74. Pearl. Sherri L. Smith. Illustrated by Christine Norrie. 2024. 144 pages. [Source: Library] [Graphic novel, historical fiction, coming of age, world war II] [4 stars]
First sentence: My great-grandmother was an ama, a pearl diver from the shores of Honshu in Japan. I loved the stories my family would tell about her. Of mermaids and pirates and cities underwater...and the pearl she found when she was a girl--it was round and perfect, the size of her fist. I knew the stories were only half true, but I loved them just the same.
Premise/plot: Amy, our heroine, was born and raised in Hawaii to Japanese-American parents. When her great-grandmother becomes ill--thought to be dying--her family sends her in their place. Then Pearl Harbor happens and it changes everything. Amy finds herself 'stuck' in a country that "her" country is at war with. But as she spends the war years growing up in Japan with her family, she struggles with the idea of home. Which country feels more like home? Where does she belong? Can she be both Japanese and American? Can she forgive America for dropping nuclear bombs on Japan?
My thoughts: This one is a HISTORICAL, coming-of-age story set mainly in Japan during the Second World War and its immediate aftermath. It is told in graphic novel format. It is told primarily in blue, black, gray, white. I didn't love that jacket flap description of the book and the author and illustration information was blue ink on black background. Fortunately the graphic novel itself was more accessible.
© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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