Steve Lopez is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. He sees Nathaniel Ayers playing his heart out on a two-string violin on Los Angeles’ Skid Row, and finds it impossible to walk away. What Lopez begins to unearth about the mysterious street musician leaves an indelible impression. Thirty years earlier, had been a charming, ambitious and promising classical bass student at Julliard until he gradually lost his ability to function, overcome by a mental breakdown.
Steve Lopez puts a face on mental illness and in doing so shows us how friendship can alter the lives of both the disenfranchised and those who reach out to them. The Soloist is a poignant reminder that no life is insignificant. An utterly compelling tale.
GPL: 92 AYERS