Last year we mentioned a 2006 work of fiction, Raising Kane, written by author and banjo picker, Brent Davis.
The book is targeted at young readers, and tells the story of a 12 year old banjoist who goes to work with a touring band in the 1960s.
Our friend Ted Lehmann has just written a review of Raising Kane, which can be found on his web site.
Riding through the South of the beginnings of the civil rights movement, Eddie is on hand to see a race riot in the city of Montgomery, to see the effects of racial segregation in several different encounters, and to have his experience interpreted through the eyes of his new friend Murray and one of his uncles, a no nonsense racist. Eddie grows to a new understanding of himself and his world while emerging as a musician and a person.
Read the full review online.
If you have a young reader in need of one more summer book, or one you might want to introduce to the ways of bluegrass, perhaps Raising Kane would be a worthy consideration.