The Soloist

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soloist), “The Soloist is based on the true story of Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), a musical prodigy who develops schizophrenia during his second year at Juilliard School. Ayers becomes homeless in the streets of downtown Los Angeles, while still playing the violin and the cello.” A Bit More About Nathaniel Ayers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathaniel_Ayers), "Ayers began playing the double bass during middle school. He attended the Juilliard School in New York on a scholarship as a double bassist, but suffered a mental breakdown during his second year and was institutionalized. Ayers was one of the few black students at Juilliard at that time. For some years he lived with his mother in Cleveland, Ohio, where he received electroshock treatment for his illness to no avail. After his mother’s death in 2000, he moved to Los Angeles, California, thinking that his father lived there. Homeless and schizophrenic, Ayers lived on the streets of Los Angeles and made a meager living playing half-broken instruments (such as the violin and cello) on street corners for change." I will discuss the book, and we can talk about mental illness and homelessness, and other related issues.