(Book Cover: Kadohata, Cynthia. 2006. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. Photo Source: Barnes and Noble, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/, accessed November 1, 2008)
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Kadohata, Cynthia. 2006. Weedflower. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN:-13: 978-0-689-86574-9; ISBN-10: 0-689-86574-0.
2. PLOT SUMMARY: Weedflower is the story of a Japanese family who owned a flower farm in California prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. They were a happy family; proud to be living in America. Some members of the family had been born in America and were citizens of the United States. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government arrested or otherwise confined people of Japanese descent, even those who had been born in America. This is the story of one such family and the struggles they endured during years of internment.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: The main character is Sumiko, a twelve-year old, sixth grade girl. This story is told from her perspective. She deals with loneliness, ethnic diversity and issues relating to popularity prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. All of these are issues that other middle school age children can identify with. The remainder of the book concerns events that today’s children, thankfully, cannot relate to on a personal level. The reader must simply learn about these events from Sumiko’s perspective. They will be able to understand her feeling of loss when she has to move, her fear of the unknown, and her crush on an American Indian boy. The reader can only imagine the feelings they would have if they lost all their worldly possessions and had to live in a 100 foot by 20 foot barrack with three other families. Sumiko’s narrative is told from a very youthful point of view and will no doubt draw the reader’s full attention.
The plot of this story is very realistic. It explains the way in which Japanese Americans and Japanese immigrants were imprisoned in Poston, Arizona. There is no way to sugar coat the facts involved with that period of our history and Ms. Kadohata doesn’t try to do so. She also weaves in, as a sub-plot, the plight of the Native Americans. She points out, through the relationship Sumiko makes with Frank, a Native American boy, how similar the plight of the two peoples was. She leads the reader to conclude that although the Japanese were treated poorly by the American government, their plight was still better than the Native Americans. The behaviors and feelings of the characters are very believable. For example, the sadness exhibited by Sumiko’s aunt because of the separation from her husband; the anger and rage exhibited by the members living at the camp when they were asked to go to work outside the camp due to a shortage of American workers; and the silly games played by the children to fill the days at the camp are all very realistic behaviors.
The setting of the book changes through time. In the beginning, the characters are on a farm in California. Ms. Kadohata clearly describes the California location so that a picture can be formed in the readers mind. One can see the beautiful fields of flowers and understand the joy the characters would have in living in such a place. Providing this visual image of the character’s home helps the reader to visualize the location of the place where the family is sent. Ms. Kadohata does a good job of describing the desert wilderness of Poston, Arizona in the 1940s. She further clearly lays out for the reader a depiction of the physical aspects of the camp in which the family was imprisoned.
There is a great deal of dialogue in this book. The dialogue is written much like someone would speak today. I especially appreciate the way in which Ms. Kadohata uses Japanese words in the dialogue between the characters. It gives a sense of authenticity to the words being spoken. The words are clearly described so that there is no question as to their meaning. The style of writing is very much typical of a fictional book. This may make the book more attractive to some readers who are reluctant to read historical novels. Even with the fictional style of writing, the historical information comes through loud and clear.
This story tells of the injustice done to the Japanese people during World War II and to the Native American people before them. The theme of the book is this injustice as well as the perseverance of these people. Sumiko sums up the strength of these people when she finally agrees to leave camp to start a new life in Chicago. She didn’t really want to go because the camp was safe. She thought about her grandfather and how he had had the courage to come to America years before. She remembers him telling her that he didn’t do it for himself; he did it for his future grandchildren. Living our lives to benefit the future generations is a universal theme that will speak to all readers.
The authenticity of the information contained in this book is documented for the reader at the front of the book, in the section titled “Acknowledgments”. Ms. Kadohata describes and names the many people whom she interviewed in the process of writing of this book. Most of these people are Japanese Americans who suffered through the internment in Poston. Others are people who have researched the topic and are experts in their field. It is also interesting to note on the jacket cover of the book that Ms. Kadohata’s father was held in the Poston camp during World War II.
4. BOOK REVIEW EXCERPT(S): (Source: Book Review Digest Plus, WilsonWeb database, accessed via TWU Library Online)
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, 52, no. 7 (July 2006) 106: “[Sumiko] is a sympathetic heroine, surrounded by well-crafted, fascinating people. The concise yet lyrical prose conveys her story in a compelling narrative that will resonate with a wide audience”
THE HORN BOOK 82, no. 4 (July/August 2006) 443-4: “The writing is mostly, though not consistently compelling, with numerous details of camp life seamlessly woven into the story. Kadohata also adds some depth with a friendship between Sumiko and a Mohave boy. . .”
MULTICULTURAL REVIEW 15, no. 4 (Winter 2006) 87: “The writing is simple, in places a bit odd, or just not particularly lyrical. It reads not like good writing for children but writing as children write. But the feelings are acute and accurate and they stab through the writing all the way to the reader's heart."
5. CONNECTIONS IN A SCHOOL LIBRARY SETTING:
* Older students could research more about the Japanese internment and the Native American’s move to reservations. Students could compare and contrast the two situations using information from this research.
* The teacher or librarian could tape off a 100 foot by 20 foot space on the floor. Students could be grouped into families and see how it would “feel” to have four families housed in this one space.
* Students could locate Poston, Arizona on the map and research information about Poston today.
* When reading the book, students could be instructed to write down Japanese words as they are found in the book. This will help them as they read the book because the words are used throughout the book but only defined during the first usage. This list would be useful reference tool for the students while reading the book and is a skill that they could use for other books.
OTHER RELATED MATERIALS:
* Kadohata, Cynthia. 2006. Weedflower. CD. New York: Random House/Listening Library.
* Holm, Tom. 2007. Code talkers and warriors: Native Americans and World War II. New York : Chelsea House.
* Stone, Monica I. 1979. Nisei Daughter. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
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