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A review by aunlc
Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir by Elizabeth Miki Brina
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
required reading for okinawan americans! this is beyond a memoir of growing up between two cultures at odds with each other. it is a memoir of an island that was repeatedly used as a pawn between japan & the u.s., the violence and suffering that was brought upon a sacred land and people.
this made me feel seen. while our lives were not quite the same, the larger themes validated me. feeling disconnected from okinawa as a culturally american child and fighting to reclaim that connection as an adult is such a specific experience, and it’s nice to know for sure that i’m not the only one.
learning more about the bloody history of okinawa in the last few centuries was honestly incredibly difficult to read about, but i am so grateful that brina included these stories as part of her memoir.
this is a book i will def need to revisit a few more times in my life. 🌺
this made me feel seen. while our lives were not quite the same, the larger themes validated me. feeling disconnected from okinawa as a culturally american child and fighting to reclaim that connection as an adult is such a specific experience, and it’s nice to know for sure that i’m not the only one.
learning more about the bloody history of okinawa in the last few centuries was honestly incredibly difficult to read about, but i am so grateful that brina included these stories as part of her memoir.
this is a book i will def need to revisit a few more times in my life. 🌺