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audreyjginay's review against another edition
5.0
This is officially one of my new favorite books of all time. Kwame Alexander is a master poet. Solo is a beautiful story of family, love, and identity. The whole thing is written like a song, which makes sense because the protagonist is a musician. The musicality of the prose serves to add further depth to Blade's (the protagonist) character. This is an absolute must read.
can this be taught in schools? Absolutely. This can and should be taught. There is beautiful representation as well as many familial and personal struggles people of all ages can relate. That's not even to mention the literary merit- which could and should be studied extensively as a fantastic example of contemporary poetry.
content warnings:
drugs: the father deals with addiction
sex: mild teenage desire
violence: none
language: mild
can this be taught in schools? Absolutely. This can and should be taught. There is beautiful representation as well as many familial and personal struggles people of all ages can relate. That's not even to mention the literary merit- which could and should be studied extensively as a fantastic example of contemporary poetry.
content warnings:
drugs: the father deals with addiction
sex: mild teenage desire
violence: none
language: mild
gabbiest's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first book I read in a while that fully engrossed me in the story. I had a hard time time putting it down and found myself wanting more when it ended.
liz56rose's review against another edition
3.0
Don't know what made me pick up this book. It was alright. I like the poetry.
ceena's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
What an audiobook. This is one that had my attention the whole time. I could not stop listening. It is told in verse which is why I picked it up as an audiobook and hey! a 400 page book turned into 4 hours audio -- I'll take that any day ^_^ The audiobook also has songs and all the songs compiled at the end which is really cool.
This is told in verse and the writing in amazing. I love the journey Blade goes on and all he experiences along the way, although there were some decisions and moments I didn't completely agree with -- I don't want to spoil anything so I won't go indepth.
Look, it is a fun, quick, easy to read book and one I think many will enjoy.
cw: cheating, drugs, alcoholism, parental neglect, rehab
What an audiobook. This is one that had my attention the whole time. I could not stop listening. It is told in verse which is why I picked it up as an audiobook and hey! a 400 page book turned into 4 hours audio -- I'll take that any day ^_^ The audiobook also has songs and all the songs compiled at the end which is really cool.
This is told in verse and the writing in amazing. I love the journey Blade goes on and all he experiences along the way, although there were some decisions and moments I didn't completely agree with -- I don't want to spoil anything so I won't go indepth.
Look, it is a fun, quick, easy to read book and one I think many will enjoy.
cw: cheating, drugs, alcoholism, parental neglect, rehab
kathleenes's review against another edition
3.5
I had heard about this book but it took me ages to actually get my hands on it, so I had forgotten what it was going to be.
Not my usual style to read but I liked it anyway.
Not my usual style to read but I liked it anyway.
ortinggirl's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
antidietleah's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Infidelity
kidlitlove's review against another edition
3.0
While this is a good book, I didn't feel that there was as much love for the rock and roll as there is for Kwame Alexander's books about basketball. The trip to Ghana is where Kwame's passion really shows.
leahegood's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Summary
Seventeen-year-old Blade can't wait to escape the life of the rich and famous. The son of a washed up rock star, he's tired of broken promises, broken trust, and the sordid details of his families brokenness on tabloid headlines. His desperate quest for peace takes him all the way to Ghana, but half way across the world might not be far enough.
My Thoughts
I read this book to fulfill a prompt in a reading challenge, and it definitely exemplified the tendency of reading challenges to get you out of a reading rut. Solo isn't the kind of story I typically gravitate to. The writing style is more stylistic than I tend to prefer and the story itself wouldn't have caught my attention if I wasn't seeking a book about a musician. That said, I enjoyed the story a lot more than I thought I was going to ask I read the first quarter of it.
Other reviewers have indicated that this book is for an upper teen audience ... 15 or 16 and up ... since it has some mature content. I'd agree with this (leaning towards 16 and up). See more details into content.
I didn't love the relationship with the girlfriend at the beginning of the book. The story in general didn't really pull me in until truth bombs starter shaking Blade's already messed up world.
What I did like. I'm always intrigued by stories that show the less glamorous sides of celebrity life. I also enjoyed the depiction of Ghana that acknowledged (and mildly mocked) the well-intentioned but often short-sighted ways westerners often interact with other countries and cultures. The author keeps all of the characters real and relatable.
Content
Romance: One or two times, explicit wording was used to express kissing. Handsy making out expressed in poetic (not explicit) terms. Blades father shoes up a few times drunk with scantily clad women much younger than himself in tow ... much to Blade's disgust.
Language: Minor swearing using throughout. Can't remember anything more explicit than d*mn or h*ll, but I was distracted a few times while listening to the audio, so there may have been words used that I missed.
Violence: Minimal to non-existent.
Religion: Blade has some unpleasant encounters with his girlfriend's father who is a pastor or a bishop.... something like that. Blade's family is generally non-religious, but his father exclaims "maybe there is a God!" when observing a spectacular view.
Seventeen-year-old Blade can't wait to escape the life of the rich and famous. The son of a washed up rock star, he's tired of broken promises, broken trust, and the sordid details of his families brokenness on tabloid headlines. His desperate quest for peace takes him all the way to Ghana, but half way across the world might not be far enough.
My Thoughts
I read this book to fulfill a prompt in a reading challenge, and it definitely exemplified the tendency of reading challenges to get you out of a reading rut. Solo isn't the kind of story I typically gravitate to. The writing style is more stylistic than I tend to prefer and the story itself wouldn't have caught my attention if I wasn't seeking a book about a musician. That said, I enjoyed the story a lot more than I thought I was going to ask I read the first quarter of it.
Other reviewers have indicated that this book is for an upper teen audience ... 15 or 16 and up ... since it has some mature content. I'd agree with this (leaning towards 16 and up). See more details into content.
I didn't love the relationship with the girlfriend at the beginning of the book. The story in general didn't really pull me in until truth bombs starter shaking Blade's already messed up world.
What I did like. I'm always intrigued by stories that show the less glamorous sides of celebrity life. I also enjoyed the depiction of Ghana that acknowledged (and mildly mocked) the well-intentioned but often short-sighted ways westerners often interact with other countries and cultures. The author keeps all of the characters real and relatable.
Content
Romance: One or two times, explicit wording was used to express kissing. Handsy making out expressed in poetic (not explicit) terms. Blades father shoes up a few times drunk with scantily clad women much younger than himself in tow ... much to Blade's disgust.
Language: Minor swearing using throughout. Can't remember anything more explicit than d*mn or h*ll, but I was distracted a few times while listening to the audio, so there may have been words used that I missed.
Violence: Minimal to non-existent.
Religion: Blade has some unpleasant encounters with his girlfriend's father who is a pastor or a bishop.... something like that. Blade's family is generally non-religious, but his father exclaims "maybe there is a God!" when observing a spectacular view.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Drug abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, and Classism
ezio_sev's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0