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My Life in the Sunshine: Searching for My Father and Discovering My Family (HC) (2022)

$26.00
SKU:
9780593295960
Weight:
1.25 LBS
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Availability: This book will ship on Jun 7, 2022

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Description

A memoir about one man's journey to connect with his musician father, ultimately re-drawing the lines that define family and race.

Throughout his adult life, whether he was opening a Seattle record store in the '90s or touring the world as the only non-white band member in alternative rock bands, Nabil Ayers felt the shadow and legacy of his father's 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 Ayers, fully expecting and agreeing that he would not be involved in the child's 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 father's absence.

Growing up, Nabil only meets his father a handful of times. But Roy's influence is strong, showing itself in Nabil's instinctual love of music, and later, in the music industry--Nabil's chosen career path. By turns hopeful--wanting to connect with the man who passed down his genetic predisposition for musical talent--and frustrated with Roy's 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 half-siblings 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.

Despite his father's absence, Nabil, through sheer will and a drive to understand his roots, re-draws the lines that define family and race.

Details

Author:
Nabil Ayers
ISBN 10:
059329596X
Pages:
320
Publisher:
Viking
Publication Date:
June 7, 2022
Binding:
Hardcover
Weight:
1.25lbs

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