When journalist Steve Lopez sees Nathaniel Ayers playing his heart out on a two-string violin on Los Angeles’ skid row, he finds it impossible to walk away. More than thirty years ago, Ayers was a promising classical bass student at Juilliard—ambitious, charming, and also one of the few African-Americans—until he gradually lost his ability to function, overcome by schizophrenia. Over time, the two men form a bond and Lopez imagines that he might be able to change Ayers’s life. The Soloist is a beautifully told story of devotion in the face of seemingly unbeatable challenges.
Reviews
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William Hughes's easy conversational style captures the heart of this memoir of the friendship between L.A. TIMES columnist Steve Lopez and homeless musician Nathaniel Ayers. Lopez discovers Ayers on Skid Row, not far from the city's Beethoven statue, playing a two-string violin. Ayers was once a musical prodigy who played bass at Juilliard until schizophrenia loosened his grip on reality and a promising career. What begins as a good idea for a column becomes a transforming friendship for both men. Hughes hits no wrong notes in his narration. He is especially impressive in rendering emotions that run the gamut from wonder and awe at the power of music to Ayers's random profane outbursts when paranoia kicks in. A.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly (starred review)...
“With self-effacing humor, fast-paced yet elegant prose and unsparing honesty, Lopez tells an inspiring story of heartbreak and hope."
About the Author
STEVE LOPEZ is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, where he first wrote a series of enormously popular columns about Nathaniel Ayers. Lopez, the father of three children, currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife Alison and their daughter, Caroline.
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