Open Bar Blurbs
It’s just over three months until my second novel Open Bar is published by SparkPress and distributed by Simon & Schuster on August 12. Based on my experience as a New York sex crimes prosecutor and Title IX investigator and hearing officer, Open Bar follows the chaotic fallout when a high-profile sexual misconduct scandal rocks a prominent university. I’m very grateful to the exceptional people who generously provided blurbs for this novel, and I’m excited to share their kind words below.
You probably know Gretchen Carlson as an acclaimed journalist, female empowerment advocate, and best-selling author. I always greatly enjoyed joining her for interesting TV legal discussions, such as here and here.
Her sexual harassment lawsuit against former Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes kickstarted the #MeToo movement, and she continues her fight to protect and empower victims of sexual harassment with her organization Lift Our Voices, such as by successfully working for the adoption of the federal Ending Forced Arbitration for Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (EFAA). The event she did with me and author and former prosecutor Allison Leotta entitled Sexual Misconduct: From the Courtroom to the the Novel was one of the highlights of the promotion of my debut novel Final Table.
Gretchen graciously provided this blurb for Open Bar:
“Dan Schorr taps his years of real-world experience investigating sexual misconduct allegations to deliver a suspenseful, propulsive, and heart-wrenching novel. Open Bar is a mesmerizing page-turner that takes us deep inside the cynical pressure campaigns, dysfunctional human resources departments, and unethical litigation strategies that purport to seek justice but instead render countless lives irreparably scarred.” - Gretchen Carlson
Tara Rosenblum is another journalist I greatly admire, and if you live in the New York area you’ve likely seen her Emmy-winning investigative and political reporting for years on News12. I’ve had the opportunity to discuss many key issues with her both on and off air, and have always felt that our community is very lucky to have Tara investigating and highlighting important public interest stories on a regular basis.
Here’s her blurb for Open Bar:
“Open Bar is a gripping page-turner that follows the chaotic fallout from a top university’s alarming sex abuse scandal. With fast-paced storytelling and compelling, memorable characters, Dan Schorr delivers a moving novel full of gritty realism, perceptive insights, and unexpected twists.” - Tara Rosenblum
I wish I also had a meme of this blurb to share today, but I’m told it’s in the works!
Finally, in the rough and tumble, constantly changing, and critically important world of Title IX, my go-to person when I’m seeking guidance outside my own firm is always attorney Jackie Wernz. She has provided many interesting insights about Title IX and Civil Rights issues on my podcast, such as here and here. Her blurb means so much to me because she works every day with educational institutions who are struggling to navigate the complex sexual misconduct issues that are central to the story in Open Bar:
“In his riveting and unflinching novel Open Bar, former sex crimes prosecutor Dan Schorr explores the turbulent, high-stakes world of campus sexual misconduct investigations. Compelling, thought-provoking, and at times unsettling, Schorr’s narrative offers a front-row seat to the challenges and complexities that define this critical aspect of modern higher education and American society. Open Bar is a must-read for anyone seeking profound insight into these pressing issues.” - Jackie Gharapour Wernz
I can’t wait for everyone to be able to read Open Bar this summer, and I’m forever thankful to Gretchen Carlson, Tara Rosenblum, and Jackie Wernz for providing their invaluable support to help let the world know about this story!
Next Book Club Meeting
Our next Book Club meeting will be on Tuesday, June 17 at 8pm ET, when we’ll discuss North Woods by Daniel Mason. Registration is open here. This novel is described as “A sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told through the lives of those who inhabit it across the centuries—a daring, moving tale of memory and fate from the Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Piano Tuner and The Winter Soldier.”
Feel free to attend even if you don’t have time to read the book before then, and of course please pass on the info to anyone else who might be interesting in joining!
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