betweenbookends's review against another edition
4.0
Speak, Okinawa by Elizabeth Miki Brina is a haunting, hard-hitting memoir of daughterhood, race, and belonging, of the legacy of trauma and memory, passed down through the generations. Born to an Okinawan mother and a white American father, Elizabeth is a child of two vastly different cultures, growing up, she chooses to identify as much as she can with her American self in order to assimilate with her peers and not be seen as other. Her memoir moves from her personal life growing up under the vigilant eye of her over-protective father to unpacking the turbulent and devastating history of Okinawa, a small island off the coast of Japan, of a peaceful folk who had to endure the wars and influences of Japan, USA, and China.
As a child, Elizabeth inclined her thoughts, beliefs much more in alignment with her father, largely disregarding her mother’s role or the significance of her heritage, feeling instead more embarrassed of her mother’s lack of fluency in English and her understanding of American culture. It is heartbreaking to see the alienation her mother faces within her own family. Brina’s writing is endearingly honest and vulnerable and you see her as an adult regret and reconcile with her mother’s history. The sacrifices her mother made and just her presence which had always been a constant, despite Elizabeth’s own indifferent attitude towards her growing up.
In equal parts, it is a personal reckoning and an excavation of a lesser-known part of history. There’s a kind of gorgeous agony in the author ultimately seeking the forgiveness of her mother, countering the internalized racism, and embracing her mixed heritage. Speak, Okinawa is a really good memoir to pick up and read for those looking to explore and uncover more Asian American experiences.
As a child, Elizabeth inclined her thoughts, beliefs much more in alignment with her father, largely disregarding her mother’s role or the significance of her heritage, feeling instead more embarrassed of her mother’s lack of fluency in English and her understanding of American culture. It is heartbreaking to see the alienation her mother faces within her own family. Brina’s writing is endearingly honest and vulnerable and you see her as an adult regret and reconcile with her mother’s history. The sacrifices her mother made and just her presence which had always been a constant, despite Elizabeth’s own indifferent attitude towards her growing up.
In equal parts, it is a personal reckoning and an excavation of a lesser-known part of history. There’s a kind of gorgeous agony in the author ultimately seeking the forgiveness of her mother, countering the internalized racism, and embracing her mixed heritage. Speak, Okinawa is a really good memoir to pick up and read for those looking to explore and uncover more Asian American experiences.
aweekinthelife's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
i really appreciated this memoir and the ways Brina wove together her personal story with Okinawa history. she brought nuance to the story - every person in her family (including herself) with their own flaws and strengths to tell a story about what it means to be family across languages and oceans and the power dynamics enmeshed in all of that.
for a historical perspective that i think pairs really well content-wise, i'd suggest checking out How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr.
for a historical perspective that i think pairs really well content-wise, i'd suggest checking out How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, and Violence
Minor: Rape
courto875's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Suicide, Murder, War, Alcoholism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Genocide
katrin_loves_books's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
ellie_egg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
reading_rainbow_with_chris's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
“Speak, Okinawa” by Elizabeth Miki Brina
Elizabeth does not know her origins, the people and the culture of Okinawa. And yet, she does. In this fascinating memoir, Brina writes about her complicated relationship with her ethnic/cultural identity and the rifts and revisions it brings to her family communication. Brina alternates between her own personal narrative and speaking as Okinawa itself, breathing life into a culture whose diaspora and erasure is often overlooked. In terms of writing, this was a beautiful piece of writing which enthralled me from start to finish as I listened. However, for some reason it didn’t stay with me the way other beautiful memoirs do. I finished the the book the day before a significant work trip, admittedly, so perhaps my life circumstances affected my memory. However, I would argue that a truly 5 star worthy memoir should have still stuck out in my consciousness. So for now, I’ll just say this was a fabulous book but it was missing a kind of “X” factor that I can’t quite pin down. But highly, highly recommend for lovers of memoir and those seeking deeper understanding intercultural and generational intersections.