Les indésirables

Kiku Hughes

4.36 AVERAGE

kitandbooks's review against another edition

4.0

emotional reflective fast-paced

lifewithmisskate's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

rosseshelf's review against another edition

4.75

emotional informative reflective fast-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

The book that I recently read is an excellent example of historical fiction, which is one of my favorite genres. The story has a unique twist of truth and reality that sets it apart from other books in this genre. The central character, who is also the author, finds herself thrown back in time during the Japanese American internment Camps and is desperate to connect with her grandmother, whom she never met before.

The majority of the story takes place in the 1940s, with some back and forth between the present and the past. Additionally, I loved the science fiction element of the book, which is one of my go-to genres. This aspect of the story was a great segue to historical fiction and added an extra layer of intrigue to the plot.

The book explores the theme of racism during the 1940s in a shocking yet impactful way that is suitable for younger readers. I found the story to be an excellent example of merging fiction and nonfiction to create a compelling narrative. The author executed the story wonderfully, and the plot was well thought out and engaging.

One of the things that stood out to me in the book was the unique and different personalities of the characters. They were not cookie-cutter figures of social justice, but each had their own individual thoughts and feelings on what it meant to fight for freedom. This made the story more relatable and enjoyable to read.

Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in learning about the Japanese Internment Camps or how history repeats itself. The story is an excellent example of how fiction can be used to highlight important issues and motivate people to fight against injustice.

jeslis's review against another edition

4.0

emotional informative reflective sad fast-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

Notes:
- First graphic novel I've read! Tbh the format is not really for me but I did enjoy this one.
- I appreciate the message this novel is getting across; quite obvious message but a super important one so I didn't mind :) And it definitely knew it was going to communicate the message overtly, so it executed what it set out to do. Oh and such a good way to visually/conceptually represent intergeneration trauma in a more tangible way!
- Really loved that Kiku was a 2nd gen immigrant because it got to explore the experience of a mixed cultural identity that is quite isolated from the culture (eg. not speaking the language — even Kiku's mum didn't speak Japanese). Felt represented heaps :')

Content Warnings