Beneath the Wide Silk Sky. Emily Inouye Huey. 2022. [October 18] 336 pages. [Source: Library] [MG Historical Fiction]
First sentence: I jumped as the rat streaked across the edge of the chicken pen.
Premise/plot: Set in Hawaii during the early days of the Second World War. This middle grade coming of age novel opens in early December 1941 in the days leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Sam Sakamoto, our heroine, loves photography. She has big dreams. Big, big dreams that her family doesn't quite support--not because they don't love her or want the best for her. She has an older brother, an older sister, and a father. (The mom died before the novel started). The book is from her perspective...as she witnesses firsthand prejudice, discrimination, racism. Fear + mob mentality is not the best mix. It isn't just coming from the masses, however, it's also coming from higher up--the government itself.
My thoughts: I loved this one. I did. I did NOT at all do it justice. Sam is such a lovely narrator. I loved her voice. I loved seeing the world through her eyes. I loved getting to know her family, her friends, her community better. I loved seeing her life at home and at school. I loved the tension and conflict. It was handled so well. This one is INTENSE yet it never felt--to me at least--melodramatic. There were some hard situations--particularly when it comes to race relations, her sister is dating a white boy--but I had to keep reading.
© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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