A Change- [The Soloist 13-22]

Part Two of The Soloist has really caught my attention. My point of view has changed dramatically since the first chapter of the book. It was first somewhat boring, then interesting, and now it's extremely excellent because every chapter has something new and important to read about. In chapter 13, the mayor of Los Angeles decided to take a tour of Skid Row with Lopez. Lately, he has been reading Lopez’s articles on Nathaniel Ayers and wanted to see how his living conditions are. When they went touring Skid Row, the mayor was completely stunned and shocked at the scenes that he saw. Because of this, he decided to dedicate $50 million to housing and other services to places like Skid Row. This scene is what really caught my eye as I was reading it. For the mayor to read the articles about a homeless man, visit his “homeland”, and do something about the poverty is something huge. It proves that one person can do something for the better.

Later in Part Two, the readers find out a lot about Nathaniel Ayers's past when he was still a kid and living with his father, mother, and sisters. He went through so much when his father left his family to start a new family with another woman. Then, his mother got remarried and more problems started rolling in. As Ayers was in school, he was discovered by William Moon. I thought it was nice that Ayers looked up to Mr. Moon as a father figure and wanted to make him proud. It was shocking to read that Mr. Ayers is still proud of his children after all these years.

What made me smile through these chapters was that Nathaniel finally sleeps in his room at the Lamp. What made it extra special was that he woke up in the room on his fifty-fifth birthday. At first, he was just a hard-headed man who refused to sleep in that room. He preferred to sleep on the streets of Skid Row since he claims that no one can steal his items in his cart when he sleeps on the streets. After receiving lessons with Pete Snyder in his room, Ayers slowly got used to being in his room. He agreed to sleep in his room for three nights per week. After spending time with Ayers, Lopez slowly realized that Ayers had a huge effect on him. He helped more people in need and volunteered more. One person does and can make a difference to another person or even the world. What's important is to keep up the effort needed to accomplish that difference.

These chapters had added a lot of information about Nathaniel Ayers and his past and present. I hope the rest of the book was just as good as Part Two.



Focus Points

• Grammar
• Ideas and opinions