It’s Saturday night, and you're ready to go out to a nightclub with friends for what you would hope to be a wonderful, stress-free evening.

Not many think of the consequences of a night out club hopping. That is, unless you’re Joeseph Allen Simon.

The Lakewood, Ohio, resident and Metropolis Nightclub doorman calls attention to a very different aspect of nightlife in his first novel, “Observations From the Door” ($10, Idiom Muse).

For 18 years, the self-published author has worked numerous jobs at Metropolis and has been involved in the club life through managing bands, DJ'ing and hosting over 100 concerts.

He's seen a lot go down in those 18 years, specifically at Metropolis.

Written from his perspective, “Observations” finds violence in the nightlife has been a big problem and is only increasing in its perplexity. It’s gone from nosebleeds to gunshots and stabbings.

>From his own experiences of working at Metropolis, a club in The Flats district of Cleveland, Simon feels that “without an organized bar and club industry, there is no way to address the problems …”

He tackles issues such as the industry, local government, hip-hop and other music genres.

Simon hopes the book, which he calls “an instigator of change,” will shed light on these potential situations and motivate others, those within industry and clubgoers alike, to halt these acts of violence.
Not only does he wish to gain public attention to these issues, but also he sees the book as “an invitation to start further discussion.”

Readers can take part in voicing their opinion in an online discussion forum. He’s even included a petition in the book and online aimed at addressing the severity of the issue and to attract government attention.

Simon has also put time into supplying an in-person community collaborative discussion dubbed "A Public Gathering,” set for November 2008.

You can grab a copy of “Observations From the Door” at ObservationsFromTheDoor.com or at Cleveland-area bookstores listed on his site as well.

For more information, check out www.observationsfromthedoor.com.