Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
"Taking its title from a nautical term for a conundrum, the novel is a coming-of-age and redemption story about two young Black men going through boot camp, training school and their first assignments in an early 1970s Navy struggling with racism and sexism." --The Oregonian
The Vietnam War is raging, the US Navy has only recently begun the process of integration, and the country is reeling from racial turmoil and unrest. So why does César, a street-tough kid of Afro-Cuban descent, enlist in the navy? He is on the run from a life of crime and from Mr. Mike, a charismatic, sociopathic gangster who was once a mentor but has now turned on him.
Escaping into a navy wrestling with its history of racism and sexism, César soon sees the absurdity of certain prejudices that seem as old as the US Armed Forces. When he is deployed aboard the USS Kitty Hawk, racial tensions are high and are moving quickly toward violence. Through it all, César's ever-growing sense of honor and self-worth force him to make moral decisions he never knew he was capable of. It's a fortitude he will desperately need.
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André Lewis Carter is a retired navy veteran who writes fiction, essays, and plays in the urban sprawl of Portland, Oregon. Carter's one-act play, Reaction, was staged at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska. He holds an MA in fiction writing and an MFA in creative writing from Wilkes University, where he was a Beverly Blakeslee Hiscox Scholar. He is married to a very patient woman who occasionally tells dirty jokes. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is his debut novel.
The strength of Carter's lean, straightforward prose . . . mirrors César's earnest, ethical nature and urges readers to root for him . . . A naval adventure thriller from recent history, told in a fresh, straightforward new voice.
-- "Kirkus Reviews"One of the most empathetic depictions of navy lifers since The Last Detail.-- "Publishers Weekly"
André Lewis Carter weaves a riveting tale about a side of the US Navy we seldom see. Tone-perfect delivery and an inarguably authentic voice mark the debut of a powerful new talent.--David Poyer, author of Violent Peace
The first virtue of Carter's book is its authentic, granular depictions of life aboard an American aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War--the best I've ever encountered. But the novel's other virtues--vividly depicted characters; an unsparing examination of racial discrimination and conflict aboard ship and at the San Diego Navy base; and a simmering story line that explodes on the high seas--makes this engrossing debut novel a must-read for Navy vets, as well as all who appreciate a fast-paced tale of a young man trying to find love, forge a new identity, and come to grips with his criminal past while serving his country.--J. Michael Lennon (LCDR, United States Navy Reserve, ret.), author of Norman Mailer: A Double Life
