This is a story told from many perspectives. Structured as notes for an article that will become a book, you hear from participants leading up to and after the fateful day when someone was killed during a concert – James “Jimmy” Shelton III, the drummer, the author of this book’s father. Through the interviews and research of the main players in the band we meet Neville “Nev” Charles, a white man from England – a decent musician but not spectacular. We also meet Opal, a black woman aware of her place in the world of 1970s America. Both are seeking a shot at something more. These two meet when Nev and his record label’s owner seek out a complementary voice at open mic nights across the mid-west. Sparks fly in the creative process. Opal & Nev start off imbalanced in power – Nev was the writer of the songs and Opal was to be featured – and Opal is aware she needs to bring something more. She does with her voice, her looks, and her anger. Nev and Opal begin to make some cutting=edge punk (not a term yet in the music world) music. During the studio sessions to record, however, Opal begins a relationship with the only other black person in the room – Jimmy Shelton, a gifted drummer respected in the industry. The duo, however, could not really find a following. In a desperate, move the record label decides to put on a showcase of the artists they have, anchored by a band that had hits but were racist, self-important, and part of an infamous motorcycle gang. During that concert tensions between races erupted and Jimmy is killed.
S. Sunny Shelton, the editor of a major music magazine and author of the book at the center of this story, has been chasing the participants to better understand why her father died that night. What she comes to learn through the process, however, is that she was focusing on the wrong thing. What was it that made Opal – the black woman that challenged the norms – the focus of the speculation for having started the riot anyway? What was she trying to say? Who was trying to stop her from saying it? And what is the cost you will pay for ensuring you are true to your own voice?
As the layers are pealed back, we see that the real culprits – those white people that instigated the riot and those that perpetrated the murder – avoid paying the price that the black people pay – literally and figuratively. As history begins to repeat itself during the much anticipated reunion of the duo, the truth of the deception is faced. The source of the “truth” is from a racist man that started the whole terrible thing. Assuming deniability because of stereotypes you hold – can keep you from the truth and from finding justice.
A powerfully written story, unveiled in a slow and meaningful way. This has been replaying in my mind since I finished it. I am looking forward to reading more by this author, as the pacing and underlying messages were brilliantly planned and executed.
The Source 4 Books 