Journey to Topaz
By: Yoshiko Uchida
"When you do what you know is right you find a dignity in yourself that makes you a happy person".
This book was about the Japanese citizens that lived in the United States during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese, even though they were citizens, were treated as if themselves were criminals and were responsible for the attack. This story followed a Japanese family through all their tough times. The family is forced to evacuate California and live in a camp with all the others Japanese. They make friends with new people and learn important life lessons. They learn that life is what you make it. With family and friends they realize they can make it through anything. The family is later shipped to Topaz in Utah with all the other Japanese like a herd of cattle. The older brother Ken is later challenged with a tough life choice. The United States now want the Japanese men they have imprisoned to fight with them in the war. Ken decides he is going to join the American army and fight with them. That is when the above quote comes in the story. Ken eventually gets shipped out while the rest of the family finally gets to leave the boot camp for their safety. They have a new life to live and experience. Since they were in a camp for so long they now see the world as even more beautiful and even a new world for them to experience.
This sounds like an interesting book that is similar to the book I read for my blog. If we are studying WWII these would be good books to read as a class then we could compare the similarities and differences and how the subjects were effected by their internment.
ReplyDeleteKeen, I was glad to read this post after having heard your talk on this book. I would have wanted you analyze some of the story elements that you mentioned in the summary. thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a good book to teach some lessons about why stereotyping is bad. It could also teach children that they can learn to appreciate a foreign environment even if they don't want to be there. I will have to look for this book. Thanks for the great post.
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