From the Publisher
Ravi Howard tells a thoroughly convincing story about the singing star Nat King Cole’s best friend…. [A] warmly enveloping book…. Appealing.” — Janet Maslin, New York Times
“A moving tale about bigotry and the power of friendship.” — People
“Excellent…moving….Weary is a marvelous character…. Readers who appreciate beautifully written, compelling novels with great depth and humanity will be more than pleased.” — Philadelphia Inquirer
“ Heartbreaking…. A bold reimagining of [the] civil rights era…. Howard’s choices…are daring.” — Los Angeles Times
“By following Howard’s characters, we are allowed a sidelong but penetrating glimpse into one of the most important events in American history…. Howard bends history…proving that the past can be best felt through refracted light rather than under the harsh glare of historical fact.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“In an easygoing style, with Weary as his guide, Howard pokes into under-viewed corners of the fight while never losing sight of the humanity of both the cause and its effects.” — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Howard brings readers back in time to postwar Alabama, in this velvety smooth fictional memoir. . . . [His] prose goes down like the top-shelf whiskey that Weary favors, making for a heady reading experience.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Gifted novelist Howard...takes readers of all races, ages and classes into the world of pre-civil rights era black people, offering insight on and understanding of one of our country’s most tumultuous periods.” — BookPage
“Alternating between the cities and Weary’s past and present, Howard explores race relations in the pre-civil rights era and the strong ties forged between two extraordinary men.” — Booklist
“Powerful…. A personal, poignant portrayal of how the lives of African Americans could be so easily derailed by racial inequality.” — Library Journal (starred review)
|Los Angeles Times
Heartbreaking…. A bold reimagining of [the] civil rights era…. Howard’s choices…are daring.
People
A moving tale about bigotry and the power of friendship.
BookPage
Gifted novelist Howard...takes readers of all races, ages and classes into the world of pre-civil rights era black people, offering insight on and understanding of one of our country’s most tumultuous periods.
Janet Maslin
Ravi Howard tells a thoroughly convincing story about the singing star Nat King Cole’s best friend…. [A] warmly enveloping book…. Appealing.
Philadelphia Inquirer
Excellent…moving….Weary is a marvelous character…. Readers who appreciate beautifully written, compelling novels with great depth and humanity will be more than pleased.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
By following Howard’s characters, we are allowed a sidelong but penetrating glimpse into one of the most important events in American history…. Howard bends history…proving that the past can be best felt through refracted light rather than under the harsh glare of historical fact.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
In an easygoing style, with Weary as his guide, Howard pokes into under-viewed corners of the fight while never losing sight of the humanity of both the cause and its effects.
Booklist
Alternating between the cities and Weary’s past and present, Howard explores race relations in the pre-civil rights era and the strong ties forged between two extraordinary men.
Los Angeles Times
Heartbreaking…. A bold reimagining of [the] civil rights era…. Howard’s choices…are daring.
Booklist
Alternating between the cities and Weary’s past and present, Howard explores race relations in the pre-civil rights era and the strong ties forged between two extraordinary men.
JUNE 2015 - AudioFile
Narrator Adam Lazarre-White perfectly conveys the two very opposite voices of 1950s African-American singer Nat King Cole and his driver, Nat Weary, in this novel based on fact. When Cole is attacked on stage by a pipe-wielding man, Weary saves his life. Lazarre-White inhabits Weary as he serves time in a tough Southern prison and then portrays his changed life when he works for Cole. Listeners will feel as if they're privy to conversations in pre-Civil Rights America, a period when buses were boycotted and Cole had to sponsor his own 15-minute program. Most impressive is Lazarre-White's rendering of Cole's lovely, mellow speaking voice. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
