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A review by guybrarian133
Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir by Elizabeth Miki Brina
5.0
Until now, my perception of the Okinawan/Ryukyu Islands and its people were that they had something of a distinct identity, but a distinctness in the way that people from separate areas of the United States are distinct from one another. In other words, I still saw them as inherently Japanese. Suffice to say, Speak, Okinawa provided me with quite an education on the matter that I am feeling quite grateful for.
However, that history lesson was something that I completely expected, and it was the main drive to seek out the book in the very first place. What I didn't expect was the extent to which the author going to share details from her own life. She brings forth a blunt, intense, and raw honesty as she talks about her family and her lifelong and still ongoing journey to understand her own identity. There are plenty of heart-wrenching and painful moments that are shared with a lack of hesitation that I honestly respect immensely. Also, although the story told here is uniquely and beautifully hers and hers alone, at the exact same time there managed to be points that felt more than a little familiar as she described her complex relationship with her parents and ongoing efforts to understand herself.
A major thanks to Elizabeth Mikki Brina for both the history lesson and her willingness to open herself up so much to readers like myself.
However, that history lesson was something that I completely expected, and it was the main drive to seek out the book in the very first place. What I didn't expect was the extent to which the author going to share details from her own life. She brings forth a blunt, intense, and raw honesty as she talks about her family and her lifelong and still ongoing journey to understand her own identity. There are plenty of heart-wrenching and painful moments that are shared with a lack of hesitation that I honestly respect immensely. Also, although the story told here is uniquely and beautifully hers and hers alone, at the exact same time there managed to be points that felt more than a little familiar as she described her complex relationship with her parents and ongoing efforts to understand herself.
A major thanks to Elizabeth Mikki Brina for both the history lesson and her willingness to open herself up so much to readers like myself.