NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2021 BY BARACK OBAMA * THE WASHINGTON POST * NPR * ESQUIRE * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY * GOODREADS * THE MILLIONS * READER'S DIGEST * PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER * EERIE READER * PUBLIC RADIO TULSA * CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY * KIRKUS REVIEWS "Feels truer and more mesmerizing than some true stories. But as her interviews dig deeper, a nasty new allegation from an unexpected source threatens to blow up everything"-īook Synopsis An electrifying novel about the meteoric rise of an iconic interracial rock duo in the 1970s, their sensational breakup, and the dark secrets unearthed when they try to reunite decades later for one last tour. Sunny thought she knew most of the stories leading up to the cult duo's most politicized chapter. Sunny Shelton seizes the chance to curate an oral history about her idols. Decades later, as Opal considers a 2016 reunion with Nev, music journalist S. Opal's bold protest and the violence that ensues set off a chain of events that will not only change the lives of those she loves, but also be a deadly reminder that repercussions are always harsher for women, especially black women, who dare to speak their truth. In early seventies New York City, just as she's finding her niche as part of a flamboyant and funky creative scene, a rival band signed to her label brandishes a Confederate flag at a promotional concert. So when the aspiring British singer/songwriter Neville Charles discovers her at a bar's amateur night, she takes him up on his offer to make rock music together for the fledgling Rivington Records. Coming of age in Detroit, she can't imagine settling for a 9-to-5 job-despite her unusual looks, Opal believes she can be a star.
Press, 2020).About the Book "Opal is a fiercely independent young woman pushing against the grain in her style and attitude, Afro-punk before that term existed. Sunny’s voice is the most fluid and compelling of all the characters and brings the oral history into the present.Ī recommended nonfiction pairing is Black Diamond Queens: African American Women and Rock and Roll by Maureen Mahon (Duke Univ. As a rock journalist, Sunny embodies the fan’s perspective, and as a successful Black woman in the business, she questions the motives of the gatekeepers, who are mostly white men. What makes this book shine is its focus on not only the band and how they tell their history but also the fans and how they make meaning of music and the people who create it. The revival is similarly fraught and further reveals rifts between Opal and Nev. The publication of the oral history coincides with a reunion show at a major music festival. In 2016, the editor of the oral history, journalist Sunny Shelton, tries to make sense of this pivotal moment, both for its cultural relevance and its impact upon her own life. Opal and Nev were immortalized in a photo that went “viral” in its time, and again years later. The short-lived duo’s fame stems from a violent, deadly riot during their biggest show in 1971. Both musicians are larger than life, and their musical visions, worldviews, and egos inevitably clash. Nev is a British singer-songwriter with roots in folk. Opal is a Black woman who started performing in churches in Detroit and Alabama. But the real conflict of the book revolves around race. All the usual rock ‘n’ roll drama is here: wild performances, drug addictions, love affairs, creative differences.
The Final Revival of Opal and Nev is an oral history of a fictional 1970s duo, Opal Jewel and Nev Charles.
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