I thought that this book is very different from any others that we have read, but maybe that is because for me, as I have read through the first two chapters, all that I can think about is history and my history classes. My second major is history, although its focus is in European History, but whenever history pops up, my first reaction is focusing on those historical parts.
This book fascinates me in two distinct and very different ways. The first, is that this historical focus is on the Japanese families in America during World War II and this perspective is rarely talked or heard about from the public. I am not the biggest fan of American history, but how Otsuka displays this historical view in the eyes of a family, but especially in the eyes of this mother figure is what makes the book that much more enjoyable and suspenseful. When I was younger, I used to read the "Dear America" series of books that were essentially historical novels and diaries of young girls. What made those books so entertaining was that they are relatable. My second reason that I like this book is that I feel as though I am living through the mother’s eyes. The mother is a character that, as another woman, is sympathetic and relatable. When she is deciding whether or not to tell her children about what is going on with the Japanese people and the camps. You really feel as though you are making those decisions with her, and I enjoy a book that is not lecturing you or telling a specific lesson that you should realize after. I am looking forward to finishing this book and seeing how the rest of this novel plays out. I am interested to see how Otsuka describes the families journeys as a Japanese person living in America and living in those camps.
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