Julie Otsuka - When The Emperor Was Divine

Pros: Emphasis on a sometimes glossed-over part of history; well-written, lyrical, concise...

Cons: Anonymity of characters may be a barrier for some...

The Bottom Line: Don't forget the past. Even the ugly parts.

Review: There's no greater thrill for a teacher than finding a new book that will work in the classroom--and for me, that thrill came when I discovered "When the Emperor Was Divine," Julia Otsuka's novel about the Japanese Internment Camps during World War II. ...

Pros: Brevity, the beauty of the writing, the sadness.

Cons: Not a one.

The Bottom Line: Lovely and lyrical, Otsuka presents a stark account of what it must have felt like to be a Japanese American child in an internment camp.

Review: The imprisonment of American citizens of Japanese descent, post Pearl Harbor, remains one of those open, gaping wounds of despicable behavior in our country’s history. Most of the historical tomes and novels of WWII fail to address the country’s ...

Pros: Poetic prose, if not a little brief. Important subject matter skillfully rendered.

Cons: Seemingly brief, and the characters are unnamed, which only mildly stifles the language

The Bottom Line: Not action-packed, but definitely a must-read.

Review: The international conflict that eventually became known as World War II affected more just than the soldiers fighting it: Mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, victims of war and victors of war are all touched by the war and its devastation. It is ...