Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess is a New York Times bestseller! Kirkus Reviews said Solo is, “A contemporary hero’s journey, brilliantly told.” Through the story of a young Black man searching for answers about his life, Solo empowers, engages, and encourages teenagers to move from heartache to healing, burden to blessings, depression to deliverance, and trials to triumphs. Blade never …
Blade never asked for a life of the rich and famous. In fact, he’d give anything not to be the son of Rutherford Morrison, a washed-up rock star and drug addict with delusions of a comeback. Or to no longer be part of a family known most for lost potential, failure, and tragedy, including the loss of his mother. The one true light is his girlfriend, Chapel, but her parents have forbidden their relationship, assuming Blade will become just like his father.
In reality, the only thing Blade and Rutherford have in common is the music that lives inside them. And songwriting is all Blade has left after Rutherford, while drunk, crashes his high school graduation speech and effectively rips Chapel away forever. But when a long-held family secret comes to light, the music disappears. In its place is a letter, one that could bring Blade the freedom and love he’s been searching for, or leave him feeling even more adrift.
Solo:
- Is written by New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Book Award-winner Kwame Alexander
- Showcases Kwame’s signature intricacy, intimacy, and poetic style, by exploring what it means to finally go home
- An #OwnVoices novel that features a BIPOC protagonist on a search for his roots and identity
- Received great reviews from Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and Kirkus.
If you enjoy Solo, check out Swing by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess.
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I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something a little bit different. I didn’t know if I would like this book as it is written in poem form, but I ended up loving it!
I listened to the audiobook version. I liked the story but didn’t care for the author being the narrator. I felt like his voice was pleasant, but often I felt like his voice all blended together while he was narrating. So he would say a chapter title and go right into the story, but I wouldn’t have known it was the title without looking. I was like, ‘why is he saying a random word’, then I realized he was saying the title. It just all mashed together.
That’s the thing with audiobooks, and also why I don’t listen to them more. Narrating is such an important part. Between keeping the reader, or listener, engaged, to having tones that split the story and keep the confusion to a minimum, it is a hard thing to do.
Let’s focus on the story now.
A coming of age story of sorts. This guy, Blade, is a musician and he finds out he is adopted. It is a balancing act of what he knows and what he doesn’t. The author does a great job of keeping you glued to the story. You want to know what happens.
My favorite part is the songs that are sung. So this is where I appreciate the audiobook more than print. If I read the print book, I wouldn’t have heard the great songs that were in the story. I was surprised, since I’ve never come across such an interactive audiobook. It was delightful and added to the story immensely.
I have the next book, Swing, on audiobook as well. I so look forward to listening to it. I just hope it has songs on it too!
Blade is a rock star’s son, whose father just doesn’t seem to be able to hold it together, not even for one of the biggest days of Blade’s life. But at least he has Chapel, his girlfriend who is a salve for his crazy life, even if her parents don’t approve of their relationship. But soon, a family secret comes out and Blade is forced to be his own salve. Sick of the screw-ups and scandals, he leaves his drug-addicted father, his enabling sister and his fickle girlfriend behind to find a piece of himself in Ghana. Told in verse, ‘Solo’ moved really quickly, and felt like more like reading prose after the first third of the book. Loved the theme of a young man with a larger-than-life father, trying to find his own way and his own voice. Recommended. A great read for those in their early teens who think they don’t like to read
This book is the story of my life! Never have I read a book where the words jump off the page and tell my life story so flawlessly. The story of a young, African-American musician who finds love, heartbreak, and himself through music. Tell me that isn’t a book you’d read.
This was an amazingly creative story told through verse, song, dialogue, and narration. It is good for YA and adult. Despite family secrets, drug and alcohol abuse, and loss, a compelling strong, yet sensitive young man, navigates his challenges. I really enjoyed this book!
Lyrical.
This was really good and the audiobook (from the library) had music on it, too! So that was fun. A young man about to turn 18 is tired of being the son of a celebrity who keeps letting him down, and goes on a journey to see who he really is. His past follows him there, so the trip is at times frustrating, funny, sad, and beautiful. My 13yo suggested it, and he was right YET AGAIN.
The audiobook was so good – you can hear the musicality of the writing, as well as the actual music written to accompany the story.
Good book, great message