Tuesday, March 21, 2006

When the Emperor was Divine

by Julie Otsuka

Berkeley, California in 1942 sets the stage for one Japanese family and the beginning of their horrendous war experiences. After their father is whisked away at night, mother, son, and daughter prepare to board a train for an internment camp. An internment camp in the desert becomes their home for the remaining years of WWII.

Spare and unemotional prose successfully mimics the pained and unheard voices of the Japanese living in the US during the war. Highly recommended.

3/20/06

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