The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music

Author: Steve Lopez
Bugs: 5
Review by: Transitory Reader

One of the best books I read this summer. Steve Lopez, author, is a journalist with the Los Angeles Times and he sees, by chance, a middle-aged black man playing a violin that has only two strings and despite this fact, is producing amazing music. Mr. Lopez thinks there's a story waiting to be told and that's exactly what the reader learns - the story behind this homeless person, his amazing musical talents and mental health issues. I found the book to be an amazing journey told in an open manner. One begins to learn how some people end up homeless and what it's like to exist on skid row and survive. We as readers learn about the mental health systems, how they work, and don't work, about friendship, loyalty, and most importantly, the trust that builds up between the two main characters in the true story, Steve Lopez and Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, the musician. I couldn't put the book down and only hope that Mr. Lopez writes another to tell us of Mr. Ayers's progress through life!