"Half-Blood Blues" is the story of a group of jazz players who lived and performed in Germany and. France. The Nazi's viewed any kind of jazz music as depraved and banned it. The story is told through the voice of Sid who was the least talented of the group and who was directly responsible for the deportation to a concentration of the most talented half black musician in the group. The story alternates between 1939/40 and 1992. The story of 1939/40 tells what happened to the members of the jazz group and 1992 when these jazz players were being honoured in Germany. The story ends in Poland where the three surviving members of the group are reunited and deal with Sid's betrayal of Hiero.

I found this novel interesting from several different levels. I had never thought about there being any black people or people of mixed race in Nazis Germany. I didn't realize that most modern styles of music had been banned in Nazis Germany and that Jazz was considered depraved.

Although the novel is about jazz players, it isn't particularly about jazz. It is more about being human and choices a person makes in life and how it shapes one's life.