A review by gracer
Young Man with a Horn by Dorothy Baker
5.0
Five stars seems a little strong but I more than "really liked" this book.
A beautiful book about jazz and art in general, this book primarily won me over through the narrative voice, which was strong and unique. There was some slang and some great turns of phrase which stood out to me over and over again, but which I never bothered to underline or copy down because that would have been half the book.
Then there's the writing about the music itself, things like:
"Anybody could have understood that band three blocks away. It wasn't that they were loud; it was that they were so firm about the way they played, no halfway measures, nothing fuzzy. They knew what they were getting at, singly and as a group." (p .34)
I will admit that at first some of the language made me uncomfortable and parts of it seemed racist. That's because parts of it were racist, but I quickly realized that it wasn't the author blindly making assumptions and creating stereotypes. It was a literary device, which changed as the book wore on - the way blacks and whites are seen from afar, and then up close, at an individual view. This book manages to address subjects like what it meant to have interracial friendships and the role of race in jazz, without any overt commentary. It's a question of literary proximity, and the way that, as the white trumpet player gets to know a group of black musicians, the perspective develops and changes - all filtered through this anonymous narrator. I thought this particular aspect of the book was really interesting.
Normally I don't pay much attention to character likability because I find that to be an inaccurate judge of the worth of a book (not to mention completely unrelated to a book's merit) but I thought it was notable just how likable Rick, the protagonist, is. He's a kid with incredibly talent. He doesn't get big headed, but he also isn't that type of insufferable modest character you see so much in fiction. He knows he's good and he knows who else is good, but he keeps his head down and stays focused. Later he missteps and he's still likable and, more than that, human.
I would add that the afterword is a fascinating read in and of itself, discussing a variety of things such as jazz and the historical accuracy of the book, as well as the fascinating life of the author, her interests and subjects. I would like to read more by Baker - and more by Gary Giddins as well.
A beautiful book about jazz and art in general, this book primarily won me over through the narrative voice, which was strong and unique. There was some slang and some great turns of phrase which stood out to me over and over again, but which I never bothered to underline or copy down because that would have been half the book.
Then there's the writing about the music itself, things like:
"Anybody could have understood that band three blocks away. It wasn't that they were loud; it was that they were so firm about the way they played, no halfway measures, nothing fuzzy. They knew what they were getting at, singly and as a group." (p .34)
I will admit that at first some of the language made me uncomfortable and parts of it seemed racist. That's because parts of it were racist, but I quickly realized that it wasn't the author blindly making assumptions and creating stereotypes. It was a literary device, which changed as the book wore on - the way blacks and whites are seen from afar, and then up close, at an individual view. This book manages to address subjects like what it meant to have interracial friendships and the role of race in jazz, without any overt commentary. It's a question of literary proximity, and the way that, as the white trumpet player gets to know a group of black musicians, the perspective develops and changes - all filtered through this anonymous narrator. I thought this particular aspect of the book was really interesting.
Normally I don't pay much attention to character likability because I find that to be an inaccurate judge of the worth of a book (not to mention completely unrelated to a book's merit) but I thought it was notable just how likable Rick, the protagonist, is. He's a kid with incredibly talent. He doesn't get big headed, but he also isn't that type of insufferable modest character you see so much in fiction. He knows he's good and he knows who else is good, but he keeps his head down and stays focused. Later he missteps and he's still likable and, more than that, human.
I would add that the afterword is a fascinating read in and of itself, discussing a variety of things such as jazz and the historical accuracy of the book, as well as the fascinating life of the author, her interests and subjects. I would like to read more by Baker - and more by Gary Giddins as well.