From the Bookshelf of DMPL Book Chat…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
No group discussions for this book yet.
What Members Thought
He was just a Black kid who hadn't wanted to work at a fried-chicken restaurant, and now he was a musician and there, spread out like a Thanksgiving feast, was New York City. He couldn't believe this was real.
At first I wasn't entirely sure how this was going to turn into a whole book and then I got sucked into the story of Ray and his becoming an exceptional violinist against all the odds. It was very different than other books I've read and I enjoyed that. Also now I really want to go to the s ...more
At first I wasn't entirely sure how this was going to turn into a whole book and then I got sucked into the story of Ray and his becoming an exceptional violinist against all the odds. It was very different than other books I've read and I enjoyed that. Also now I really want to go to the s ...more
I can tell that Brendan Slocumb has a passion for music. This book would have made a great audiobook with the songs he describes playing in the background. For someone who is not that familiar with the music, it got a bit overwhelming with songs I did not know and technical musical words I was not familiar with.
All that being said, pulling the family history into the present made the story very interesting. I could feel Ray's struggle as he worked twice as hard as everyone else and had to overco ...more
All that being said, pulling the family history into the present made the story very interesting. I could feel Ray's struggle as he worked twice as hard as everyone else and had to overco ...more
I learned so much about the elite musical world by reading this. The story is enjoyable and easy to read. Hopefully it will make every one of us who reads it more aware of how hard it is for people of color to find their way into artistic areas, no matter how talented they may be. (or into any other field of study or employment)
The author is a musician, and several of the incidents of discrimination he writes for his main character actually happened to him.
Good choice, GMA book club!
The author is a musician, and several of the incidents of discrimination he writes for his main character actually happened to him.
Good choice, GMA book club!
As a young black student, Ray McMillan was very talented even with only public-school lessons on a rental instrument. He worked twice as hard as other students to prove that as a non-white, non-privileged student he was capable and talented.
Feb 25, 2022
Judy Diedrichs
marked it as to-read
Mar 11, 2022
Jesse Hershberger
marked it as to-read
Nov 16, 2022
Shannon
marked it as to-read
Nov 18, 2022
Tegan
marked it as to-read
Dec 08, 2022
Sarah
marked it as to-read
Dec 13, 2022
Kristy
marked it as to-read
Jan 31, 2023
Julie Lange-gledhill
marked it as to-read
Aug 24, 2023
Jolie
marked it as to-read
Nov 05, 2023
Kelsey Berryhill
marked it as to-read
Aug 07, 2024
Susanne
marked it as to-read
Apr 14, 2025
Missy
marked it as to-read
