Crossing the Blue Code

 Author's Summary

Crossing the Blue Code is the powerful autobiography of Miette Walker, a young girl who joins the United States Air Force in pursuit of a promising career. He basic training at Lackland Air Force Base proves to be anything but basic as Walker soon finds out she has entered an alternately rigid and chaotic new world.

Crossing the Blue Code is the beginning story of Walker's difficult and sometimes horrifying experiences during her four years in the US Air Force. Harassed by her fellow recruits and discriminated against by her superiors, Walker is sometimes forced to suffer in silence for fear of the notorious "Blue Code" that keeps Security Police from breaking ranks and reporting even the most heinous crimes.

MWSA Review

Crossing the Blue Code is a coming-of-age story set in the late 1980s when Miette Walker joined the Air Force. It was a time when women were taking on more of the traditionally male jobs and the military was coming to terms with the complications associated with mixed gender organizations. Although Ms. Walker's problems were exacerbated by the macho attitude of the military, women in other professions were struggling with the same situations as pioneers stepped aside and larger numbers of female engineers, pilots, managers, firefighters and police officers began their careers.
 
Ms. Walker's story echoes the woes of many young adults leaving home for the first time and facing society's inflexible and inexplicable rules. She strikes a chord with anyone who wrestled with unfriendly roommates, dealt with lascivious but threatened male colleagues, faced untrue and unflattering rumors, or realized that superiors are not necessarily fair, smart, or predictable. Her life will also ring true for those who found themselves overqualified for the jobs they could get and underprepared or the ones they wanted. 
 
For all of these reasons, women readers will relate to this book. Its style is straight-forward and unassuming. A chronological presentation of the author's experiences and perspectives, it has a lonely, soulful feel reminiscent of a gothic novel rather than an expose.  While detailed and lengthy, the minutiae of a misunderstood and disrespected young airman's daily life paint a picture of her courage, strength, and sense of self. Miette becomes a Canine Handler taking care of a dangerous Military dog named Killer.  While the humans surrounding the author seem to always disappoint, Killer never does. Just when the author's frustrations begin to wear on the reader, the tender friendship between dog and handle softens and warms the picture of Miette Walker. Killer responds to her, partners with her, and protects her. Together, the two tackle the author's unhappy situation -- and this endears the writer to the reader -- just in time.
 
Like Miette Walker's prose, the cover of Crossing the Blue Code is endearing and military at the same time. Bathed in creams and browns, Killer stares out at potential readers. He seems healthy, happy, and ready to eat anyone who might threaten his mistress. It's a cover that works -- alluring and attractive at the same time. After all, who can resist a dog -- even the one that bites?
 
Like a movie where the baby sitter hears a noise in the basement and goes down stairs to check it out, the audience likes Miette despite her shortcomings--and one can imagine people in the back row choking on popcorn in their attempts to warn the luckless Airman Walker about the hobgoblins lurking down there in the dark. In fact, when the reader closes this book, there's a sense of brooding dissatisfaction. Perhaps this sense of a story fractured like a dangling participle is the result of a tale interrupted in the middle. In a way, this is a good thing. Readers will have to read Book Two -- following Miette as she deals with what comes her way.
 
Crossing the Blue Code would be perfect for those who enjoy a good "them agin me" story. It is appropriate for young adults and those who enjoy a good Oxygen film -- just longer.

Reviewed by: Joyce Faulkner (2010)