About This Book
Reach for this book when your teenager is processing feelings of systemic unfairness, questioning what it means to be a citizen, or struggling with how their identity is perceived by the world around them. It is an essential choice for families looking to engage with difficult American history through a lens of collective resilience and shared adolescent experience. The novel follows fourteen Nisei teenagers from Japantown, San Francisco, whose lives are uprooted following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent mass incarceration of Japanese Americans. Traci Chee masterfully weaves together fourteen distinct voices, showcasing the diverse ways young people respond to trauma, from anger and rebellion to quiet endurance and hope. While the historical context is heavy, the story is grounded in the universal teenage search for belonging, friendship, and first love. It is best suited for readers aged 12 and up due to its sophisticated structure and unflinching look at racism and the realities of incarceration.
