Part of this story takes place in the Japanese interment camps during World War II which is what drew me to the book. I always liked history and I actually read the assignments and paid attention in class. Imagine my astonishment when I found out around the age of 30, that my own country and rounded up American citizens and put them in camps because they were of Japanese ancestry. That seems to have been left out of the history books when I was in school. This is a wonderful book that takes us into the lives of those that lived in Seattle at that time. Through flashbacks we learn the story of Henry (despite the name he is Chinese). He got a scholarship to an exclusive elementary school. The white kids either ignore him or tease him. School becomes bearable when he meets Keiko, a young Japanese-American girl. They become close friends. One day she is taken away in the evacuations.
In present day, Henry is a recent widower who is having a hard time dealing with his loss and communicating with his son. A discovery is made in the basement of an old hotel. There are boxes and belongings of the Japanese-American families. Could Henry find a trace of Keiko's past in that basement? You will have to read the book to find out! Well written and a good peek into an embarrassing part of American history.
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