Summer of Haint Blue: From Cajun to Creole is a compelling and engrossing coming-of-age novel set in the politically charged climate of the 1960s. The story follows a poor Cajun boy’s attempts to understand and deal with the evils of racism while growing up on a small farm in Louisiana.

“Martinez, whose previous YA novel, Cajun Chameleon (2018), similarly centered on ‘60s segregation issues in Louisiana, does a good job of capturing the state’s various subcultures, not just Black and White, but also rural and urban. He takes the story beyond what could be a mere morality play to show the complexities of race and class prejudices...” Kirkus Review. “Author Jimmie Martinez captures the raw, beautiful, and painful truths of both rural and urban South during the 1960s in his YA novel, Summer of Haint Blue. A long-form narrative study on race relations and a deep dive into that tumultuous decade, the novel is draped with Spanish moss and Bayou personality, which help to top-dress the strong and compelling plot.” -- Self-Publishing Review.

Jimmie Martinez’s previous novel, Cajun Chameleon, was called “thoughtful and provocative...” Kirkus, and Self-Publishing Review said that it “tackles weighty issues with a light, straightforward touch...” Now Martinez has written a second novel that explores the challenging issues of racial conflict, coming-of- age, loss of innocence, and interracial marriage.

Summer of Haint Blue: From Cajun to Creole

Justin Couvillion, a poor teenaged Cajun boy, parrots without questioning many of the racist views of Southern society. In the summer of 1960, he meets Leroy, a mentally disabled Black man; Ali, Leroy’s ballsy and beautiful Black female cousin; and Tom, a white boy afflicted with polio. As he befriends the three and gets to know their merits, Justin is forced to acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that even though he is poor, he has benefited from being a white, able-bodied male. Examining his biases, listening to tough conversations about race, and discovering the truth about himself, he is forced to face the racism implanted within him since birth. He learns from his newfound friends that people who seem different are surprisingly the same and relatable.

The complex racial themes in the book are just as central and meaningful today as they were in the 1960s. Gazing into the Summer of Haint’s Blue: From Cajun to Creole’s rearview mirror, we can look back and reflect on how much has changed and how far there is to go.

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