First published 1993
Leo Suther turns eighteen in 1967 with blues music filling his head and the Vietnam War pulling at his future. He loves the raw sound of Delta musicians and dreams of understanding their world, but the draft looms over every young man his age. Leo faces the weight of choices that will define him. He must decide what matters most when the country demands soldiers and his heart demands music. The war machine churns forward while Leo searches for his own rhythm. His passion for blues collides with the reality of military service. Leo discovers that growing up means choosing between safety and authenticity, between what others expect and what his soul requires. The music that moves him becomes both escape and anchor as he wrestles with duty, desire, and the cost of following his own path.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, coming-of-age, music, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family
Setting: Vietnam
Period: 1967
270 pages · Hardcover · Faber & Faber