Description
Nabil traces the image of his father through song With growing fascination and heartbreak he draws out meaning from the shadow of absence and ultimately redefines what it means to be a family Michelle Zauner New York Times bestselling author of Crying in H Mart and Grammy nominated musician JapaneseBreakfast
A memoir about one mans journey to connect with his musician father ultimately redrawing the lines that define family and race
Throughout his adult life whether he was opening a Seattle record store in the 90s or touringthe world as the only nonwhite band member in alternative rock bands Nabil Ayers felt the shadow and legacy of his fathers musical genius and his race everywhere
In 1971 a white Jewish former ballerina chose to have a child with the famous Black jazz musician Roy Ayersfully expecting and agreeing that he would not be involved in the childs life In this highly original memoir their son Nabil Ayers recounts a life spent living with the aftermath of that decision and his journey to build an identity of his own despite and in spite of his fathers absence
Growing up Nabil only meets his father a handful of times But Roys influence is strong showing itself in Nabils instinctual love of music and later in the music industryNabils chosen career path By turns hopefulwanting to connect with the man who passed down his genetic predisposition for musical talentand frustrated with Roys continued emotional distance Nabil struggles with how much DNA can define a family and a person
Unable to fully connect with Roy Nabil ultimately discovers the existence of several halfsiblings as well as a paternal ancestor who was enslaved Following these connections Nabil meets and befriends the descendant of the plantation owner which strangely paves the way for him to make meaningful connections with extended family he never knew existed
Undeterred by hisfathers absence Nabil through sheer will and a drive to understand his roots redraws the lines that define family and race
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