Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky
Sandra Dallas
Book summary:
Everything changed in Tomi Itano’s life when Japanese pilots bombed Pearl Harbor. America declared war on Japan, and the USA officially joined the Allies in World War Two. That’s when the American people began to suspect every single person of Japanese descent of being spies for Japan.
Tomi’s father is arrested, and she and the rest of her family are sent to an internment camp in Colorado, called Tallgrass.
Tomi must learn to cope with the hard life of living in an internment camp for four years. Once her pop is back with them, she tells herself, everything will be all right.
But when Tomi’s father does arrive at Tallgrass, prison has changed him. He has started to hate the country that he once loved so fiercely. Can Tomi bring back her pop back to what he used to be before she grows as bitter as him?
Year published: 2014
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Illustrator: none
Religion/ belief system: Unknown: mentions church and praying
Profanity and violence: mentions of war, mentions death
Drinking, drugs, smoking: none
Romance: none
Book type: fiction
Genre: historical
Miscellaneous: racism
Thoughts: This is the second time I’ve read this book, and I closed it with a smile on my face. A great insight into what Japanese American had to go through during WW2. Also, if you couldn’t tell already, I love WW2 novels. Probably one of my favorite historical eras!
I read this book after seeing Mia’s post and it is such a sweet story. It really challenged me to think about the ways America has fallen short of such high expectations and, though this isn’t detailed in the book, its desperate need for a Savior. Great recommendation Mia! Thanks for these posts! 🩷