by Jamie Ford
I began reading this book the weekend of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and while reading, the parallels between the setting of this story (1942, Seattle, recently after the attack on Pearl Harbor) and the response by our country in 2001 to the attacks on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon was startling. And humbling.
The story follows the life of young Henry, as he grapples with being different (Chinese) in a starkly white environment (the American school his parents force him to attend). While there he meets Keiko, young, beautiful and painfully to him, her and the rest of the country, Japanese. What develops is a novel that explores the complexities of family, nationality and citizenship. And what it left in me was a sense that I've seen it all before--the pain of ignorance, of guilt by association and of the judgment of irrational fear.
The connection to 9/11 is simple: After Pearl Harbor we were deathly afraid of the American-born Japanese, critical of their every move. After 9/11, we had that same response towards the Muslims, Arab-born Americans who now became a target of suspicion and of fear. And the same moral questions that exist in the book about protection versus control and safety versus loss of individual rights reverberate through our own society in the aftermath of terrorism on our soil. Reading this book allowed me to see these struggles through the eyes of those that are constantly met by suspicion. One of the most poignant moments in the novel exists between Henry, a Chinese-American student, and the white Americans that constantly torment him for being a "jap"--to the point where Henry wears a button that simply reads "I am Chinese" to avoid the quick prejudice that accompanied his presence in public places. Henry doesn't want to wear it, but the necessity of protecting himself eventually outweighs his distaste for the meaning behind his badge.
And contrasted to the fear present in the characters lives is the beautiful story between Keiko, the Japanese-American student, and Henry, the Chinese-American student, two characters torn between the "freedom" offered by the American dream and their traditional beliefs in their own homes and families. Their developing relationship is the catalyst for the emotional journey the reader makes--and the reason that at the end of the novel, you begin to re-evaluate your own response to people you've been told to fear and to the people that you've so easily written off as worthless. This journey is the value and the reason to read this novel!
Author's Note: When I recently heard the author speak at Richardson Reads One Book, he shared something that was difficult to comprehend. Many studios and people have come forward to create the film version of this story, and Mr. Ford believes he has a story worthy of being made into a movie. But, he has one requirement--a deal breaker so to speak--that the main character Henry remain Chinese. Every studio, director and screenwriter that has approached him has made it known that this movie will not be financed unless a white, male lead carried the film, or, atleast had a made-up prominent role. It's interesting to think that while reading this book I reassured myself that as Americans we no longer were limited by this near-sightedness. Yet, here we are in 2011 with no financing for a film that would contain no white people. Just food for thought as you read this book!
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