Reviews (12)

An Unforgetable Tale
This story is very well written by author Yuskiko Uchida. This story takes place around the time when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. A normal Japanese-American girl lived in Berkekly, California and her life was like a regular girls life. Until her father was taken from her and her family. That was when World War 2 started. This girl and her family were moved from concentration camp to concentration camp taking away from her normal life. Will her friends and family ever be reunited again? Friendship, courage, and faith soon will come to her and her family .

I am only 11, 10 at the time I read the book, and it taught me so much. I have always been a "bookworm" and this book surely proved it. I read this book in a restuarant, lawyer office, and everywhere else we went. This book is so good, you will not want to put it down. This amazing boook an unforgettable, heartwarming story that you'll definitely want to read!

Wonderful historical fiction
I homeschool my 12 y.o. son, and we read this book for a historical fiction book group. It is a beautifully written story of the tragic internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. It brings to life both the physical realities and the emotional burdens that were imposed by tearing people from their homes and sending them to dismal war camps. I highly recommend this book as an accompaniment to non-fiction reading about the internments, because it provides such a vivid picture of this sad chapter in American history.

Topaz
Journey to Topaz

The plot of the story is that Yuki and her family are sent to various places to live, they are camps for only Japanese, because the Japanese across the ocean have just bombed Pearl Harbor. In the time between when Yuki is still living in her home, and Yuki and her family are sent to the last camp, Topaz, are very horrible ones. People get sick, they die, and they don't like conditions they have to live in among many other things. Like the second camp they are sent to is really sandy and gritty. The "apartments" that all the Japanese had to stay in are really cold and dark.
I liked the book to an extent. The reason for this is because this book is a lot different then the books I usually read. There are some suspenseful parts, but there weren't too many. The book deals with the Japanese living in America being marked as traitors because of the bombing on Pearl Harbor. That was pretty interesting, but I still like adventure books. I would recommend this book to everyone who like history.

Jouney To Topaz
Journey to Topaz is a great book. I love the advanced words in it and the way that the author throws in Japanese words into it. My reading teacher said that the school didn't have enough books to supply all of us with books, so I had to get a photocopied book. But it was such a great book, I'm going to beg my parents into buying it on Amazon.com! I think my teacher should have gone onto Amazon.com and bought us books so we could have the pleasure of having a real copy! I think Journey to Topaz is the best book I have ever read, because it teaches you that not only the Jews were affected by World War 2, but the Japaneese were affected as well, just as much as the Jews. It was also a breaking to the constitutional laws. Yoshiko Uchida(the author of the book) says it was uncalled for. I think that this book is great-five stars is definitly underestimating it!

an unforgetable book
i first read this book when i was about 9 yrs. old and i still read it and i'm 15. it's a really good book and i like how Yoshiko Uchida comined real hisorical events that really happened in the internment camps and to the japanese-americans in america at that time to make the story relistic. it's is a moving stoy about yuki a girl who lives a perfectly normal life in Berkley, CA. until japan bombs pearl harbor and her life is turned upside down. i really recomend this book to anyone who'd like to read a good book. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A BOOK WITH MAJOR EXCITMENT!
If you like excitment this is a great story for you! It is about a little Japenesse girl. Her parents lived in japan but she was born in the U.S when they crossed over. Her Aunt is still in Japan. Many hard things happen. And I want you to read this book to find them out.

jar of dreams
Jar of Dreams is about Rinko a Japanese american girl. she lives in California and kids at school and just people in general say racial slurs to her, which makes her resent wish she didn't looks so Japanese. her family is barley making their payments. her dad is a barber but really wishes to be a mechanich and her mom cleans other peoples house. then Rinko's mom decides to start her own landry business, and the competing landrymat trys to get even. thinkgs start to change when Rinko's aunt Waka from japan comes for the summer and changes everyones attitudes. Everyone is Rinkos family begins to stand up for themselves and decides to go for their dreams. Rinko's dad decides to start a mechanic shop, Rinkos brother goes back to college to become a engineer and Rinko's mom keeps up her laundry service. i really recomend reading this book

One of he best books i ever read
The book "A Jar of Dreams" is the story of Rinko Tsujimura, an 11-year old 2'nd generation Japanese-American, growing up in California in the 1930's, as well as her family whichincludes her mama, and papa, her younger brothe joji, and her older brother Cal, wh dicourages her sister by saying that no school district will hire a japanese teacher (it is Rinko's dream to be a teacher). Rinko often resents being Japanese because she and her family are ridiculed, especially by Wilbur Starr, the owner of a laundry business. Starr wants to drive the Tsujimura's laundromat out of business, and threatens them. When Aunt Waka comes to visit them, from Japan, she teaches them to b proud of their unique japanese heritage. Eventually rinko's father and his go friend mr.kanda, stand up Wilbur Starr, and Rinko, Cal. and Joji, learn to be proud of being Japanese.

A jar of dreams
Rinko lives in California and is friendly and kind but many people don't pay attention to just because she is Japanese. Rinko feels she is no good until her Aunt Waka comes to visit. Then Aunt Waka teaches Rinko many things especially that she should be proud to be Japanese.

Rinko Learns About Herself
This book is a story you will want to read. Rinko Tsujimoto is a Japanese girl who is living in a family of five. She has one older and one younger brother. Rinko sometimes bullies her younger brother, Joji, but not much. They still love each other. Rinko's favorite is her older brother Cal, who is not in the book much. He has just begun college in Stockton, even though he doesn't think he'll get a good job because he's Japanese.
This story is all about Aunt Waka coming to stay with Rinko at her house and the adventures they have together. Rinko is not so thrilled about Aunt Waka at first. Aunt Waka has a deformed foot, and she gave Rinko a kimono instead of something she could play with. She was wrong about her though. Aunt Waka was great and she changed Rinko's life by teaching her to be proud of herself and her Japanese character. I give this story four stars because it doesn't have enough excitement for me and it's not the best story in the world. Still, if you like family stories then this is the book for you. ... Read more

Book Description

Growing up in California, Yoshi knew her family looked different from their neighbors. Still, she felt like an American. But everything changed when America went to war against Japan. Along with all the other Japanese-Americans on the West Coast, Yoshi's family were rounded up and imprisoned in a crowded. badly built camp in the desert because they"looked like the enemy." Yoshiko Uchida grew up to be an award-winning author. This memoir of her childhood gives a personal account of a shameful episode in American history.

Reviews (10)

A very good book about a shameful time in history.
Yoshiko Uchida vividly tells about growing up a Japanese American in California and being sent to a concentration camp during World War II. I found this book very interesting and couldn't put it down. It was interesting to read about the Japanese customs and holidays that her family observed and to learn more about something that should not have happened in our history.

Very Intriguing
I am 10, but I found this book incredible. I love reading biographies and autobiographies so "The Invisible Thread" was perfect for me. Yoshiko writes well and I just couldn't believe that people would be so cruel to innocent people that looked like Japanese people. Yoshiko wasn't even really Japanese, just Nisei. This is one great book!!!!!

Walking an invisible thread
The delicate balance that must be maintained in non-fiction children's books is this: While we cannot pretend to ignore or beautify the ugly events that have happened in the past, at the same time we must make these horrendous occurrences palatable to the young reader. In the case of Yoshiko Uchida, the notable Japanese-American children's author has made her career in writing about Japanese, Japanese-Americans, and their place in history. With "The Invisible Thread" the author has decided to write a work that is a little more personal. This autobiography marks a departure for Uchida, leaving behind the fictional past for the real one. In it, kids learn first-hand about a particularly shameful (and shamingly recent) chapter in America's history: the degrading Japanese internment camps.

A good author writing about a catastrophic event leads up to the moment cautiously. If you're showing a difficult moment in a person's (or persons') life, you don't just run headlong into the moment without giving a little background first. In this way, Uchida sets the stage for the reader. Yoshiko grew up as a second generation Japanese-American in California in the 1930s. Born of parents that had both immigrated to the United States separately, Yoshiko was privileged to live in a fairly well-to-do area in Berkley, California. Living with Japanese ancestry in the U.S. at that time was not an easy thing, but Yoshika was hardly about to challenge the system. As we watch the author grows up, goes to college, and makes numerous friends. Her life, such as it was, was fairly uneventful. Then, just about halfway through the book Pearl Harbor is bombed and everything changes. Yoshiko and her family are sent packing from their beloved home (and dog) to temporary quarters in an old racing track. The story picks up as she learns to teach and exist in her new environment, detailing the dehumanizing effect that such living has on human beings.

What I liked about this book was the real sense one got of the difference the America of that time and the American of today. Uchida puts it best herself in a passage found in the chapter, "Prisoner of My Country". In this passage she writes:

"Resistance or confrontation such as we know them today was unthinkable, for the world then was a totally different place. There had been no freedom marches or demonstrations of protest. No one had yet heard of Martin Luture King, Jr. No one knew about ethnic pride. Most Americans were not concerned about civil rights and would not have supported us had we tried to resist the uprooting".

Educators using this book today could easily point out that though we are not interning people of Middle Eastern descent today, we are certainly not making America a place that is much more hospitable today than it was for the Japanese at that time. The book is a useful tool for placing a moment in American history within its context. I was especially thrilled to find that there are additional resources and books listed in a neat bibliography for both kids and adults wanting to know more about Japanese internment camps. What is remarkable is that the book makes the event real to the reader, allowing us to feel a little of what the author, her family, and friends went through at the time. In the end, Uchida is an accomplished writer that knows exactly how to bring children into a dangerous past without horrifying them with too many of the details. It is a delicate line to walk and Uchida treads it with the utmost care.

Interesting- but mostly boring!
I am just 11, but I love to read, and there are few books I don't get through. When I started reading this, it went nowhere. It just stayed very boring the whole time. Yes, I did enjoy learning about it, but overall, I really didn't enjoy this book. I'm not much of a biography person, so maybe someone who enjoys biographies would like this better. I was very surprised to see that many people gave it 4 or 5 stars.

Honest and insightful.
I read this book, and found it VERY insightful. it describes her life in honesty, and with an uncensored style. But it was un-condemning. Which is good. I would reccomend it because it is written in a clean, and easy to follow style. It is well worth reading if one wishes to study up on the Japanese-American lifestyle. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Bracelet
This book was mistakenly placed in my preschool classroom and read to the children by another teacher. If you are planning to buy this book be aware that some of the themes in the book may not be appropriate for children under 6-7 years old. This book deals with a child being taken away from home, friends and family then losing a prized possesion. The book also includes talk about war and soldiers with guns. My class had difficulty understanding why Emi was being taken away. This book is more suited to children much older.

an importance lesson in memory
In the first illustration we see two typically Californian homes with cars in their driveways. One has a "For Sale" sign on its front steps. Emi, a second grader, sits and waits. Her father has been sent to a prison camp in Montana, and soon the FBI will take her, her sister, and her mother to a detention center and then to a detention camp in Utah. Emi and her family are Japanese Americans in California. It is 1942, and the United States is at war with Japan. Emi and 120,000 other Japanese Americans (80,000 of them citizens) were sent to detention centers due to their ethnic heritage by the U.S. government; their rights were abrogated. There is a knock at the door. Is it the FBI? No, it's her friend and neighbor Laurie. She gives Emi a gift, a bracelet, with which to remember her by. They hug. Emi and her family, allowed just a couple of suitcases, are sent with other from San Francisco to a racetrack which has been converted to a detention center. They see guards with guns and bayonets, and as they pass a boarded up grocery store, we see a sign in the drawing, saying that the store owners are "loyal Americans." When Emi loses the bracelet after arriving at the detention center, she learns that a person can remember people and families in the absence of physical items and personal effects. An afterword explains the historical events and the redress made by the US Federal government under Presidents Ford and Carter. Yoshiko is also the author of The Invisible Thread, her account of a childhood in detention.

Fantastic Book for the Classroom
This book is a must for any classroom library. The children in my classroom had fantastic and thoughtful things to say about this book, in third grade! This book deals with tough subjects and still has a beautiful moral.

Heartfelt story with universal appeal
Yoshiko Uchida writes of her experiences growing up during World War II living in California. Many of her works deal with the evacuation of Japanese Americans to internment camps away from the coastal areas. Although "The Bracelet" deals with the internment experience, the story has universal appeal because the theme is friendship. The young girl in the story is evacuated to a camp. Upon leaving, her best friend, who is Caucasian, gives her a bracelet. The young Japanese American girl loses this bracelet somewhere along her journey--it is not shown where. At the end of the story, the young girl realizes that you don't have to have material possessions to remember and maintain a friendship. True friendships transcend material belongings. The illustrations are especially nice and in full color throughout.

This is a wonderful and beautifully illustrated book.
This is a wonderful story about friendship. A young Japanese girl is sent to an internment camp. Before she leaves an American friend of hers gives her a bracelet to remember her by. When the bracelet is lost, the little girl is heart broken. Later she realizes that one does not need material objects to symbolize a friendship. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great Story For Growing Up
I love a book that makes you think about "why" we should be righteous people. Rinko was just a typical American girl and to be ripped out of her daily life and get a taste of another culture is what every mother would love for her kids! As a mother of 4 sons, I can see my boys doing the things these boys did - and I can understand their adventureous souls! To see how Rinko changes from a self-centered girl to a caring girl is something that I would wish on all children.
Having lived in Japan while I was in Junior High School, I have always loved books with Japanese themes.
This is a good book and I loved the movie too!

Fantastic Book
If you like realistic stories and something which you can compare to yourself, you would love the Best Bad Thing. Once you read a chapter you will not want to stop. Why I loved this book is because I could relate to it. This book has some very funny humor in it.
Now it is hard to sum up the story without giving it away, but I can give you a brief review.
This story is about a girl named Rinko who is going to have to go to Mrs. Hata's for the summer. Why will she have to go? Because Mr. Hata has died (Mrs. Hata's husband). Everybody thinks that Mrs. Hata is crazy. Rinko does not want to go, she thinks it is bad, but then something makes this one of the best summers ever.
One last thing. In this story there are many suprises. So if you would like to read a great, humorous, realistic, and suprising story, you should read: The Best Bad Thing.

The best review
i think it was a very good book.it taught children to listen to their parents

Nothing is as bad as it first seems
I was intrigued by this story for 2 reasons: 1) it details life in Oakland California during the depression period, when there were still farms in the hills. 2) it was made into a famous Japanese (NHK) television drama despite the fact that the story concentrates more on the "lost summer" of the protaganist Rinko, rather than her Japanese ancestry.

For those who saw the Japanese drama (it was later subtitled and broadcasted in California on PBS and Channel 26), I recommend you read the book as there are some differences in the story. For young readers, I encourage the reading of this book as it describes a time in America when the joys of life were more simple and not marred by gang violence and drugs.

This book was good, but not great.
Lacie Allen: I found this book to be interesting, and easy to read, but overall it was not exciting. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good-easy-to-read stories. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Valuable life lessons
Because this is an autobiography, the reader should not expect a commercialized plot that is conjured just for effect. In its place, we get a true story of an American girl and her family who are trapped in the beaurocracy of war. Yoshi, her sister and her parents are imprisoned in Japanese internment camps during World War II and she describes the injustice, embarassment and blatant racism her family and over 120,000 West Coast Japanese Americans endure. The story evokes emotions concerning issues such as human rights vs. national security and ethnicity vs. patiriotism. Uchida writes in candid clear language with vivid decriptions that manage to convey the complex issues surrounding racism without being didactic.

Autobiography written for children
Yoshiko Uchida writes of her childhood, growing up in California as a Japanese American during World War II. She vividly describes her internment experience through the eyes of a young adult. This is an important book because it documents the Japanese American experience. It also reveals the strong Christian faith of this family. The story rings of truth and how an "average" person deals with adversity. This book only rates three stars because although the story is interesting, the plot was predictable. I was not left with a breathtaking feeling after reading this book. My favorite books leave me thinking about them for days or even weeks afterwards. ... Read more

Product Description

Contains full text of "Journey Home" plus 10 additional short works relating to topic. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

No Judging people
The book problem is that this girl Yuki is a Japanese girl that has had a tough life all in all but it gets even harder after she gets out of the * HOLDING CAMP* as they call it. This has taken place after World War II Yuki wants things to go back to the way they were before the war and people started to judge people. So many things change she wants to move back and have the same friends and know the same people, but they had to go on with there lives and make new friends. So they move to a church and make new friends and start there lives over. After this they start a business but something tragic happens to it so back to the beginning.
I loved this book it gave me more insight on the war and tough me that the U.S. did not always choose the best decisions. It was sad but very interesting to read. I learned how it would be for these and other cultures to live through racism. It also showed how people forgave other people and how they did not judge. This was a great book and maybe the best book I ever read.

Home at Last!
Home at Last!

Journey Home is a great book to read. Young children will love the book and will learn the hard times the Japanese had together.
The books main character is a young Japanese girl named Yuki.
During the war Yuki and her family got sent away to a concentration camp. Her father was told to leave their family and join the army.
While at camp Ken decides he and a friend also want to go serve in the army. A year passes and Yuki and her mother are still at camp. Papa comes back, just as a train comes. Yuki, her mother, and her father go on the train back home. When they are at home Ken called to tell them he is in the hospital. He came home a little later and everyone was worried. Yuki was sad but things had to be done. Papa and a friend were working in a corner market grocery store together and Yuki and mother helped too.
I really enjoyed this book. It kept me turning the pages until I was done. The reason I think this book is a four star book and not a five star book is because sometimes when the characters were talking it got to be a bit boring. I also didn't like how the author told a lot of the same things over again.

MY FAVORITE BOOK, ALONG WITH JOURNEY TO TOPAZ
This is the best book ever. It is about a young girl, Yuki, who is sent to a few Japanese concentration camp. She deals with many of the hardships that the Japanese faced during this important period of American/Japanese history. This book made me cry, laugh, and learn. It is EXTREMELY well written, and i would reccomend this book to anybody, and i already do. If you are planning to read this book, make sure you read Journey to Topaz first, also by Yoshiko Uchida.

On to California
This book takes place during WWII. The main character Yuki and her family are placed in a concentration camp in Utah. They are longingly hoping to get out of the camp and to go home to Berkeley, California. When they were relocated to the concentration camp they had to sell their house. Finally after a year or more they get to go home, but not to their old house. While at camp, they decided they would stay at their old Japanese Church along with other displaced families until they could find work and a place of their own.
This book was good, I guess. It was sort of boring at parts! Which, it lost my interest. Who wants to read about a girl named Yuki? Other than those reasons, it was good. It told what it might have been in the 1940's during WWII.

Journey Home
I say that this book has an interesting way of explaining the history of Japanese Amaricans.It is one of the best books I've read. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

IT WAS AN EDUCATIONAL BOOK ABOUT JAPANESE-AMERICANS
Uchida is a very nice author. It was awesome that she wrote a book at age five! ... Read more

Book Description

Here are fourteen authentic folk stories, retold with humor and charm, which will delight children and those who read and tell stories to them. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Very Good!
THis book is perfect for young children. All of the folk tales are wonderful, including the one about how the crane came to be. All of the children at the daycare loved it, especially aboutthe wise man and how he grew the beard. Great folk tales. A good book for kids 2-5! ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Picture Bride
"Picture Bride" is an unforgotten novel. This was a novel that I loved. The story was about a Japanese woman, Hana who came to the United States to married a man she had never met before. The story was happened from 1918 to 1943. The author, Uchda san, successfully combined the story with a very strong history background. He allowed the readers be able to "learn" the real life of Japanese-American particularly before and during the WWII. At the same time, he unveiled the "conflicts" between the second generations and with their immigrated parents in the United States. However, there is one thing I would like to point out. In the book, the author sometimes utilized the Japanese romanization style instead the English translation. For instance, he used "Oji san" instead of "uncle." If the reader has no knowledge of Japanese, I am afraid that they will lose their interests as the story was continuing.

A haunting, quietly heartwrenching story
"Picture Bride" is an unforgettable novel. In her deceptively simple style, Yoshiko Uchida draws the reader into the Japanese-American world and brings it to life. Unlike the cold, factual feel of a textbook,Uchida uses a character (Hana Omiya) who is easily identified with toportray early 20th century America as seen and felt from the Japaneseperspective. Hana is a woman with a strong spirit who seems to have beenborn in the wrong world, and you find yourself both pitying hercircumstances and admiring her strength, which lasts to the end. This was anovel I thoroughly loved.

Strength of character in the face of tremendous struggle
Picture Bride begins with Hana coming to America to escape the dead-end future her sisters experienced in arranged marriages to men they did not know in pre-WWII Japan.Her hopes rest on marriage to a young, successfulbusinessman to whom she has never spoken.She finds instead anon-communicative middle-aged man who misrepresented his success and personin his letters, an unforgiving man who sees her as his property on theirwedding night.The novel shows Hana's growth as she learns how to do whatis best for the both of them while having to work around her husband's maleego and low self-esteem. She cannot merely take over the failing business;she must make her husband think it is his idea.The pathos of bigotrypervades the entire work: They are tolerated in their new neighborhood onlyafter a "nocturnal visit" from individuals who are "lookingout for the welfare of the community" because a Japanese family hasmoved in.Add the estrangement of a Nessei daughter who knows littleJapanese and fears failure to assimilate from an Issei mother who speaksvery little English and struggles to maintain her Japanese roots.Violenceand intolerance heighten; the shell of humanity on the Pacific Coastdisintegrates with the attack on Pearl Harbor.Throughout, the women inUchida's novel are models of feminine strength in a male world, alwaysemerging from struggle greater than they entered it.Great for FreshmanEnglish to U.S. History students and everyone else as well.I couldn't putit down as it plucked at my heart.A must-read for all Americans who don'twant to repeat or continue the pattern of bigotry in the U.S. and for alldescendants of Asian immigrants.

An amazing look at US history and Japanese-American culture
Picture bride, an excellent novel, boasts a wonderful cast of characters.As a story about Japanese-immigrant life in America during the 1930's and 1940's, Picture Bride tells a tale that the average American never hears. Best of all, after reading Picture Bride, a person understands currentJapanese-American culture and its roots.The Japanese immigrants'fortitude and strength in Picture Bride amaze the reader.Hana a youngJapanese woman, comes to America expecting to marry a young, prosperingmerchant.Instead she finds Taro, a kind older man with a low-class shop.Despite her disappointment, Hana accepts Taro and makes a relativelysuccessful life with him, a testament to her inner strength. Taro himselfendured changes in fortune upon arriving in America.He had to work as ahouseboy but saved money and later started his own shop. all immigrants inthe novel face the added trial of discrimination. Hana and Taro almost losetheir home because of it.Reverend Okada, the Doctor, and Kenji Nishimagive help to and support to others in the Japanese community whileaccepting the same hardships.The hard-working, accepting personalities ofthe characters make Picture Bride an intriguing novel. The story of theimmigrants' new, American lives greatly interests the reader because manyreaders first learn about Japanese immigrant life by reading Picture Bride. Details of immigrant life, from funny anecdotes about a confused Japanesestudent and a bathtub to descriptions of Hana making breakfast tea, residein the pages of the novel.Picture Bride also addresses the issues ofdiscrimination and the interment of Japanese-Americans during WW2.Afterreading Picture Bride, the reader knows more about the Japanese-immigrantexperience. Picture Bride gives the reader a better understanding ofJapanese-American culture, also. The Japanese who came to America, likeHana and Taro, worked hard to fit into American society, but they stillheld onto their culture.Hana and Taro wanted their daughter Mary tolucubrate so she could earn her M.D. and earn respect from the SanFrancisco natives.Kiku, Hana's friend, helped Hana fit in when Hana firstarrived by dressing her in western-style clothing.Henry Toda even changedhis name to ease his assimilation.Japanese immigrants, from the farmerslike Henry Toda to the houseboys and shop owners like Taro, worked hard togain accept- ance into American society and make new lives for themselves. Japanese-Americans today have continued to be hard-working citizens. The Japanese immigrants retained their culture, too.Hana and Taro stillate pickled radish, rice, tea, and other Japanese foods. Hana kept herkimono and obi to wear on specialcelebrations like New Year, and Taro andHana spoke Japanese with their friends and with each other.In present-daysociety, vestiges of Japanese culute, in food, language, and specialtraditions, still exist in Japanese-American homes.Picture Bride helps areader understand and admire this unique culture and its roots.PictureBride tells the story of America-the story of the immigrant. It is a storyevery American should hear.

An inspiring story.The book will not stay closed.
The Picture Bride is an oustanding novel, full of feeling and inspiration.Hana, the main character, knows she wants more in life than what her family can offer her in Japan.She sets all her hopes on a new life inAmerica with a man owning a prosperous shop.Upon arriving she findsreality to be a world away from her expectations, the man she has promisedto marry does not look like his picture and his little shop is not fairingwell at all.Hana must make due with her life in America and struggle tosurvive with her new family.Enter the life of a Japanese-Americanafter the bombing of Pearl Harbor through the Picture Bride.Everythingthat Hana goes through is felt by the reader.Her emotions come out clearand strong as she fights to accept her life in America, to make ends meet,and to face prejudice and injustice in a land promising freedom. ... Read more

Book Description

In Samurai of Gold Hill, young Koichi and his Samurai father (defeated champion of the Shogun) come with the Wakamatsu Colony to establish a tea and silk-farm in post-gold-rush California. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great historical fiction
I remember borrowing this book so many times from the school library and even did a book report on it.The struggle to adjust to a completely different lifestyle that Koichi and his family go through are poignantly displayed in the book.Having to go from a feudal warrior culture to California's gold rush era is quite a shock to one's cultural sensibilities.I applaud Yoshiko Uchida and this wonderful book of hers. ... Read more

Book Description

A California Recommended Reading List Title. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Kindness is Rewarded
Kindness is rewarded in this story. The author uses vivid language to help the reader visualize. Meredith, age 8 ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Listen to the this book
The tales in this book are marvelous, rendered in a simple yet beautiful style. Expect the unexpected in this wonderful book. It is a keeper. ... Read more