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kdailyreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Confinement, War, Blood, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Violence, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Physical abuse, Alcohol, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Vomit
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Gosh, this was incredibly powerful and I am so glad I read it. This historical fictional book has 14 Nisei (first-generation Americans whose parents were born in Japan) kids' narratives who share their perspective of the community climate post-Pearl Harbor and as 100k Japanese Americans are forcibly displaced from their homes into camps.
Their experiences range from covering topics like parent-child dynamics, ruminating on their futures, the push-and-pull between being Japanese AND American, the surveys they were given to either fight for the U.S. Army or to prepare to be sent "back to Japan" if they do not claim "loyalty" to the country they are now living in and/or were born in, and how they try to find reprieve amidst such high racial tensions. I am astounded by the inhumanity with which these folks were treated, but I'm not surprised because as a U.S.ian, I recognize we have put so many groups of people through so much horror and heartache. It's deplorable.
Though I typically have trouble following so many POVs, I didn't have that issue with this collection of interconnected stories. I felt the love, care and connection that was weaved throughout all of these narratives, and thoroughly enjoyed the references to other kids in each POV. Like any found/chosen family, they of course have their inner dynamics and closer groups at play, whether it's envy, admiration, romance, protection, or gratitude. However, what stood out to me most was how genuinely and deeply they cared for each other. Though they endured so much forced change, they tied the SF Bay Area to this group of kids, to this specific family. This is probably not a surprise but I loved Twitchy, and couldn't help but feel so pulled to his story. His ending wrecked me. I sobbed when he saw his fellow friends die in battle, and since he was just a kid, he began to fear for his own mortality. That moment sobered him up like no other, and it was devastating.
I actually used to work at Tanforan Mall in San Bruno, California, (this detention center is noted in the book) and can you believe that I never knew it was where all of these families were forcibly displaced and detained? It sends chills down my spine, realizing how much time I had spent in a place where people were murdered, separated from their families, and had their entire lives uprooted simply because of their ancestry. "The Tanforan Assembly Center served as the unjust detention center for nearly 8,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans during World War II in 1942. We want to ensure their stories are remembered and that this injustice is never repeated against any peoples." You can learn more about it here: https://www.tanforanmemorial.org/history
These kids and this story will stay with me forever and I am so grateful to Traci Chee for continuing to write important stories about the challenges that kids have gone through, past and present. TC is a goddamn gift.
Gosh, this was incredibly powerful and I am so glad I read it. This historical fictional book has 14 Nisei (first-generation Americans whose parents were born in Japan) kids' narratives who share their perspective of the community climate post-Pearl Harbor and as 100k Japanese Americans are forcibly displaced from their homes into camps.
Their experiences range from covering topics like parent-child dynamics, ruminating on their futures, the push-and-pull between being Japanese AND American, the surveys they were given to either fight for the U.S. Army or to prepare to be sent "back to Japan" if they do not claim "loyalty" to the country they are now living in and/or were born in, and how they try to find reprieve amidst such high racial tensions. I am astounded by the inhumanity with which these folks were treated, but I'm not surprised because as a U.S.ian, I recognize we have put so many groups of people through so much horror and heartache. It's deplorable.
Though I typically have trouble following so many POVs, I didn't have that issue with this collection of interconnected stories. I felt the love, care and connection that was weaved throughout all of these narratives, and thoroughly enjoyed the references to other kids in each POV. Like any found/chosen family, they of course have their inner dynamics and closer groups at play, whether it's envy, admiration, romance, protection, or gratitude. However, what stood out to me most was how genuinely and deeply they cared for each other. Though they endured so much forced change, they tied the SF Bay Area to this group of kids, to this specific family. This is probably not a surprise but I loved Twitchy, and couldn't help but feel so pulled to his story.
I actually used to work at Tanforan Mall in San Bruno, California, (this detention center is noted in the book) and can you believe that I never knew it was where all of these families were forcibly displaced and detained? It sends chills down my spine, realizing how much time I had spent in a place where people were murdered, separated from their families, and had their entire lives uprooted simply because of their ancestry. "The Tanforan Assembly Center served as the unjust detention center for nearly 8,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans during World War II in 1942. We want to ensure their stories are remembered and that this injustice is never repeated against any peoples." You can learn more about it here: https://www.tanforanmemorial.org/history
These kids and this story will stay with me forever and I am so grateful to Traci Chee for continuing to write important stories about the challenges that kids have gone through, past and present. TC is a goddamn gift.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Hate crime, Classism, Racism, Racial slurs, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Cursing, Bullying, War, Confinement, Abandonment, Death, Violence, and Xenophobia
bugbatsy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I liked it. I liked some characters more than others and some stories from them were stronger than others. It really does show a bunch of things about the time, about how the Japanese were treated. And it's very sad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Grief, Violence, War, Physical abuse, and Gun violence
Moderate: Death and Panic attacks/disorders
drraytay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, War, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Child abuse and Death
amandalorianxo's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A full cast of characters (both in the book format and the audiobook) of various Japanese American descendants as they document what life is like living in the U.S from 1942-1946 when placed in segregation and other camps. Also highlights Japanese Americans in Europe fighting enemy forces. Thought provoking and emotionally turbulent. Showcases how the U.S treated a marginalized community.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia
Moderate: War and Racism
Minor: Death and Racial slurs
green_amaryllis's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Racism, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Gun violence
Minor: Cursing, Alcohol, and Vomit
courto875's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Animal death, War, Deportation, Hate crime, Death, Racial slurs, and Bullying
Minor: Sexism
emcat591's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book was very moving. Each chapter has a different narrator. Some of them speak in a sort of 1940s style, and one of them is even in the form of poems. Some of the chapters dragged a bit for me because I wasn't interested in that particular narrator or story, but most of them kept me interested. If I could nitpick just a little, I wish that the Keiko/Twitchy romance hadn't happened. I liked Keiko's character better before that, and I felt that Minnow's reaction to Twitchy's death would have been more impactful if he were the only one to have romantic feelings toward Twitchy. But that's just a nitpick. Overall, I really felt for all the characters and the awful things they were experiencing, and I loved reading about how they still wove these uplifting community moments into their lives even through everything that was going on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Racism
Moderate: Death
Minor: Gun violence
carolyn_librarian's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Historical fiction done best with real stories weaved into the characters hearts and minds. Real generational trauma that is still felt today in the USA. A emotional, impactful cry against those who want to forget the nation’s past actions and how they echo in political moves done by those in power today. Individual POVs so well fleshed out, a peak into each life feeling the injustice and finding their own way to cope while having to grow up and navigate imprisonment, prejudice, and powerlessness. One of the best books on the USA Japanese Incarceration Camps I’ve found in fiction and nonfiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Hate crime and Death
Minor: Genocide and Gun violence
clockworkstars's review against another edition
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
"On est là, debout au coin d'une rue tandis que tout notre monde s'effondre autour de nous.
Et on est en colère.
Et on sourit.
Et on reste entiers."
4.5/5
Ce livre m'a blessé d'une manière que je ne connaissais pas, il a brisé mon cœur en milles morceaux et pourtant, je suis terriblement reconnaissante de l'avoir lu. Je suis tellement reconnaissante aux personnes qui en ont parlé, l'ont recommandé. Ce livre m'a rendue triste mais surtout il m'a mise en colère. En colère contre ce qui s'y passe, en colère contre le fait que je n'étais pas au courant de cette page de l'Histoire. Qu'on n'ait jamais mentionné l'existence de ces camps d'incarcération où ont été envoyé plus de 120 000 nippo-américains pendant la seconde guerre mondiale.
Ce livre est magnifique et puissant. Il est déchirant et brise nos cœurs. Grâce à la plume sublime de Traci Chee, nous embarquons ici au coté de 14 adolescents, de leur 14 points de vue (oui c'est beaucoup, mais c'est terriblement nécessaire et bien géré) durant ces années de guerre. Et on s'attache terriblement à eux. On rit avec eux, on pleure avec eux, on pleure pour eux. On ressent leur colère, leur désespoir, on veut qu'ils soient libres mais voilà, ils ne le sont pas et en ont conscience. Il y a 14 personnages et par conséquent certains vous touchent plus encore que d'autre. Pour moi ce fut Minnow qui m'a tant fait pleurer.
Ce livre aborde 14 points de vues, et ces 14 personnes ne prennent pas toujours les mêmes décisions. Et certaines nous laissent incompréhensif·ve·s mais pourtant, lorsqu'on y regarde avec du recul on les comprend. Alors on se contente de ressentir leur colère, de sombrer dans les pages et d'en ressortir à la fin du roman avec le cœur en miettes et la promesse de ne jamais oublier.
Ce roman est marquant et nécessaire. Ce fut ma première lecture de 2023 et je ne pouvais pas mieux commencer l'année. Le seul mot que je peux désormais apercevoir pour définir ce livre est "incroyable", voir "sublime". Mais donc lisez le. Et parlez en. Transmettez autour de vous le message que les cours d'histoire ont omis de transmettre et informez le monde qu'ils ne sont pas libres.
Et on est en colère.
Et on sourit.
Et on reste entiers."
4.5/5
Ce livre m'a blessé d'une manière que je ne connaissais pas, il a brisé mon cœur en milles morceaux et pourtant, je suis terriblement reconnaissante de l'avoir lu. Je suis tellement reconnaissante aux personnes qui en ont parlé, l'ont recommandé. Ce livre m'a rendue triste mais surtout il m'a mise en colère. En colère contre ce qui s'y passe, en colère contre le fait que je n'étais pas au courant de cette page de l'Histoire. Qu'on n'ait jamais mentionné l'existence de ces camps d'incarcération où ont été envoyé plus de 120 000 nippo-américains pendant la seconde guerre mondiale.
Ce livre est magnifique et puissant. Il est déchirant et brise nos cœurs. Grâce à la plume sublime de Traci Chee, nous embarquons ici au coté de 14 adolescents, de leur 14 points de vue (oui c'est beaucoup, mais c'est terriblement nécessaire et bien géré) durant ces années de guerre. Et on s'attache terriblement à eux. On rit avec eux, on pleure avec eux, on pleure pour eux. On ressent leur colère, leur désespoir, on veut qu'ils soient libres mais voilà, ils ne le sont pas et en ont conscience. Il y a 14 personnages et par conséquent certains vous touchent plus encore que d'autre. Pour moi ce fut Minnow qui m'a tant fait pleurer.
Ce livre aborde 14 points de vues, et ces 14 personnes ne prennent pas toujours les mêmes décisions. Et certaines nous laissent incompréhensif·ve·s mais pourtant, lorsqu'on y regarde avec du recul on les comprend. Alors on se contente de ressentir leur colère, de sombrer dans les pages et d'en ressortir à la fin du roman avec le cœur en miettes et la promesse de ne jamais oublier.
Ce roman est marquant et nécessaire. Ce fut ma première lecture de 2023 et je ne pouvais pas mieux commencer l'année. Le seul mot que je peux désormais apercevoir pour définir ce livre est "incroyable", voir "sublime". Mais donc lisez le. Et parlez en. Transmettez autour de vous le message que les cours d'histoire ont omis de transmettre et informez le monde qu'ils ne sont pas libres.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Deportation, and Gun violence