{Synopsis (courtesy of Goodreads.com)}:
We lived under a sky so blue in Idaho right near the towns of Hunt
and Eden but we were not welcomed there.
In early 1942, thirteen-year-old Mina Masako Tagawa and her Japanese American
family are sent from their home in Seattle to an internment camp in Idaho. What
do you do when your home country treats you like an enemy? This memorable and
powerful novel in verse, written by award-winning author Mariko Nagai, explores
the nature of fear, the value of acceptance, and the beauty of life. As
thought-provoking as it is uplifting, Dust of Eden is told
with an honesty that is both heart-wrenching and inspirational.
{Review}:
{I received an ARC digital copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley.com}
{I received an ARC digital copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley.com}
I REALLY don’t
enjoy historical books. Come to think of it, I don’t enjoy history very much to
begin with. I feel like my present is so filled up, why should I worry about the
past? After reading this book though—I’ll definitely embrace it, that’s for
sure.
I will also
admit {with a heavy heart}, that I did not know much about the internment camp
situation in America. If anything, it was one of those parts of history that
your teacher only gave a day or so to, if that. It was rarely mentioned. Which
is absolutely horrible, and saddens my soul.
We meet our
narrator: Mina Tagawa, an adorable 13-year old soul who is quite possibly going
through the hardest time in her life. On the tails of Pearl Harbor anyone who
even RESEMBLED someone of Japanese descent was chastised for what had happened
(even though they had nothing to do with it). People around the town put up
signs in their shops, and as a group they’re taken on a horrible journey to a
camp.
Nagai does
an excellent job of developing many of the characters, Mina especially. She
captures the essence of a young lady, who is already dealing with being a
teenager in a changing time, but is also going through this incredibly hard
time with the world around her. We also see, in a secondary character (Mina’s
big brother Nick), the incredible struggle of a young man who is torn between
two ideologies: Does he fight for the country he’s called home? Or does he
embrace his blood and heritage?
This book
was incredibly well written. It took me about 45 minutes to read cover to
cover. It kept my attention the entire time, and was a wonderfully written
book. I also learned a lot about that era (which is saying something coming
from a 29 year old!)
{Where can I
buy this?}:
Amazon:
Barnes &
Noble:
{What would
I rate it?}:
4.7/5 stars – I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even learned
something! If anything—I thought it could be a little bit longer.
{Who would I
recommend this book to?}:
Anyone who would like a quick read, and anyone
looking to incorporate some non-fiction primary source documents in their
teaching during guided reading {I’m always looking for ways to TEACH the book,
and not just “read” it}. I could definitely see how you could do an entire unit
on this book, and might be able to do some projects with it, as well.
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