Cuban Blues: How Captivity in a Foreign Prison Saved My Life

By Gordon Louis Hesse

Publisher: Precocity Press

“Brenda Lange and I became colleagues and friends nearly 40 years ago. Her writing and editing skills are surpassed only by her positive attitude, enthusiasm and commitment to helping me launch Cuban Blues into the world. She introduced me to Susan Shankin,  the creative force behind Precocity Press, who has been the answer to my search for a publisher. Her expert guidance, creativity and insights finally turned my dream into a reality. Both women provided the encouragement and good-natured flexibility I needed to complete this book, which otherwise may have withered on my shelves.”

Awards
Amazon #1 Best Seller
Amazon #1 New Release
#1 in Havana, Cuba Travel Guides

The open ocean held the promise of a new life, a fresh start, until it carried Gordon Hesse into a nightmare.

Hesse’s bond with the Atlantic Ocean was strong after years of living on its shores, beachcombing, lifeguarding and crewing on fishing boats. After college, as a series of financial, professional and personal challenges left him feeling adrift, the sea gave him a chance to escape it all. Or so he thought.

When his vessel drifted into Cuban waters in 1973, a harsh new reality confronted him: Cuban soldiers, angry prisoners and oppressive captivity. Part drama, part history lesson and all true, Cuban Blues leads the reader into the dark, moldy prisons of Castro’s Cuba during the era of the Vietnam War and the world’s changing social and political mores, and into Hesse’s psyche as he struggles to survive, learn and grow.

For nearly a year, Hesse faced fear, confusion and regret as he dove deep into his past to figure out how he ended up there and considered how he might right his life when he returned home—if he did.

This captivating and unforgettable memoir reminds us that no matter what pressures face us at home, greater struggles may await when we try to leave them behind.

Cuban Blues