CRITICAL PRAISE FOR DRIVING THE KING
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“Ravi Howard tells a thoroughly convincing story about the singing star Nat King Cole’s best friend….[A] warmly enveloping book…. Appealing.”
- Janet Maslin, The New York Times
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“Howard brings readers back in time to postwar Alabama, in this velvety smooth fictional memoir. . . . [His] prose goes down like the top-shelf whiskey that Weary favors, making for a heady reading experience.”
- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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“Alternating between the cities and Weary’s past and present, Howard explores race relations in the pre-civil rights era and the strong ties forged between two extraordinary men.”
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“A moving tale about bigotry and the power of friendship.”
- People
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“By following Howard’s characters, we are allowed a sidelong but penetrating glimpse into one of the most important events in American history…. Howard bends history…proving that the past can be best felt through refracted light rather than under the harsh glare of historical fact.”
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“Through unfussy language and well-formed characters...gifted novelist Howard...takes readers of all races, ages and classes into the world of pre-civil rights era black people, offering insight on and understanding of one of our country’s most tumultuous periods.”
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“Powerful…. A personal, poignant portrayal of how the lives of African Americans could be so easily derailed by racial inequality.”
- Library Journal (starred review)
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"Weary is a marvelous character who never becomes didactic. His voice is painstakingly real, precise, and authentic, allowing the reader to drop into the moment as though sitting next to him in the front passenger seat of Cole's Cadillac limousine. "
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In velvety smooth prose, Ravi Howard's second novel examines the civil rights movement by telling the story of Nat King Cole and his driver, Nat Weary.
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"'Driving the King' aims a lens on the burgeoning civil-rights movement of the time."
- Winnipeg Free Press
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Ravi Howard's new novel exploring the edges of the civil rights battle in mid-century America. In an easygoing style, with Weary as his guide, Howard pokes into under-viewed corners of the fight while never losing sight of the humanity of both the cause and its effects."
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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"Ravi Howard's imaginative 'Driving the King' places musician Nat King Cole at center of civil rights era."
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