Galena, an eleven-year-old Russian-Jewish immigrant, lives in New York City with her family and works at
the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory with her older sister Anya. The factory pays low wages and has
terrible working conditions, making Anya yearn to join a union. Soon a horrible fire guts the factory leaving Galena with painful, horrific memories. Follow author Suzanne Lieurance in this dramatic historical fiction novel, as she describes how Galena uses the support of friends, family, and Jewish traditions to inspire her to fight for workers’ rights.
Age Range: 10 and up
Series: Historical Fiction Adventures
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Enslow Publishers (July 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1598453858
ISBN-13: 978-1598453850
Harry Yakamoto lives with his father and grandparents above the restaurant they operate in Seven Cedars, CA. His prized possession is a signed baseball from Joe DiMaggio. As Japanese-Americans in the early 1940s, Harry and his family often face discrimination, but things get worse after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Yakamotos are forced to relocate to the Manzanar Internment Camp, where they live in close quarters, eat meals in a mess hall, and share a communal bathroom. Determined to make the best of the situation, Harry organizes a baseball team and improves his pitching, thanks to a kindly guard who gives him some pointers. The setting is brought to life with vivid descriptions of life in 1940s America and in the internment camp. Baseball is woven seamlessly throughout the story and will appeal to sports fans.
Kristen Oravec, Flint Hill Middle School, Oakton, VA
Age Range: 10 and up
Grade Level: 5 and up
Series: Historical Fiction Adventures
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Enslow Publishers
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0766036553
ISBN-13: 978-0766036550
While reading my way through the recuperation from my foot surgery, I read a wonderful memoir, Kiyo's Story, by Kiyo Sato. The subtitle is A Japanese-American Family's Quest for the American Dream. Originally the title was Dandelion Through the Crack, suggesting how the spirit can bloom, despite unbelievable adversity. This book won the 2008 William Saroyan Prize for Non Fiction and should be required reading in high school history classes to give young people an understanding of how political hysteria can sweep a nation into unthinkable behavior.
Kiyo was nineteen when she and her family, as well all of the Japanese -American communities on the West Coast, were sent to an interment camp; in the Satos' case, in Arizona. Prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, there was already a mindset in place: Japanese immigrants were not allowed to become citizens or to own land. Their children, however, were citizens by reason of birth. But following Pearl Harbor, and Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066, anyone with 1/16 or more Japanese ancestry was suddenly declared a "non-alien". Curfews were established. They were not allowed to travel more than a five mile radius from their homes. Finally they were rounded up, and forced to abandon their homes, taking only whatever they could carry on the train to an interment camp. The Sato family, like neighboring families, were fruit farmers; their fields would be untended. Some farms were simply taken over by squatters.
Kiyo Sato first acquaints the reader with her parents' lives before this tragedy. Her father, Shinji, left Japan as a boy because of extreme poverty in his village. He labored for farmers in California, returned to Japan to wed a pretty nurse, and saved enough money that, through the help of others who were citizens, he could obtain a parcel of land. (At the time, Japanese immigrants were not allowed to own land.)
Kiyo's mother, Tomomi, worked side by side with Shinji in the fields, as did Kiyo and, later, her eight brothers and sisters. Slowly they brought the barren acreage to life until their produce was in demand and they had markets as far away as Canada. The
Nice review about a book by a lovely woman. It's on my list. I'll move it up now.
I've just made a note to share this book with my mom, who I know will love it. I had read other books about this topic while writing my Civil War novel to get a feel for how the unscientific hatred of a group of people has manifested itself through the ages. I wish I had read this book at that time but will certainly do so now. Thanks, Mitty!
Thanks for sharing the review.
Wow, this sounds wonderful, tears and all.
:)
I was moved halfway through your review of this. What an excellent read. Thanks for bringing it up.
A while back I read a beautifully written book on this subject, a true-life story. This one also sounds wonderful. Thanks for reviewing it so I could learn about it--and for stopping by my blog today, which got me here!
Ann Best, Author of In the Mirror, A Memoir of Shattered Secrets
Thanks all of you. I'm glad the book and it's subject matter appeal to you. It's such a worthwhile read; just brings one back to what is most valuable and enduring in the human spirit, despite so much heartache that goes on in the world.
This sounds a deeply moving book, and I especially like how you say it's not just about the sadness but the deeper recognition of how they triumph over hardships. I'll look out for this one, thank you.
I alwawys enjoy your book reviews, Elizabeth. Sounds like a great book.
Hi Mrs seraphina, another Elizabeth I see, though I spell my name with an 's'.
I'm here via your comment to Jim. This is a terrific review. I know something of the treatment of so-called enemy aliens.
We did a similar thing in Australia to German people during WW2, regardless of how long they had lived here.
It's a crazy madness takes over during times of war. And it's happening today to some extent between so-called christians and muslims.
It's scary, this wish to polarise into good and bad when life is never as simple as that.
I'm pleased to meet you.
Hi, Rachna, i was so moved my it. Normally I'm not a big memoir reader, but this chained my mind.K
Hi, Elizabeth, nice to meet you. I have another friend in Australia who is an expert on kangaroos and helped me with a children's story about kangaroos. As for the treatment of German-descent Australians, the same thing happened to quite a few Italian-Americansq on the East Coast here in the States. Something comes over people. It's terrible.
Oh, dear, I meant to spell that with an s. Years of habit! :-)
I gave you a shout-out on my blog today.
Just so you know. :)
Wandered over from David's blog. *waves*
Hope your foot's doing well.
Thanks, Donna. And thanks for following me. I took a peek at your blog, too, after seeing his post. Foot is doing fine. The pin comes out tomorrow, and then soon I'll be up and running around again. I am so ready!
Great review. Sounds amazing.
www.rebeccabany.com
Hi, Rebecca, thanks for stopping by, and thanks for following me. I visited your blog, and I see you're published through Create Space. That's who I went through for my book.
Hi Elizabeth!
Wonderful review. I'm moving the book over to my TBR list as we speak :)
Love the blog too. I can't wait to keep following you!
Nice to meet you, Kelley. You have a nice blog yourself. I'll be reading more of your posts.