Question about Heather Byer's Book "Sweet"
- Thread starter Jen_Cen
- Start date
Jen_Cen said:
Yep, that's Jennifer Barretta. I guess if you don't know Jenn, she can come off a bit cold. She's not the hugs & kisses type. If anything, she's much more inclined to give you a nod hello and follow it with, "Wanna play?"
When she first got into pool, she took lessons at Chelsea Billiards. I was one of the instructors then (though not much better than a C player at the time). We only taught beginners however it was obvious Jenn was a bit more serious than the average person who walked in.
I think the description is a little unfair. The APA folk in New York City are an entirely different breed. Only a small percentage go to poolrooms, take lessons, go to tournaments. In fact, I would say 98% of all APA players play nothing but APA. Bryer simply had no comprehension of what she was looking at.
After seeing this thread, I had to read the book, which had been sitting on a shelve for a few months. I have known Jenn, since she started and we played on several teams together and are still close friends. She is a very warm person, with a great sense of humor but is often miss judged because she is cautious and somewhat guarded, as I think many women who live in NYC, learn to be.
She is also extremely focused when she is in a pool room and always has been. It is the main reason I think she was able to advance and reach such a high level, even though she started playing very late, by most people's standards. I think it is this focus that is often mistaken for "iciness" After reading Heather's description, it is purely based on assumptions and it is clear that she had no clue about who or what Jenn is all about.
I found the book to be a semi interesting look at APA world from the perspective of a low rated player who really has little idea of the world of pool beyond bar leagues. Having played in the APA in NYC during most of the time she talks about it in this book, I only recognized a few of the people and have to admit, I do not remember her at all, even though we seem to play in some of the same bars and divisions?
I would bet Jenn does not remember her either... when you are serious about the game you tend to disregard those who take it lightly. That is just human nature. I think for the author, she (Jenn) just became an idea of what she would never achieve and she even says as much.
I found the book to be more about her personal journey (yawn) and a lot less about pool, making it a lot less interesting to those who are really into the game at any higher level. The fact that she starts and ends the book as a 2, with a few seasons as a 3 will give you an idea of just how serious a player she is...and this is spanning at least a 10+ year period, since I know that is how long ago it was that Jenn was going to Chelsea's pool school. She is not really specific about when she started...and there is really nothing wrong with this. I liked the fact that she has stuck with it and finds pleasure and satisfaction in the experience.
She is also extremely focused when she is in a pool room and always has been. It is the main reason I think she was able to advance and reach such a high level, even though she started playing very late, by most people's standards. I think it is this focus that is often mistaken for "iciness" After reading Heather's description, it is purely based on assumptions and it is clear that she had no clue about who or what Jenn is all about.
I found the book to be a semi interesting look at APA world from the perspective of a low rated player who really has little idea of the world of pool beyond bar leagues. Having played in the APA in NYC during most of the time she talks about it in this book, I only recognized a few of the people and have to admit, I do not remember her at all, even though we seem to play in some of the same bars and divisions?
I would bet Jenn does not remember her either... when you are serious about the game you tend to disregard those who take it lightly. That is just human nature. I think for the author, she (Jenn) just became an idea of what she would never achieve and she even says as much.
I found the book to be more about her personal journey (yawn) and a lot less about pool, making it a lot less interesting to those who are really into the game at any higher level. The fact that she starts and ends the book as a 2, with a few seasons as a 3 will give you an idea of just how serious a player she is...and this is spanning at least a 10+ year period, since I know that is how long ago it was that Jenn was going to Chelsea's pool school. She is not really specific about when she started...and there is really nothing wrong with this. I liked the fact that she has stuck with it and finds pleasure and satisfaction in the experience.
cuechick said:
Actually, what bothers me most about Bryer's description is that she takes Jennifer's "cold shoulder" personally. The fact is, Jennifer was there to play pool, not to socialize. Pool isn't Jenn's first passion. She's competed in other sports and I believe that's what gave her the frame-work for how she would approach learning pool. She approached it the same way I believe she approached snowboarding (which she happens to also be excellent in).
That is a good point, that is exactly how she approached it. There is also another part of the book where she does this analysis of Jenn and deems her "insecure", which I just thought was pretty funny. Jenn may have a few cracks, as we all do, but being insecure is definitely not one of them...
Some moments in the book that gave me a chortle:
1-Heather floating around the table, being in deadstroke. Explaining that that meant that she was making every shot and controlling exactly where the cueball would land. I sorta wonder what APA SL2 deadstroke looks like.
2-Explaining that a stop shot is a shot that you hit just below center. When you do that, she instructs authoratatively, the cueball stops dead.
3-Describing a cue that had a wrap, so that "its owner would never need a glove."
BTW, I hope this doesn't sound too condescending or snobbish. I'm not that great or knowledgable myself. But she does kind of put on an air of authority when she "educates" the reader about pool.
1-Heather floating around the table, being in deadstroke. Explaining that that meant that she was making every shot and controlling exactly where the cueball would land. I sorta wonder what APA SL2 deadstroke looks like.
2-Explaining that a stop shot is a shot that you hit just below center. When you do that, she instructs authoratatively, the cueball stops dead.
3-Describing a cue that had a wrap, so that "its owner would never need a glove."
BTW, I hope this doesn't sound too condescending or snobbish. I'm not that great or knowledgable myself. But she does kind of put on an air of authority when she "educates" the reader about pool.
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