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vchirico's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Colonisation, War, and Classism
carrot2025's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
This book is so well written and the topic is incredibly important. It's nothing shocking to see how much of US history is left out in schools. I think this book handles teaching the truth of what the US did during WW2 to it's own Japanese Citizens is beyond perfect. It isn't scared to shy away from the truth and Traci Chee writing makes the book feel even more impactful and thought out.
I'm normally not a fan of books written from multiple perspectives like this because I have a hard time keeping things straight. But this book handles it so well and keeps everything very organized. I think my favorite character has to be Tommy as watching his character struggle with his desires, his parents expectations and demands, all while the country he's lived his entire life in, hates him for simply existing, is one of the most impactful. I also loved how his chapter was written in a way to resemble poems.
I'm normally not a fan of books written from multiple perspectives like this because I have a hard time keeping things straight. But this book handles it so well and keeps everything very organized. I think my favorite character has to be Tommy as watching his character struggle with his desires, his parents expectations and demands, all while the country he's lived his entire life in, hates him for simply existing, is one of the most impactful. I also loved how his chapter was written in a way to resemble poems.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Grief
Moderate: War
Minor: Cursing
It's fairly obviously what this book is about but it certainly doesn't shy away from the topics. Everything is handled in a very delicate matter and the author even explains her use of racial slurs to help show the importance of never forgetting what happened.helaena's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, and Grief
sylviea28's review
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, and War
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Physical abuse, Vomit, and Alcohol
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Grief, and War
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Alcohol, and Deportation
kdailyreads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and War
Moderate: Animal death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Gosh, this was incredibly powerful and I am so glad I read it. This historical fictional book has 14 Nisei (first-generation Americans whose parents were born in Japan) kids' narratives who share their perspective of the community climate post-Pearl Harbor and as 100k Japanese Americans are forcibly displaced from their homes into camps.
Their experiences range from covering topics like parent-child dynamics, ruminating on their futures, the push-and-pull between being Japanese AND American, the surveys they were given to either fight for the U.S. Army or to prepare to be sent "back to Japan" if they do not claim "loyalty" to the country they are now living in and/or were born in, and how they try to find reprieve amidst such high racial tensions. I am astounded by the inhumanity with which these folks were treated, but I'm not surprised because as a U.S.ian, I recognize we have put so many groups of people through so much horror and heartache. It's deplorable.
Though I typically have trouble following so many POVs, I didn't have that issue with this collection of interconnected stories. I felt the love, care and connection that was weaved throughout all of these narratives, and thoroughly enjoyed the references to other kids in each POV. Like any found/chosen family, they of course have their inner dynamics and closer groups at play, whether it's envy, admiration, romance, protection, or gratitude. However, what stood out to me most was how genuinely and deeply they cared for each other. Though they endured so much forced change, they tied the SF Bay Area to this group of kids, to this specific family. This is probably not a surprise but I loved Twitchy, and couldn't help but feel so pulled to his story. His ending wrecked me. I sobbed when he saw his fellow friends die in battle, and since he was just a kid, he began to fear for his own mortality. That moment sobered him up like no other, and it was devastating.
I actually used to work at Tanforan Mall in San Bruno, California, (this detention center is noted in the book) and can you believe that I never knew it was where all of these families were forcibly displaced and detained? It sends chills down my spine, realizing how much time I had spent in a place where people were murdered, separated from their families, and had their entire lives uprooted simply because of their ancestry. "The Tanforan Assembly Center served as the unjust detention center for nearly 8,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans during World War II in 1942. We want to ensure their stories are remembered and that this injustice is never repeated against any peoples." You can learn more about it here: https://www.tanforanmemorial.org/history
These kids and this story will stay with me forever and I am so grateful to Traci Chee for continuing to write important stories about the challenges that kids have gone through, past and present. TC is a goddamn gift.
Gosh, this was incredibly powerful and I am so glad I read it. This historical fictional book has 14 Nisei (first-generation Americans whose parents were born in Japan) kids' narratives who share their perspective of the community climate post-Pearl Harbor and as 100k Japanese Americans are forcibly displaced from their homes into camps.
Their experiences range from covering topics like parent-child dynamics, ruminating on their futures, the push-and-pull between being Japanese AND American, the surveys they were given to either fight for the U.S. Army or to prepare to be sent "back to Japan" if they do not claim "loyalty" to the country they are now living in and/or were born in, and how they try to find reprieve amidst such high racial tensions. I am astounded by the inhumanity with which these folks were treated, but I'm not surprised because as a U.S.ian, I recognize we have put so many groups of people through so much horror and heartache. It's deplorable.
Though I typically have trouble following so many POVs, I didn't have that issue with this collection of interconnected stories. I felt the love, care and connection that was weaved throughout all of these narratives, and thoroughly enjoyed the references to other kids in each POV. Like any found/chosen family, they of course have their inner dynamics and closer groups at play, whether it's envy, admiration, romance, protection, or gratitude. However, what stood out to me most was how genuinely and deeply they cared for each other. Though they endured so much forced change, they tied the SF Bay Area to this group of kids, to this specific family. This is probably not a surprise but I loved Twitchy, and couldn't help but feel so pulled to his story.
I actually used to work at Tanforan Mall in San Bruno, California, (this detention center is noted in the book) and can you believe that I never knew it was where all of these families were forcibly displaced and detained? It sends chills down my spine, realizing how much time I had spent in a place where people were murdered, separated from their families, and had their entire lives uprooted simply because of their ancestry. "The Tanforan Assembly Center served as the unjust detention center for nearly 8,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans during World War II in 1942. We want to ensure their stories are remembered and that this injustice is never repeated against any peoples." You can learn more about it here: https://www.tanforanmemorial.org/history
These kids and this story will stay with me forever and I am so grateful to Traci Chee for continuing to write important stories about the challenges that kids have gone through, past and present. TC is a goddamn gift.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
bugbatsy's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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? No
3.75
I liked it. I liked some characters more than others and some stories from them were stronger than others. It really does show a bunch of things about the time, about how the Japanese were treated. And it's very sad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Grief, and War
Moderate: Death and Panic attacks/disorders
doreneemi's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Absolutely fantastic.
The forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans is underrepresented in literature. I’m so glad this book exists to highlight this important atrocity in such a nuanced, personal, and accessible way. These connected short stories bring each character to vivid life and shows how varied their experiences were, but there is also a sense of a central narrative as we move through time and their collective experiences.
The forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans is underrepresented in literature. I’m so glad this book exists to highlight this important atrocity in such a nuanced, personal, and accessible way. These connected short stories bring each character to vivid life and shows how varied their experiences were, but there is also a sense of a central narrative as we move through time and their collective experiences.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Forced institutionalization, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Racial slurs, Violence, Grief, and War
eggboy397's review
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Grief, and War