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dwdillydally's reviews
113 reviews
Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II by Daniel James Brown
I was most fascinated by the chapters where Japanese-American and Hawaiian recruits were sent to basic training in Mississippi, their deep cultural differences, and the empathy they discovered after several grueling months training together.
I struggled in the chapters about the 442nds battles in Italy and southern France. I could not keep track of the battalions, regiments, and topography in my head. So, I requested a physical copy of this book (which contains a few simple illustrated maps) as always the more comprehensive National Geographic's "Atlas of World War II"
There was a missed opportunity to go more indepth with how the USA decommissioned the interment camps and compare it with the chaos of how the Nazi death camps ended. There are parallels and divergences that Brown had led up to, but didn't take the chance / have the time to explore. Or perhaps he did, but then it was taken out during the editing process?
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.75
TLDR: Essential reading! Even if you think you already known about soldiers in World War 2. This is both heartbreaking and hopeful.
This is the second book I've read by Daniel James Brown. He is excellent about following people from the beginning of the book to the end. In this case, several men's paths through many of the same tumultuous, historic events in just a few years...
This is the second book I've read by Daniel James Brown. He is excellent about following people from the beginning of the book to the end. In this case, several men's paths through many of the same tumultuous, historic events in just a few years...
- the attack on Pearl Harbor and the bigoted backlash
- being sent to Japanese internment camps
- recruitment (or draft) into the army
- deployment to Italy and fighting high casualty battles
- liberating Nazi death camps
- eventually returning to their home country where citizens were still suspicious, the government and still imprisoned their extended families, and businesses discriminated against them
The books contains many photos sprinkled through all the chapters, which help readers track the stories of each man. I appreciated that these photos were not jammed together in the middle pages where a reader usually has to flip back and forth to while reading. These photos were in the same chapters as the text I was reading. This simple formatting was convenient and needs to be done is many more history books.
I was most fascinated by the chapters where Japanese-American and Hawaiian recruits were sent to basic training in Mississippi, their deep cultural differences, and the empathy they discovered after several grueling months training together.
I struggled in the chapters about the 442nds battles in Italy and southern France. I could not keep track of the battalions, regiments, and topography in my head. So, I requested a physical copy of this book (which contains a few simple illustrated maps) as always the more comprehensive National Geographic's "Atlas of World War II"
There was a missed opportunity to go more indepth with how the USA decommissioned the interment camps and compare it with the chaos of how the Nazi death camps ended. There are parallels and divergences that Brown had led up to, but didn't take the chance / have the time to explore. Or perhaps he did, but then it was taken out during the editing process?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Racism, Violence, War, Deportation
Moderate: Animal death, Genocide, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Torture, Blood, Police brutality, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation
Minor: Sexual violence, Suicide, Excrement, Death of parent, Alcohol
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death
Moderate: Gun violence, Blood
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
Newspaper Hats by Phil Cummings
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Stunning illustrations! But the text was not as informative as I'd hoped. Would benefit from a postscript page about memory-loss facts. I did appreciate the setting - grandpa lives in a facility for seniors. It's vague on whether this is a nursing home, assisted living, hospice, etc. Vsiting relatives in a nursing home setting is a common experience, and such a place can be daunting for kids.
Content Warnings
Minor: Dementia
My Singing Nana by Pat Mora
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
Struck a good balance between informative and interesting, serious and enjoyable. Vivid, colorful illustrations! Last 2 pages included dementia facts and advice plus an empanada (sp?) recipe 🥰
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia
Something's Wrong!: A Bear, a Hare, and Some Underwear by Jory John
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming
The Very Last Castle by Travis Jonker
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Subtle message about overcoming fear, listening carefully, and making new friends. All the illustrations are two-page spreads, good for a group read-aloud. I liked both the text and the illustrations, but didn't find them memorable.
I Have a Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Fight for Equal Rights by Anita Ganeri
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Aimed at middle grades (4-8). It elaborates on MLK Jr's whole life, not just th 1963 march on Washington DCand his most famous speech. Chapters have short text but lots of photographs.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Police brutality
Dune by Frank Herbert
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Thiswork is dense and complicated. I find the pace almost too slow for me to "enjoy," but the slow pace helps me savor it. This is my second read ofDune, book 1, and it is even more stunning.
Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story by Mark Kelly
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Disappointingly in short. I liked the author's note (3 pages long!) about NASA's reuseable space shuttle and animals in space.
Neither I or my 10yo liked the illustrations of the human astronauts. Their faces were ugly verging on scary.
Neither I or my 10yo liked the illustrations of the human astronauts. Their faces were ugly verging on scary.