For February, our Mystery Book Club (MCB) read The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb. Very appropriate for Black History Month.
About: "Ray McMillian loves playing the violin more than anything, and nothing will stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a professional musician. Not his mother, who thinks he should get a real job, not the fact that he can't afford a high-caliber violin, not the racism inherent in the classical music world. And when he makes the startling discovery that his great-grandfather's fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, his star begins to rise. Then with the international Tchaikovsky Competition—the Olympics of classical music—fast approaching, his prized family heirloom is stolen. Ray is determined to get it back. But now his family and the descendants of the man who once enslaved Ray's great-grandfather are each claiming that the violin belongs to them. With the odds stacked against him and the pressure mounting, will Ray ever see his beloved violin again?"
I really liked this book. It was a good mystery, well written, lots of twists and turns. But it also addressed many current issues of racism that continue to this day. I will share a link at the end, but the author shares that many of the same incidents of racism actually happened to him.
Everyone in the MBC really liked this book also. We had a very animated discussion and actually ran out of time! Several people shared their background in playing the violin or other instruments which was interesting. A few people said this book was actually an eye opener for them, that they were not aware that these things were still happening. (The group did challenge those people about that.) One person said she never would have read this book if it wasn't our selection since she is not musical or black, but was very glad she read it and has a new appreciation of several things. Some former teachers said they felt this book should be required reading in school.
Well done Brendan Slocumb!
About the author: Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb was born in Yuba City, California and was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He holds a degree in music education (with concentrations in violin and viola) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. For more than twenty years he has been a public and private school music educator and has performed with orchestras throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.
Interview with the author: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/violinist-and-author-brendan-slocumb-on-his-riveting-page-turning-debut-novel
I'm so glad that you guys had a good discussion of this book. I was really enthralled by the story and am so glad it was the selection this month!
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