The Magic Keys winningly evokes the coming to maturity of one of the great characters in contemporary American literature Scooter the central protagonist of Albert Murray s highly acclaimed autobiographical novels Train Whistle Guitar The Spyglass Tree and The Seven League BootsGrowing up brilliant and curious in Alabama Scooter was told he was destined for greatness Now newly married and a graduate student in humanities at New York University he goes about discovering just what he is destined to be great at Anchored by Eunice his Mrs Me Scooter makes the rounds of Manhattan s libraries jazz hangouts galleries skyscrapers and endlessly fascinating streets meeting the people who will help him find his way dapper Taft Edison who is setting their downhome dialect onto the pages of his novelinprogress Joe States a drummer who brings old expectations to Scooters new life and Jewel Templeton no longer his girl but still a believer When his budding career takes him back to Alabama Scooter discovers both the promise of everyday bliss and intimations of adventures to comeIn his inimitably musical ardent prose Murray captures the joyful rhythms of youth and the pulse of life at the moment when everything seems possible in an exhilarating tender and masterfully crafted novel