{"product_id":"driving-the-king-paperback","title":"Driving the King - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRavi Howard\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn indelible portrait of prejudice and promise, friendship and loyalty, \u003cem\u003eDriving the King\u003c\/em\u003e is a daring novel that explores race and class in pre-Civil Rights America, played out in the lives of two remarkable men.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe war is over, the soldiers are returning, and Nat King Cole is back in his hometown of Montgomery, Alabama, for a rare performance. His childhood friend, Nat Weary, plans to propose to his sweetheart, and the singer will honor their moment with a special song. While the world has changed, segregated Jim Crow Montgomery remains the same. When a white man attacks Cole with a pipe, Weary leaps from the audience to defend him--an act that will lead to a ten-year prison sentence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut the singer will not forget his friend and the sacrifice he made. Six months before Weary is released, he receives a remarkable offer: will he be Nat King Cole's driver and bodyguard in L.A.? It is the promise of a new life removed from the terror, violence, and degradation of Jim Crow Alabama.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWeary discovers that, while Los Angeles is far different from the Deep South, it a place of discrimination, mistrust, and intolerance where a black man--even one as talented and popular as Nat King Cole--is not wholly welcome.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMontgomery, Alabama, December 1945. War hero Nat Weary has returned to his hometown, eager to rebuild his life. His childhood friend, the famous Nat King Cole, is also home for a rare performance. During the concert, Weary plans to propose to his sweetheart, and Cole will serenade them with a song.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut Weary's dreams for the future are destroyed when a white man, armed with a pipe, rushes the stage. Leaping from the audience, the former soldier stops the assailant--an act of bravery that leads to ten years of hard labor in prison.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFree at last a decade later, Weary heads to Los Angeles to work for his old friend. It is the promise of a new life removed from the violence and degradation of Jim Crow Alabama. But he discovers that even in the City of Angels, wealth, popularity, and talent cannot protect a black man from discrimination and hate.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawn back to Montgomery to lay some unfinished business to rest, Cole and Weary discover a city in the midst of change. A woman named Rosa Parks has inspired blacks to boycott the city's buses--a daring fight for dignity and rights that will eventually grip the entire nation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A moving tale about bigotry and the power of friendship.\" \u003cem\u003e--People\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Heartbreaking. . . . A bold reimagining of [the] civil rights era.\" \u003cem\u003e--Los Angeles Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 352\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8 x 5.3 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e January 19, 2016\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42724882808895,"sku":"9780060529628","price":19.19,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/d2a309e0041d523ed25ffa0e94c0e8fc.webp?v=1765104259","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/driving-the-king-paperback","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}