
In 1969 New York City, there are civil rights protests, campus takeovers, war moratoriums, and gay rights riots. Mobsters, both in and out of uniform, rule the streets of his South Brooklyn neighborhood. He knows he needs help. He prays for a guardian angel and discovers they are all around him.
Kaz embarks on his journey by writing a winter haiku for his dead wife. During his quest, he pounders the wisdoms of a 18th century writer, Ivan Turgenev, and a 20th-century Catholic radical, Dorothy Day. He encounters underdogs defying reason and resisting power. They include a centuries-old Polish Catholic icon, Battle of Brooklyn warriors, Warsaw Ghetto and Stonewall Inn rioters, Vietnam War protesters, and the worst team to ever play major league baseball, the New York Mets. All lead him to a cold beach where he needs to make a choice.
Fathers and Sons and Other Village Idiots is a historical fiction taken from the newspapers of 1969. It's a literary tale of the protagonist battling his psychological demons. It's an inspirational story of a soul opposing devilish odds for a heavenly desire.
254 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 3, 2025
Reviewed by David Trawinski for the Polish American Journal (June/July 2025)
This debut novel by Polish-American author Billy Warren is refreshingly different and original, while at the same time paying homage to the classic Turgenev novel of 1862. Its story arc brings many of those classic themes up to date—well, that is, if that date includes the year 1969. This is a superb work of skillful writing that I believe the readers of this journal will greatly enjoy.
The story begins on January 1st of that year. You find yourself reading the journal of Kazimierz Baranski, a 77-year-old immigrant who has long ago settled in the Polish community near 23rd Street in Brooklyn, NY. He has taken to writing a journal to find his inner voice. That is important for reasons both physiological and psychological; Kaz has lost his ability to speak to throat cancer, and his wife to another form of that insidious disease. He writes notes to communicate to his two sons, their sons, and a palette of friends (all of whom he refers to as “idiots” living amongst his small village). The character development of this work is masterful, and the reader quickly finds himself immersed in a choppy sea of personalities.
Billy Warren tells Kaz’s life story through the inner narrative of the journal, which includes, in most of its entries, a truthful and poignant recollection of the day’s events, often including rich and well-written dialogue between the characters. The journal format is not new, (dating back at least to 1897’s “Dracula” by Bram Stoker), but is highly effective for communicating the trapped, isolated feelings of a lonely, aged mute, including his feelings of guilt for having survived the same disease that in another form took his beloved wife away from him. Kaz reflects on his days in Poland as a youth, and the turbulent relationship with his own father that eventually drove him and his mother to flee to America. When she does not survive the passage, he enters the rough and tumble streets of New York, then as he is now, alone, isolated, and mute (for then he spoke no English). He is guided to Brooklyn by two markers that remain constantly looming over him for the rest of his life, the Statue of Liberty and the spires of Our Lady of Czestochowa Church near 23rd Street.
Kaz’s life is an incredible one, especially in this eventful and often painful year of 1969. He experiences many of the main events of that year, in an almost “Forrest Gump” like storyline. The Super Bowl upset of the Baltimore Colts plays a critical role in the story, as does the moon landing, the massive protests against the Vietnam War, the Woodstock Festival, NYC’s Greenwich Village Stonewall Inn riots, and the World Series upset of the Baltimore Orioles by those Amazing Mets. Yet, these are craftily woven into the journal of Kaz by the author’s use of the experiences of secondary characters in many cases, including his grandsons. Kaz reflects as the varied choices of his grandsons, ever so true to life, cause tension between themselves and their own fathers.
“Fathers and Sons and Other Village Idiots” is an inspiring story of a man who has made a robust life for his family in a new world, but along the way may have lost sight of how every family has its own squabbles and generational differences. What I found most refreshing about this work is the subtle undercurrent of faith that belies it, and in the end, resurfaces when it is most intensely needed.
I am projecting when I write that the important roles of faith, hope and love (and perhaps some loss of our recognition of their power in life at times) may be because Billy Warren is himself a male breast cancer survivor, and perhaps some elements of Kaz’s inner struggles reflect the difficulties of the author’s life journey. He is a second-generation Polish-American whose ancestors immigrated to America around 1910. Born and raised in South Brooklyn, he gained his Bachelor's Degree in 1975 at New York City College and his Master's Degree from San Jose State in 1981. He writes his literary fiction today from Northern California. Like his character Kaz, and consistent with inspiration (work of Turgenev,) he has two sons. I enjoyed this read immensely, as I am sure you will too. I look forward to reviewing his next work as well. This is as strong a recommendation as any reviewer who grew up in East Baltimore can have, given his heartbreak with the losses by the angels of his childhood, the Colts and Orioles, to the underdogs, Jets and Mets. Still, this is a novel of angels and underdogs, just as the subtitle says, is it not?
This debut novel by Polish-American author Billy Warren is refreshingly different and original, while at the same time paying homage to the classic Turgenev novel of 1862. Its story arc brings many of those classic themes up to date—well, that is, if that date includes the year 1969. This is a superb work of skillful writing that I believe the readers of this journal will greatly enjoy.
The story begins on January 1st of that year. You find yourself reading the journal of Kazimierz Baranski, a 77-year-old immigrant who has long ago settled in the Polish community near 23rd Street in Brooklyn, NY. He has taken to writing a journal to find his inner voice. That is important for reasons both physiological and psychological; Kaz has lost his ability to speak to throat cancer, and his wife to another form of that insidious disease. He writes notes to communicate to his two sons, their sons, and a palette of friends (all of whom he refers to as “idiots” living amongst his small village). The character development of this work is masterful, and the reader quickly finds himself immersed in a choppy sea of personalities.
Billy Warren tells Kaz’s life story through the inner narrative of the journal, which includes, in most of its entries, a truthful and poignant recollection of the day’s events, often including rich and well-written dialogue between the characters. The journal format is not new, (dating back at least to 1897’s “Dracula” by Bram Stoker), but is highly effective for communicating the trapped, isolated feelings of a lonely, aged mute, including his feelings of guilt for having survived the same disease that in another form took his beloved wife away from him. Kaz reflects on his days in Poland as a youth, and the turbulent relationship with his own father that eventually drove him and his mother to flee to America. When she does not survive the passage, he enters the rough and tumble streets of New York, then as he is now, alone, isolated, and mute (for then he spoke no English). He is guided to Brooklyn by two markers that remain constantly looming over him for the rest of his life, the Statue of Liberty and the spires of Our Lady of Czestochowa Church near 23rd Street.
Kaz’s life is an incredible one, especially in this eventful and often painful year of 1969. He experiences many of the main events of that year, in an almost “Forrest Gump” like storyline. The Super Bowl upset of the Baltimore Colts plays a critical role in the story, as does the moon landing, the massive protests against the Vietnam War, the Woodstock Festival, NYC’s Greenwich Village Stonewall Inn riots, and the World Series upset of the Baltimore Orioles by those Amazing Mets. Yet, these are craftily woven into the journal of Kaz by the author’s use of the experiences of secondary characters in many cases, including his grandsons. Kaz reflects as the varied choices of his grandsons, ever so true to life, cause tension between themselves and their own fathers.
“Fathers and Sons and Other Village Idiots” is an inspiring story of a man who has made a robust life for his family in a new world, but along the way may have lost sight of how every family has its own squabbles and generational differences. What I found most refreshing about this work is the subtle undercurrent of faith that belies it, and in the end, resurfaces when it is most intensely needed.
I am projecting when I write that the important roles of faith, hope and love (and perhaps some loss of our recognition of their power in life at times) may be because Billy Warren is himself a male breast cancer survivor, and perhaps some elements of Kaz’s inner struggles reflect the difficulties of the author’s life journey. He is a second-generation Polish-American whose ancestors immigrated to America around 1910. Born and raised in South Brooklyn, he gained his Bachelor's Degree in 1975 at New York City College and his Master's Degree from San Jose State in 1981. He writes his literary fiction today from Northern California. Like his character Kaz, and consistent with inspiration (work of Turgenev,) he has two sons. I enjoyed this read immensely, as I am sure you will too. I look forward to reviewing his next work as well. This is as strong a recommendation as any reviewer who grew up in East Baltimore can have, given his heartbreak with the losses by the angels of his childhood, the Colts and Orioles, to the underdogs, Jets and Mets. Still, this is a novel of angels and underdogs, just as the subtitle says, is it not?
August 6, 2026
The author challenges the reader with thought provoking topics that requires concentration in order to follow his plot development. I had to pick up the story a second time when I could focus and devote my time and attention. BUT, that said it was worth the delay. Once into the story, it is quick read and builds your interest as the story unfolds and you are rooting for the protagonist. The author gives the reader a satisfying solution to the Kaz's emotional challenges and builds reader empathy for his family and friends so you really want to find out what happens to them in follow-up books. I am very interested in reading the next book to see how the murders in this story affect those who are left to solve them.
January 3, 2025
A great story that shows the ups and downs of life with both humor and heart. The family dynamics feel so real – sometimes messy, often funny, but always touching. The tight knit community vibe is spot on, full of quirky characters that make you feel like you’re right there with them.
I found myself laughing out loud and getting a little emotional in the best way. If you love stories about family, relationships, and all the weird, wonderful things that come with them, this book is a must-read!
I found myself laughing out loud and getting a little emotional in the best way. If you love stories about family, relationships, and all the weird, wonderful things that come with them, this book is a must-read!
November 1, 2024
Wonderful story line and character development. Brought back memories of my parents coming to America with me from Shanghai, China in 1949. They settled in San Francisco, sending me to Catholic school
and trying to keep me off the streets. Thanks for a good read.
and trying to keep me off the streets. Thanks for a good read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews