Review: Cajun Chameleon by Jimmie Martinez
Jax Badeaux slowly finds his way through the complexities of racism while growing up in New Orleans in the Sixties and Seventies. A self-described poor Cajun, he doesn’t expect to amount to much more than his drunken father or beleaguered but loving mother. Yet change begins with his friendship with a young man, Mike Guidry, who suddenly has the race laws labeling him black instead of white.
Cajun Chameleon: Reflections of a Recovering Racist tackles weighty issues with a light, straightforward touch. When best friend Mike suddenly can’t attend the same junior high school as Jax because he lacks a […]
Investment banker Jake seeks to reconcile his workaholic habits and his life with girlfriend Kara as they navigate their maturing relationship in modern Chicago. Jake loves the thrill of making deals for his clients, while Kara teaches and volunteers. As narrator Jake informs the reader in + One, they are soul mates. Yet Jake can’t quite put Kara ahead of his work, often arriving late to dates and missing important events, putting their relationship at risk.
In Captain Mullet and the Compass Rose, wisdom, longing and everyday life shuffle along for a curmudgeonly Navy veteran and a pony-tailed and pierced young man as they contemplate the profound and mundane in a small Florida town. The two meet as bridge-tenders, where the old man, Henry, resents the intrusion of young Eddie into life. Henry is stuck in a life of honor, complaint and routine. Eddie is youthful, free and bold, and challenges Henry at every turn.
