"The Soloist" - Chapters 1-6

After reading the first several chapters of the book, Nathaniel Ayers, a former student at the Julliard Music School in New York, is someone that people don’t understand. Some would consider him an eccentric. Music was the only thing in life that Nathaniel was passionate about. Yet , I believe it was what caused him to have psychological problems. I believe that the pressures of the Julliard program were too much for him. Most people who are of Nathaniel’s IQ are eccentric. Some studies show that individuals that have psychological problems such as a mental breakdown, are people with extremely high IQ’s. Most of us do not usually understand these people. As in the book, Steve Lopez cannot understand why Nathaniel would want to live on the streets, and not “come inside” and live a normal life. To Nathaniel, living on the streets was what he wanted. It allowed him the ability to play when he wanted, for as long as he wanted, and no one else seemed to mind. Steve feels that he knows what’s best for Nathaniel. However, both men don’t mentally live in the same world, so what Steve thinks is best for Nathaniel, is not what Nathaniel thinks is best. It’s funny how Steve describes how he feels when he hears Nathaniel’s music, how comforting it is – taking him away. It’s also ironic how someone that is supposedly that distant from the real world can have that affect on people. I guess how passionate we are about things reflects through us, showing who or what we truly are.

This book has become something very dear to me. After discussing the book with my Mom, she told me some things about a family member very close to her, who had mental illness - her mother, my Grandmom. She told me stories of how her Mom would do things that didn’t make sense to her, yet my Grandmom believed what she was doing was right and was actually good for her. My Grandmom had her first “mental breakdown” at the early age of 27, due to a lot of pressures from things going on in their life. Some people can deal with the pressures of life, others can’t and I guess that’s what makes us different. You never know what life will hold for you or how things will turn out, and if you truly believe in something and are passionate about it, you should never let anyone change your mind.

I am anxious to continue the book to find out if Steve and Nathaniel will understand each other better, and if they will see what are the other’s wants and likes and dislikes. Will their relationship develop or will it fall apart because of their differences?


For this post I would like my readers to focus on the following:
1. Does my summation want to make you read the book?
2. Is my sentence structure and grammar correct?
3. How’s my transitioning? Do my sentences flow smoothly?