To say I enjoyed this book would be undermining the message that it’s trying to convey regarding the horrific treatment of Japanese-Americans (and frankly any people of color in America) before, during and after WWII. So no, I did not enjoy this book and I think that was the point. Chee’s historically and personally informed novel was heartbreaking and raw, not shying away from the harsh reality that was the Japanese incarceration camps. Prior to reading the author’s note, I was finishing  this book largely with the sentiment that the world is simply cruel and that makes me really, really, indescribably sad. But in the back matter Chee says, “history is not dead. We have not moved on. Like Minnow and many other characters, I love this country because it is my home, and my parents’ home, and my grandparents’ home and because I was raised to believe in the opportunity and equality America promises, but this does not prevent me from seeing its problems, seeing all the ways it has failed its people again and again. Rather, I’d like to think that it’s because I love this country that I am here, working in the way that I can toward making it a better, more just, more egalitarian place for everyone-a place that, one day, I hope can truly live up to its promises.” This hit me like a train and felt like the push I needed to get out of that headspace of “everything is fucked.” Typically in novels like this, hope is a huge theme, but the characters rarely, if ever, relied on that to get them through. Instead, the word ‘Gaman,’ meaning to persevere or endure, is used multiple times because as we see in every chapter from every character, they are not driven by some false ideal that everything will magically get better, rather they’re boosted by their community, their friends, their family, and ultimately their own will to survive and rebuild. Overall, this novel serves as a good reminder not to become complicit and forget the things that have happened, but to also not lose sight of the possibility that we can make things better.