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alyssamakesart's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: War, Violence, Hate crime, and Racial slurs
allygator's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.75
This book is nearly perfect. It's a heart-rending depiction of life in World War II-era Japanese internment camps told from the eyes of 14 different Japanese-American teenagers.
The amount of research Traci Chee put into making this as accurate as possible is insane, and it is evident in the quality of the story she tells. You know how close she is to the story and the characters and how important it is to her that their story gets told.
The only criticism that I have is that, because there are so many different perspectives, sometimes it was hard to connect with every character at the same level. The chapters didn't fall into the most common of multi-perspective pitfalls though -- every voice was really distinct and fun to read.
This is a must-read for anyone looking to learn more about what Japanese-Americans went through during World War II, especially slightly younger audiences and anyone who is less interested in nonfiction.
The amount of research Traci Chee put into making this as accurate as possible is insane, and it is evident in the quality of the story she tells. You know how close she is to the story and the characters and how important it is to her that their story gets told.
The only criticism that I have is that, because there are so many different perspectives, sometimes it was hard to connect with every character at the same level. The chapters didn't fall into the most common of multi-perspective pitfalls though -- every voice was really distinct and fun to read.
This is a must-read for anyone looking to learn more about what Japanese-Americans went through during World War II, especially slightly younger audiences and anyone who is less interested in nonfiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, Xenophobia, War, Racism, Racial slurs, and Death
dani_reviews's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Forced institutionalization, and Confinement
Moderate: Deportation, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore
Minor: Alcohol
useyourwordsmarisa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs and Child abuse
kaitlinlovesbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Death
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, and Emotional abuse
tesslaah's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-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
4.25
I found a few parts a bit slow, but really appreciated how Chee makes you feel like you know the characters. Mini-Spoiler: I found myself crying when one of the characters dies because of the way Chee writes about the reactions and emotions of the other characters. I wanted to know more about where all of the characters “ended up” but I think that’s part of the beauty—the openness of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, War, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse
Historical fiction about teenagers in a Japanese Internment Camp(s) within the United Statesaromarrie's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Grief, Hate crime, and Blood
Minor: Death of parent
elleisntabell's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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
My god, this was really good.
I feel like I can't give it a 5 because there are just a couple of chapters that followed characters that I felt were weaker than the others. That had slightly less interesting plots. Also, there was an entire section in the second person, which I usually dislike (but it wasn't that bad), and a part written in verse, which I'm not always a fan of. (I like Tommy and that part of the story but the writing itself was my least favorite part of the book.) One character I forgot had had a chapter already until I realized that I was at the end.
But, this book is like a 9/10. Because the rest of the book more than made up for the weaker parts. Most of the characters were great, and I eventually got used to the fact that we wouldn't go back to them after their chapter was done. That fact made it all the better when we: 1. Got the chapter that combined them all together after Twitchy died. 2. Revisted Minnow for the last chapter. He was my favorite character and I probably would have loved this book a little less if we hadn't had his perspective again.
I learned much more about Japanese internment camps than I ever knew before. It's a subject I've been interested in ever since my 8th grade history teacher made sure to focus on it in class and played Kenji by Fort Minor. I look forward to reading more books that focus on the subject and seeing different Japanese perspectives on it.
Lastly, I just want to mention how much this book made me cry. I cried when I read Mas' chapter. I cried when Twitchy died. I cried the entire chapter after Twitchy died. I needed five tissues. It was fantastic. THat chapter was amazing. I love all the characters so much. Minnow and Frankie and Stan and Mas and all of them.
I feel like I can't give it a 5 because there are just a couple of chapters that followed characters that I felt were weaker than the others. That had slightly less interesting plots. Also, there was an entire section in the second person, which I usually dislike (but it wasn't that bad), and a part written in verse, which I'm not always a fan of. (I like Tommy and that part of the story but the writing itself was my least favorite part of the book.) One character I forgot had had a chapter already until I realized that I was at the end.
But, this book is like a 9/10. Because the rest of the book more than made up for the weaker parts. Most of the characters were great, and I eventually got used to the fact that we wouldn't go back to them after their chapter was done. That fact made it all the better when we: 1. Got the chapter that combined them all together after Twitchy died. 2. Revisted Minnow for the last chapter. He was my favorite character and I probably would have loved this book a little less if we hadn't had his perspective again.
I learned much more about Japanese internment camps than I ever knew before. It's a subject I've been interested in ever since my 8th grade history teacher made sure to focus on it in class and played Kenji by Fort Minor. I look forward to reading more books that focus on the subject and seeing different Japanese perspectives on it.
Lastly, I just want to mention how much this book made me cry. I cried when I read Mas' chapter. I cried when Twitchy died. I cried the entire chapter after Twitchy died. I needed five tissues. It was fantastic. THat chapter was amazing. I love all the characters so much. Minnow and Frankie and Stan and Mas and all of them.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia
juniper8482's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Gun violence
amina2002's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
This book taught me so much about the Japanese concentration camps that were created during WW2 because of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The author was able to use her own family’s experiences in these camps to depict these character arcs. I didn’t know how far the American government really went to keep Japanese Americans away from the rest of society. In history class this was definitely glossed over and seemed like it really wasn’t that bad. In the beginning I thought that 14 perspectives would be way too much but since all of the characters were friends with each other we still got to learn about most of the characters in each chapter. I absolutely loved the potential romances in this book with Twitchy and Keiko, and Frankie and Bette, it was so cute and heartbreaking at the same time. I just wanted happiness and freedom for these kids who are Americans but happen to share an ethnicity with people who chose to come after the US. Honestly these concentration camps were eerily similar to what I have learned about what was happening in Germany around the same time. Mas’s storyline where he joins the army to prove his loyalty but not having freedom in the country just aligns with how African Americans were treated at the time. How Japanese people were treated after they were able to go back home is similar to that of Asian Americans today due to the coronavirus. So many of them live in fear because Asian American hate crimes have increased substantially and people blame anybody that is Chinese or “looks Chinese”.
The friendships in this book were incredible and I was amazed by how they continued to grow closer together when they are in such a tough situation. I really wish that I had a group of friends who will be there for each other no matter where they are in their lives. I loved this book so much and even though it is just a YA book I feel like people can truly learn so much. I can’t wait to learn more.
The friendships in this book were incredible and I was amazed by how they continued to grow closer together when they are in such a tough situation. I really wish that I had a group of friends who will be there for each other no matter where they are in their lives. I loved this book so much and even though it is just a YA book I feel like people can truly learn so much. I can’t wait to learn more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia