Sunny’s Nights: Lost and Found at a Bar at the Edge of the World,

The place is Sunny’s Bar, a dockside bar on Brooklyn’s waterfront. Sultan then 27, discovered it late one night in the winter of 1995 when he came upon a sign that said, simply, “Bar,” a spot he later learned was open only on Friday. On that first occasion, he found a group of men drinking and watching a Martha Graham mod- ern dance film. That’s when he first met the charismatic Sunny Balzano, the most arresting presence he had ever encountered. The rest is history — including the personal histories of Sunny, Sultan and sundry others, plus anecdotes, exploits and skinny dips after midnight. Always amusing, often edifying, beautifully told. This unusual memoir has received a warm reception since its release in February.