Beneath the Wide Silk Sky by Emily Inouye Huey
Publisher: Scholastic
Special thanks to Scholastic for sending a copy for review.
Summary:
Sam Sakamoto doesn’t have space in her life for dreams. With the recent death of her mother, Sam’s focus is the farm, which her family will lose if they can’t make one last payment. There’s no time for her secret and unrealistic hope of becoming a photographer, no matter how skilled she’s become. But Sam doesn’t know that an even bigger threat looms on the horizon.
On December 7, 1941, Japanese airplanes attack the US naval base at Pearl Harbor. Fury towards Japanese Americans ignites across the country. In Sam’s community in Washington State, the attack gives those who already harbor prejudice an excuse to hate.
As Sam’s family wrestles with intensifying discrimination and even violence, Sam forges a new and unexpected friendship with her neighbor Hiro Tanaka. When he offers Sam a way to resume her photography, she realizes she can document the bigotry around her — if she’s willing to take the risk. When the United States announces that those of Japanese descent will be forced into “relocation camps,” Sam knows she must act or lose her voice forever. She engages in one last battle to leave with her identity — and her family — intact (Goodreads).
Thoughts:
Set in America during the 1940’s, Beneath the Wide Silk Sky is a heartbreaking and beautiful story about the struggles of a Japanese American girl who dares to dream during World War II. I felt the powerful emotions and moods captured all throughout the novel, and although the writing style didn’t suit my taste, I enjoyed the book nonetheless. Its themes of racism and social class, along with its characterization, helped build the atmosphere of a vivid historical fiction.
The novel portrays the problems of racism and social class in very honest ways. This story is set in America during the 1940’s during a time where prejudice against Japanese people was widespread during World War II, and where unfair laws were placed against Japanese-Americans. The protagonist, Sam, along with her family and friends, struggle to make enough money and to keep their farming and shopkeeping jobs. The suspense that the author creates around these risks, and the different ways things went right and wrong, gripped me and made me root for the characters. The characters also face many instances of harassment, bullying, and even violence. I liked how the author doesn’t shy away from the brutal reality of it. The author explored these themes in an honest way. This makes readers truly put themselves in Sam’s shoes and look at problems of racism and discrimination in the modern day world around them.
The characterization is excellently written, especially in a way that makes them feel very “real.” They all have their own struggles, flaws, and insecurities that actually contribute to the story; such as Kiki’s self-centeredness and Mr. Tanaka’s tendency to be reckless when fighting for what’s right. These escalate into incidents as seen in the violence Sam and Kiki face in the latter part of the book, and Mr. Tanaka’s rebuttals and protests that lead to his arrest.
Furthermore, the characters and their varying relationships with one another also caught my attention; for example, the parent-child relationships, brief romantic relationships that defied social class rules, and even Sam’s friendship with Ruth which made her rethink her perception of the people around her. I especially loved the variety of bonds between the characters, and how they each had their own moments of vulnerability. The characters’ strengths and weaknesses, along with their relationships with others, which I appreciated since it adds more depth to the novel’s theme and genre.
While the characterization and themes were explored in great detail, I found the writing lacking in the same richness. It didn’t have the detail one would expect from a historical fiction, especially at the beginning where it started off extremely slow and uneventful. Although the book picked up its pace around the 40% mark, I still found myself skimming many sections of it. I wished that I could’ve seen more of Sam’s life at the ending, and learned what happened to their farmland and how they adjusted to their new life. It also would have been better to learn more about the Japanese relocation camps that she and her family were going to; this made the book seem like it ended while many strings were still untied.
Despite its shortfalls, I quite enjoyed Beneath the Wide Silk Sky. It beautifully explores the social problem of racism and the importance of dreaming big during difficult times. I highly recommend it!
Reviewed by Raamiya A.