The community read of The Soloist wrapped up in September with four discussion groups that were held at the Orange County (Hillsborough), Carrboro, and Chapel Hill libraries and the UNC Campus Y. We appreciate the participation of those who read the book and participated in the discussion groups, exploring the issues of homelessness and mental illness.
Now we're looking for topics for future community dialogues on the issues of homelessness. Suggestions so far have included substance abuse, the state of the mental health care system in NC, permanent supportive housing for folks who are chronically homeless, rural homelessness, and panhandling.
Please give us your ideas and stay tuned for our next community dialogue on homelessness!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Which is better: the movie or the book?
The DVD for the movie version of The Soloist is now available. The movie stars Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr. Have you had a chance to see the movie? What did you think? Was it very different from the book?
Sunday, July 19, 2009
About Steve Lopez
Steve Lopez is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times, where he first published a series of columns about Nathaniel Ayers. Lopez continues to write periodic columns about his relationship with Ayers. Most recently Lopez's July 12, 2009 column recounts a trip to San Francisco, where Ayers is honored at a NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) conference.
Lopez has written for a number of magazines and newspapers, including Time, Sports Illustrated, Life, Entertainment Weekly, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the San Jose Mercury News, and the Oakland Tribune. He has won the H. L. Mencken Writing Award, the Ernie Pyle Human Interest Award, the National Headliner Award for Column Writing the Sigma Delta Chi Magazine Reporting Award, the Society of Professional Journalists Award, and the Quill Journalism Award.
Lopez has also written three novels. Third and Indiana (1995), included in the 1996 list of YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, chronicles a mother’s search for her missing fourteen-year-old son, who has become involved in a gang. In The Sunday Macaroni Club (1999), a district attorney confronts political corruption involving a Philadelphia oil refinery. In the Clear (2003) follows a sheriff turned casino security officer as his new lifestyle gets complicated by land-seizures and murder.
Lopez lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, Alison, and daughter, Caroline. Listen to an interview with Lopez from The Diane Rehm Show.
Lopez has written for a number of magazines and newspapers, including Time, Sports Illustrated, Life, Entertainment Weekly, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the San Jose Mercury News, and the Oakland Tribune. He has won the H. L. Mencken Writing Award, the Ernie Pyle Human Interest Award, the National Headliner Award for Column Writing the Sigma Delta Chi Magazine Reporting Award, the Society of Professional Journalists Award, and the Quill Journalism Award.
Lopez has also written three novels. Third and Indiana (1995), included in the 1996 list of YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, chronicles a mother’s search for her missing fourteen-year-old son, who has become involved in a gang. In The Sunday Macaroni Club (1999), a district attorney confronts political corruption involving a Philadelphia oil refinery. In the Clear (2003) follows a sheriff turned casino security officer as his new lifestyle gets complicated by land-seizures and murder.
Lopez lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, Alison, and daughter, Caroline. Listen to an interview with Lopez from The Diane Rehm Show.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Chapel Hill News Article on Community Read
Chapel Hill News editor Mark Schultz wrote a great article on our Community Read of The Soloist in the July 8 edition: http://www.chapelhillnews.com/front/story/50876.html. The article focuses on connections: between the author and the brilliant musician with schizophrenia living on Skid Row in Los Angeles; and at Project Homeless Connect, the annual, one-day event in Chapel Hill to serve people experiencing homelessness (this year's event is on October 8th). Look for upcoming related columns this summer in the CH News by experts on mental illness and homelessness.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Read The Soloist with Your Book Club
Don’t wait until September to discuss your thoughts on The Soloist. Get started now by encouraging your local book club to discuss The Soloist at an upcoming meeting. If you are not currently involved in a book club, invite a group of friends to get together and discuss the book. The Arlington Heights Memorial Library website provides useful tips on organizing a book club.
Lopez's insightful and honest reflections on his relationship with Ayers make The Soloist a great book club selection. Through his connection with Ayers, Lopez explores mental health, social services and the arts, encountering a wide variety of individuals and opinions. Lopez quickly discovers that there are no easy fixes or clear cut answers on how to best relate to Ayers. The resulting blend of enthusiasm, frustration, anticipation and humor provides plenty of discussion starters. If you need some ideas, check out our discussion guide.
Reading The Soloist also provides a great opportunity to add some variety to your book club. For example, your group might delve into Ayres' deep appreciation of music by attending a classical music performance together. Check the Arts Calendar page at WCPE's TheClassicStation.org for informaiton about upcoming concerts in our area. Or read Lopez’s original Los Angeles Times newspaper columns about Ayres as a companion to the book. Of course, you can also watch the movie adaptation of The Soloist together; the DVD release is scheduled for early August.
Lopez's insightful and honest reflections on his relationship with Ayers make The Soloist a great book club selection. Through his connection with Ayers, Lopez explores mental health, social services and the arts, encountering a wide variety of individuals and opinions. Lopez quickly discovers that there are no easy fixes or clear cut answers on how to best relate to Ayers. The resulting blend of enthusiasm, frustration, anticipation and humor provides plenty of discussion starters. If you need some ideas, check out our discussion guide.
Reading The Soloist also provides a great opportunity to add some variety to your book club. For example, your group might delve into Ayres' deep appreciation of music by attending a classical music performance together. Check the Arts Calendar page at WCPE's TheClassicStation.org for informaiton about upcoming concerts in our area. Or read Lopez’s original Los Angeles Times newspaper columns about Ayres as a companion to the book. Of course, you can also watch the movie adaptation of The Soloist together; the DVD release is scheduled for early August.
Friday, July 10, 2009
The Soloist is a great, thought-provoking book
I really enjoyed The Soloist, and have heard from several other people--including mental health care and homeless professionals--who enjoyed it as well. I liked the book on several different levels. Probably foremost is learning about what life can be like for a person who is schizophrenic. The story is a rollercoaster of hope, progress, disappointment, and setback. The book also explores how hard it can be to help folks who are schizophrenic and homeless, because of their delusions, paranoia, traumatic experiences, etc. The author, Steve Lopez, is very reflective about his life as a reporter in general and specifically related to his series of columns about Nathanial Ayers. The book is also also suspenseful, as Lopez struggles to make a lasting impact on Ayers' life, particularly in helping him find a permanent roof over his head.
We'd love to hear from other people who have read the book or seen the movie. Did you like it? Why or why not? Let's get the discussion rolling!
We'd love to hear from other people who have read the book or seen the movie. Did you like it? Why or why not? Let's get the discussion rolling!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Join Us in Reading The Soloist
Welcome to the Orange County Partnership to End Homelessness blog. This blog is a forum for the citizens of Orange County, North Carolina to discuss the issues of homelessness in our community. We are opening our discussion series with a Community Read of the book The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez.
So, what is a Community Read? It is an opportunity to discuss a shared reading experience. The Soloist is the true story of the friendship between Steve Lopez, a Los Angeles reporter, and Nathaniel Ayers, a gifted musician and mentally ill homeless man. The book was made into a movie that is currently showing in theaters starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. We would like to hear your thoughts and experiences related to homelessness and mental illness.
To participate in the Community Read, start by reading the book or going to see the movie. You can borrow a free copy of the book at local public libraries. Join the discussion by posting comments to this blog--look for weekly discussion questions and links to information about mental illness and homelessness. In September, we will hold a series of discussion groups so that Community Read participants can meet in person to share their thoughts about the book. We hope you will join us!
So, what is a Community Read? It is an opportunity to discuss a shared reading experience. The Soloist is the true story of the friendship between Steve Lopez, a Los Angeles reporter, and Nathaniel Ayers, a gifted musician and mentally ill homeless man. The book was made into a movie that is currently showing in theaters starring Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. We would like to hear your thoughts and experiences related to homelessness and mental illness.
To participate in the Community Read, start by reading the book or going to see the movie. You can borrow a free copy of the book at local public libraries. Join the discussion by posting comments to this blog--look for weekly discussion questions and links to information about mental illness and homelessness. In September, we will hold a series of discussion groups so that Community Read participants can meet in person to share their thoughts about the book. We hope you will join us!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
