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reflectiverambling_nalana's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
A solid introduction to the time period. A good place for middlegrade readers to be introduced to a part of history that was dusted under the rug for so long. I appreciated how such a sensitive topic bridged so many different elements of the experiences faced by this community during that time.
ikuo1000's review against another edition
5.0
Even though Journey to Topaz was about a young girl and her family's experiences in a Japanese internment camp during WWII, this book - about the same family's re-integration into the "real world" after being released from the camp - seemed to be the heavier read. You'd think that having your father taken away by the FBI, and being sent to live in make-shift barracks in the middle of a dessert (as told in Journey to Topaz), would have as much gravitas as you could bear in a children's book. Yet, this one really had more.
Yuki's family returns to their hometown of Berkeley. Some friends from camp join them, and they also make new friends. But everything's different. This book is very explicit about the racism the Japanese encountered even after the war ended, and Yuki's brother Ken returns from war with what sounds like PTSD, even though those words aren't used in the book. Perhaps Ken's emotional problems were handled a little too easily, but it's probably age-appropriate for the intended audience of the book.
A really poignant read that exposes children to the harsh realities of race in America. Still, it holds an important message of forgiveness and hope.
Yuki's family returns to their hometown of Berkeley. Some friends from camp join them, and they also make new friends. But everything's different. This book is very explicit about the racism the Japanese encountered even after the war ended, and Yuki's brother Ken returns from war with what sounds like PTSD, even though those words aren't used in the book. Perhaps Ken's emotional problems were handled a little too easily, but it's probably age-appropriate for the intended audience of the book.
A really poignant read that exposes children to the harsh realities of race in America. Still, it holds an important message of forgiveness and hope.
boris8556's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
toggle_fow's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This was a quick story following Yuki and her family as they try to pick up the pieces of their lives after returning from a Japanese internment camp during WWII. A very simple but multi-faceted look at a painful subject through the eyes of a young girl.
Sometimes you just need to take a break and read a kids' historical fiction.
Sometimes you just need to take a break and read a kids' historical fiction.
mikhaela_nadya's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
luann's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as Journey to Topaz, although I did still find the subject matter very interesting. I think many Americans don't realize or remember that Japanese Americans were required to leave their homes and live in concentration camps during WWII. This is the sequel to [b:Journey To Topaz: A Story Of The Japanese-American Evacuation|91579|Journey To Topaz A Story Of The Japanese-American Evacuation|Yoshiko Uchida|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171231374s/91579.jpg|2300297], which tells the story of Yuki and her family living in a concentration camp in Utah. In Journey Home, Yuki and her family have been allowed to leave the concentration camp, but cannot yet go back to California. They live for a time in Salt Lake City while waiting for the war to end and the law against any Japanese living on the West Coast to be changed. Yuki just wants to go home and have her regular life back.
When the war ends, Uncle Oka is still sad and tells Yuki it is because of all he has lost due to the war. He says, "In war, nobody wins. Nobody at all." Later, though, he is able to find forgiveness:
"Forgive . . . " he murmured. The word came slowly and softly from his lips, as though he were understanding it for the first time. He spoke the word as a blind man might feel a new object, touching it, discovering it, wondering about it, amazed at the feelings that came alive as he said the word. Then he said slowly, "I guess forgiving does take the bundle of hate off your back."
When the war ends, Uncle Oka is still sad and tells Yuki it is because of all he has lost due to the war. He says, "In war, nobody wins. Nobody at all." Later, though, he is able to find forgiveness:
"Forgive . . . " he murmured. The word came slowly and softly from his lips, as though he were understanding it for the first time. He spoke the word as a blind man might feel a new object, touching it, discovering it, wondering about it, amazed at the feelings that came alive as he said the word. Then he said slowly, "I guess forgiving does take the bundle of hate off your back."
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