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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
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
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 Statesporshea's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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: Confinement, Colonisation, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
storiesandsidequests's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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? No
5.0
This historical fiction YA novel is the collective account of a tight-knit group of young Nisei, second-generation Japanese American citizens, whose lives are irrevocably changed by the mass U.S. incarcerations of World War II. As a Japanese-American, this book hit so hard. I’m not generally an emotional person but I teared up several times reading this. Although the characters are all connected, it was a little difficult keeping track of all of them since there are so many perspectives. However, it was easy to connect with each character when we were reading from their point of view.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Violence
eeeva's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse
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