Gr 7 Up—Fourteen narrators, all born in the United States and of Japanese descent, provide viewpoints after the
bombing of Pearl Harbor. They and their families are no longer trusted, and the Exclusion Orders mean forced
relocation. This novel is moving, personal, and well researched, with abundant curricular tie-ins and a realistic range
of authentic character reactions, from "Don't make trouble" to "How dare they require this of us?"

I got this book for review from the publisher

This book was a eye opening and powerful look at the lives of japaense americans in the 1940 after the attacks of peral harbor. I loved how this book was structured and how even though it follwed 14 different characters it really did focus on found fmaily and the so many moments and various experiecnes that was apart of thier lives in this time of their lives. The challening moments of their lives was heart breaking and you kept wanting to root for them. It was a read that will keep me thinking and will def motivate me to read more books in the future about historical time periods. ( )

I got this book for review from the publisher

This book was a eye opening and powerful look at the lives of japaense americans in the 1940 after the attacks of peral harbor. I loved how this book was structured and how even though it follwed 14 different characters it really did focus on found fmaily and the so many moments and various experiecnes that was apart of thier lives in this time of their lives. The challening moments of their lives was heart breaking and you kept wanting to root for them. It was a read that will keep me thinking and will def motivate me to read more books in the future about historical time periods. ( )

4.25 ( )

DNF ( )

RGG: One of the best portrayals of the WWII Japanese American incarceration--the use of the the various voices to portray the many realities of the experience works so well to create an engaging read without being bogged down in the history. Highly recommend. Reading Interest: 12-YA.

This multicast audiobook told the story of a tight knit group of friends from San Fransisco's Japantown and how their lives are upended after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent Japanese Exclusion order. From getting round up and sent to a temporary camp to Topaz and then the individual members of the group having to make decisions about their future based on answers to the loyalty questionnaire. A searing, painful, and powerful listen about this incredible bond between members of this group even as their lives and decisions send them in different directions. ( )

full cast audio (10.5 hours) teen/middlegrade historical fiction - told in the voices of different American-born Japanese kid/teen experiences at 1940s internment camps (prisons). Covers different aspects of their experiences, from their leaving San Francisco and arrival at their new residences/former stables, to the filling out of the "loyalty" questionaires, to the treatment of Yes-Yeses and enlistees (including those in the 142nd infantry division who rescued a lost battalion at great cost to their own lives) vs. the treatment of No-Noes/"disloyals" being shipped to Tule Lake, providing a more complete description of that historical period.

neat project in which author interviewed her older relatives to put together these stories. Would recommend to young readers who like historical fiction (but not sure I know any such readers). It doesn't really work well for casual readers since there are so many characters with different storylines and it's easy to lose motivation to keep reading after awhile. ( )

This could have been a great read but it wasn't; it is too sprawling and amorphous. And that's a shame because the writing isn't bad and Chee clearly did lots of research. Focusing on just a few characters, instead of trying to create 14 different narrators, would have yielded a more readable novel; every time I started to get into a character, it would shift to somebody else and lose my established interest. ( )

This story, told from the viewpoints of a tightly knit group of teens living in San Francisco at the beginning of the Japanese internment, is a tough read emotionally. It is an unflinching story of the unfair and cruel way that the United States government treated those of Japanese heritage during WWII. I think, because the story is told from such a young point of view, it really hits home how wrong their treatment was. The reader gets a sense of how damaging the "us" vs "them" mentality is and how easy one can go from dislike to truly criminal acts. ( )

WWII fiction of a group of teen friends of Japanese descent from a strong community in SF, the discrimination those in the community experience after the attack on Pearl Harbor and details their lives after they are involuntarily relocated to internment camps, in CA and then in UT.

The story unfolds from the multiple (fourteen!) points of view of the friends and shows the varying ways the incarceration and the war fractured and affected lives, especially teen lives.

Themes of racism, bigotry, loss, injustice, protest, friendships and family. ( )

Chee presents the Japanese incarceration through the eyes of 14 teens, each with a chapter written in its own unique style. ( )

Outstanding and essential reading for all Americans. If we do not learn about our history, we are destined to repeat it. ( )

RGG: One of the best portrayals of the WWII Japanese American incarceration--the use of the the various voices to portray the many realities of the experience works so well to create an engaging read without being bogged down in the history. Highly recommend. Reading Interest: 12-YA.

Each chapter of this book is written from the perspective of one of a group of 14 Japanese-American teens detained in relocation centers with their families and communities during WW2. While that might seem a confusing approach, using 14 different perspectives, the current of their connection and friendships runs throughout. There is outrage and heartbreak and humor and a glimmer of hope. Fully realized and so relevant to the political climate today. Minor quibble: Modern-day moments intrude on this historical fiction, as when one of the teens uses "air quotes" with his fingers, another refers to his shorn hair as "Buddhist chic," and Mrs. K is "sicced on them like A LITTLE BITCH." Those terms and uses all feel at least the last 30 years to me. ( )

Fourteen teens growing up in San Francisco's Japantown are forever changed by the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the events immediately following -- specifically, the forced relocation of Americans of Japanese heritage to internment camps. Their stories are woven together and torn apart over the remaining war years as they grow from teens to young adults in the camps, surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers.

This is a powerful story. The characters are so real that I almost expect to meet them next time I venture out. Recommended to anyone who is interested in reading more about this dark time in American history. ( )

This was a great audiobook that looked at the lives of teenagers of Japanese-American descent during WW2.... This is a topic that is definitely not talked about enough in History classes. I don't think most Americans alive today know more than "they were moved, because they MIGHT have helped the Japanese". The audiobook had different actors reading every chapter to represent all the different characters, that brought the book even more to life! ( )