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danyell919's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this memoir. I could feel everything Waka felt, even though we have totally different life experiences. Books don't often bring me to tears, but this one did. I really enjoyed it!
library_kb's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I read this book in one day--it was highly interesting to see how the author experienced the cultural differences when they were sent to live with their grandma in Japan for several months. It was written in a really easy to read style. The author doesn't draw specific conclusions and some of the plot threads seem unfinished, but I think on purpose because it follows the complexities of real life.
jshettel's review against another edition
3.0
Lovely middle grade memoir about finding yourself and your culture.
lizbtc's review against another edition
4.0
It wasn't that Waka didn't understand her mother when her mother asked her to do something; she understood Japanese. It's that she pretended not to hear her.
And so that is how Waka, 12, who was born and raised in Kansas, ends up being sent to live in Japan for five months, staying with a grandmother she barely knows. Because her parents, both born and raised in Japan, want her to be able to read and write and understand Japanese.
This is set in 1980s Japan, and tells the author's own story of being sent to Tokyo to go to school to improve her speaking, reading, and writing Japanese.
So much to like! Especially the small details of Waka's life in Japan, including the way to decorate your backpack. I also loved that while there were differences between Japan and Kansas it's never done in an "ugh, that's dumb/yucky" way. Sometimes it is in a "ok, that's different" way, like when Waka learns how to wash her clothes each night on a washboard (mainly because her grandmother is old fashioned.)
The grandmother: one great thing is that her grandmother is grumpy and because this is real story, there is no magical change in character. What happens is Waka, and the reader, has a bit more understanding and perhaps empathy and sympathy for someone who has had a hard life, and who has been made hard by that life.
After reading this, I wanted to visit Tokyo; eat all the food Waka ate; and shop in stationary stores.
And so that is how Waka, 12, who was born and raised in Kansas, ends up being sent to live in Japan for five months, staying with a grandmother she barely knows. Because her parents, both born and raised in Japan, want her to be able to read and write and understand Japanese.
This is set in 1980s Japan, and tells the author's own story of being sent to Tokyo to go to school to improve her speaking, reading, and writing Japanese.
So much to like! Especially the small details of Waka's life in Japan, including the way to decorate your backpack. I also loved that while there were differences between Japan and Kansas it's never done in an "ugh, that's dumb/yucky" way. Sometimes it is in a "ok, that's different" way, like when Waka learns how to wash her clothes each night on a washboard (mainly because her grandmother is old fashioned.)
The grandmother: one great thing is that her grandmother is grumpy and because this is real story, there is no magical change in character. What happens is Waka, and the reader, has a bit more understanding and perhaps empathy and sympathy for someone who has had a hard life, and who has been made hard by that life.
After reading this, I wanted to visit Tokyo; eat all the food Waka ate; and shop in stationary stores.
audreylee's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This bittersweet memoir allows us to enter the world of an American girl sent back to school in Japan to increase her understanding of her parents' native language. Culture shock, family relations, and school woes are woven into a beautiful story with joy, sadness, and regret.
emi_coh's review against another edition
5.0
Honest, powerful, and well-written. (oh and there's a character with the same name as me!!!!?!!!!!!?!!!!!!!!!!)
tamikan's review against another edition
3.0
I'm definitely in the minority here. I loved learning about Japanese culture, but I found the majority of the book kind of boring.