Beneath The Wide Silk Sky

 By Emily Inouye Henry

Young Adult Fiction

Reviewed by Julie from the Altona Branch

    Emily Inouye Henry, the author of Beneath The Wide Silk Sky, is the daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter of Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War II.  Beneath The Wide Silk Sky is a Young Adult historical fiction novel about the fear and bigotry that lead to the discrimination and violence towards innocent people during World War II.

    Sam Sakamoto is a 16 year old girl with a dream of becoming a photographer, but it's only a dream.  Her family is on the verge of losing the family farm and money is too scarce to even buy a roll of film for her old box camera.  Her best friend Beau encourages her to enter a statewide photography contest for amateur photographers and even offers to buy her a roll of film.

    Then, on December 7, 1941, Japanese airplanes attack the US naval base at Pearl Harbor and Sam's world is changed forever.  Fear causes the American people to react with racism and bigotry towards the American Japanese people.  Sam loses her best friend, Beau, she is no longer welcome at their table for lunch at school and she is called names and ostracized.  Japanese businesses are attacked and FBI agents arrest community friends and neighbours over fear of them being spies.  Cameras are banned and Sam's beloved old box camera gets confiscated.  Curfews and travel bans are implemented and Sam's family lives in fear of being taken to a relocation camp.  What she has left is a growing friendship with Hiro, a neighbour whose father has been incarcerated.  Hiro was able to hide his father's new Leica camera from authorities and he gives it to Sam.  Together, Hiro and Sam search for the perfect photo to enter in the photography contest.  It is dangerous and even powerful to have a camera and Hiro tells Sam that she must use it to document what is happening in their country.  They might not be able to do anything with the pictures right now, but they're important and someday they will be able to show the world what happened.

    In the author's own words, "Unfortunately, racism, hysteria, failing political leadership and economic competition all still exist in our society today.  I chose to write about the time before the internment because in a way we're always at a point before injustice.  The question of how we will act, and of how we will define our society, is always before us."

    This is a powerful, thought provoking book.

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