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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
Henry is the 12 year old son of Chinese immigrants living in Seattle in 1942. His parents are desperate for him to assimilate into the American culture. They send him to an all-white school and insist on him speaking only English at home (even though they can barely understand him). The US is at war with Japan and Japanese immigrants are regarded with suspicion as potential spies. For this reason, Henry wears a badge declaring that he is Chinese, but even so he is regarded with distrust by most of his schoolmates. When a Japanese girl (Keiko) starts at the same school, she and Henry become friends and the relationship blossoms into romance. However Keiko's entire family is transferred to a prison camp and while we don't know what happens to them, we know that she and Henry lose touch and that he goes onto marry someone else. Many years later, he will be sharply reminded of her again.
This is a sweet story which is set against an interesting historical backdrop, but it never raised itself above "just okay" for me. I had problems accepting that this great romance could develop between 12 year olds and I disliked the way the author keeps spelling things out for us. Sentences like: "No one had thought (x) still existed, and it was found. Who knew what else he might find if he looked hard enough?". I found the story slow moving and it unfolds in a very predictable way, with no significant twists or surprises. It was one of those books that was easy to read, but which I never felt the slightest inclination to pick up or wondered what was going to happen.
This is a sweet story which is set against an interesting historical backdrop, but it never raised itself above "just okay" for me. I had problems accepting that this great romance could develop between 12 year olds and I disliked the way the author keeps spelling things out for us. Sentences like: "No one had thought (x) still existed, and it was found. Who knew what else he might find if he looked hard enough?". I found the story slow moving and it unfolds in a very predictable way, with no significant twists or surprises. It was one of those books that was easy to read, but which I never felt the slightest inclination to pick up or wondered what was going to happen.
The story was predictable, the writing was so-so and nothing in particular really stood out about the stereotypical characters, but it was a sweet love story that sheds some light on an ugly chapter in American history that doesn't tend to get discussed very often. If you don't mind overly sentimental stories that get tied up in a neat little bow, I guess this would be an o.k. read.
As a side note, as other reviewers have mentioned, there were several anachronisms in the sections that took place in 1986. Online support group in 1986? Sloppy editing.
As a side note, as other reviewers have mentioned, there were several anachronisms in the sections that took place in 1986. Online support group in 1986? Sloppy editing.
What I really enjoyed was the past story, with Our Dude, Henry, growing up Chinese and American at the same time and dealing with all of that drama and then also dealing with having a Japanese best friend (not good for Chinese or American kids at the time) and watching how her life goes terribly and unfixably wrong. There’s so much truth and sadness to Henry’s life at a new, white school — the loss of his old friends, the rejection by his new classmates, his parents’ pride in the scholarship that has him slinging food in the cafeteria every day, his attachment to the only other person who might understand. It’s quite beautiful.
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A sort of love story of two young people and the interplay of different cultures. Enjoyed very much -- story intertwined with the Japanese internment during WWII in the pacific northwest, and includes interesting stories of the lives that were impacted by it.
I liked this one. I liked the "period piece" aspect of it as well as the story itself. I appreciated how it tackled an issue of racism head-on, but in a really charming (while often painful) way.
Well done.
Well done.
This fell a bit flat. It may not be fair because romance is one of my least liked genres. It was actually okay as far as the romance part went. The characters felt stagnant, the story felt like it was told by a tired narrator, there seemed a few too many inconsistencies, and the kids seemed a bit young for the bond depicted. The ending was a bit too "perfect", though that seems to be how romances generally go. I didn't totally hate the book, but it wasn't a favorite and I'd not recommend it.
Henry, a Chinese man living in Seattle, has just lost his wife of many years. He happens upon a hotel undergoing renovation that triggers memories of his tween years. He befriended a Japanese girl during WWII and became close with her, even during the process of Japanese internment. The narrative switches between the story of his family and his relationship with the girl and his present day process of mourning his wife, rebuilding a strained relationship with his son, and his questions about the events of his past (and whether he should literally revisit old haunts).
Mid-life crisis, history, family. Smoothly written, with both aspects of the story equally engaging.
Mid-life crisis, history, family. Smoothly written, with both aspects of the story equally engaging.
I really enjoyed this book. Much more than I expected. I didn't know much about internment camps, other than that they existed and were bad. Now I'm off to find more books to research them deeper.
On a side note not related to my rating, I listened to this book on audio, read by Feodor Chin. He was an excellent reader.
On a side note not related to my rating, I listened to this book on audio, read by Feodor Chin. He was an excellent reader.
There have been many novels that deal with the forced removal of Japanese citizens from their homes on the West Coast; this one has the twist of dealing with it from the perspective of a Chinese-American boy whose father is violently anti-Japanese. Henry's parents send him to a private school where he is the only Asian-American, a scholarship student who works in the cafeteria as part of the tuition. He is joined there by Keiko, a Japanese-American scholarship student. She shares his work and they become friends, and the friendship blossoms into young love. Her family is sent to a camp in Idaho. Henry writes faithfully and even manages a visit, but over time her letters stop coming. Henry eventually marries and has a son, and realizes that his father had managed to keep their letters from reaching their destinations. Many years later, he shares this story with his son, who finds Keiko with the help of his fiancee. A lovely story, with a happy ending and a lot of information about jazz in San Francisco during the 1940's, a common love of Henry's and Keiko's.