The Soloist — Steve Lopez
Image by ellenmac11, used under the Creative Commons license.
What would you ordinarily expect to happen when a journalist from the Los Angeles Times walks past a homeless man? Probably very little. But in journalist Steve Lopez’s case, a lot happened. And the events that unfolded from a chance meeting between Lopez and Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, a homeless man in L.A.’s Skid Row who possesses both musical talent and mental complications, is the subject of The Soloist.
In the coming months you’re going to be hearing a lot about The Soloist. This year’s book in common is a deeply personal story of an “unlikely” friendship (to borrow the book cover’s word). It is also a piece of commentary that covers such diverse topics as the place of the arts in a society, the role of journalism in informing a population about their world, the issues homeless people face (in L.A., though the same issues appear in other cities as well — the current issue of the News & Review has the following story from a woman who was homeless in Chico), and the most effective methods for treating mental problems in a society’s members. As a result, this book touches upon a whole range of different disciplines — whether you are majoring in journalism, psychology, social work, music, or are just curious about Lopez’s experiences with Nathaniel, this book will touch upon your life and experiences from some angle.
We have The Soloist in the Meriam Library, and the Butte County Public Library also has copies of both the book and the audiobook recording. The DVD of the movie based upon the book, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jamie Foxx, will be released in August of this year.
Contributed by Aaron Bowen
Image by Geoff Livingston, used under the Creative Commons license.
August 13th, 2009 at 9:40 am
There is a whole range of events throughout the school year relating to The Soloist, from screenings of the movie to readings of passages from the book to musical performances. Chico State has put together a pair of guides to these events, which you can find here and here.