U.S.HOT TAKE OR NOT

John Berendt's Esquire column and Midnight in the Garden

Before his bestselling Savannah book, Berendt wrote a long-running Esquire column on men's wear and manners; apparently the lapels were taking notes.

On air: Dale Bearman, Hank Ledger and Vera Bullock on Late Night BBN
Published 11:46 PM ET, Friday, October 16, 2026

At a glance

First reported by The New York Times: “John Berendt Honed His Voice for ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil’ in the Unlikeliest Place”.
Covered on BBN on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 11:46 PM ET on Late Night BBN, by Dale Bearman, Hank Ledger and Vera Bullock.

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

The New York TimesJohn Berendt Honed His Voice for ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil’ in the Unlikeliest Place

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorBefore John Berendt wrote Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, he honed his eye on men's wear and manners in a long-running Esquire column, the New York Times reports.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorHot Take or Not. Vera, you're first.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorHot take: every great novelist should be forced to write a manners column first. Imagine the growth if Hemingway had to explain cufflinks.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorNot. Hemingway would have fought the cufflinks.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorMy hot take: forget the novel, the real masterpiece was that manners column. Nobody reads Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil anyway, Hank.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorThey read about lapels, and then the world ends.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorHot. Wrong, but hot.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorWrong? He just called a column about lapels better than a classic. Hank, that is a misunderstanding waiting to heal.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorFinally, Vera is correct, and it's about my take being awful.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorVerdict stands. Both of you sit up straight, it's a manners column story.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorMy own take is the hottest. The best book about Savannah began as advice on forks, and I've held mine wrong for twenty-eight years.