A review by mayaperkins
Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir by Elizabeth Miki Brina

5.0

I may be biased being half Okinawan, but I went in with low expectations and ended up with a great 5 star read. I initially thought I wasn't going to resonate much with Brina's experience since she grew up in the states instead of Okinawa like I did, but I was actually surprised at some of the similarities. Especially about her parents, her mother in particular having to sacrifice her family and her life (but in her case, it was also an opportunity to escape from poverty) in Okinawa, made me think of how much my dad sacrificed (his family, a more convenient life, higher paying job in the U.S. etc.) to stay in Okinawa for my mother and my siblings and me. I also struggled with finding love and feeling accepted in my earlier years, and Brina's honesty is so refreshing and humble, I'm sure anyone that's ever felt insecure about themselves can easily relate to her writing. This is definitely a novel I would like to keep close and reread every now and then.