abitbetterbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
It feels difficult to describe and rate a book that feels both deeply personal and also impossibly foreign. My own grandparents were interned in camps during WWII in Canada, and I am always searching for stories that can help me make some sense of that experience. After having read The Swimmers, also by Julie Otsuka, I really wanted something that dealt with the subject more directly and not just alluded to. When the Emperor Was Divine definitely fit that bill.
The American- and Canadian- Japanese experience was different, of course, but there were many similarities and notes that made it feel like a gut punch and also a ghost. I’m not exactly sure how else to describe it. I think the telling of a lot of this story through the eyes of children was a brilliant choice.
The American- and Canadian- Japanese experience was different, of course, but there were many similarities and notes that made it feel like a gut punch and also a ghost. I’m not exactly sure how else to describe it. I think the telling of a lot of this story through the eyes of children was a brilliant choice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, War, Confinement, and Racial slurs
Minor: Deportation
sharonus's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Racism, and War
vchetty's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
protoflux's review against another edition
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Racism, and Murder
tomato_bisque's review against another edition
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
"And remember, its better to bend than to break."
Fast-paced story about the forced confinement of Japanese people during the 2nd world war. Its mostly about people keeping their head down to survive. Its one thing to read about the conditions of the camps in a textbook, but its another to read about how mind-numbingly boring and hopeless they were.
Fast-paced story about the forced confinement of Japanese people during the 2nd world war. Its mostly about people keeping their head down to survive. Its one thing to read about the conditions of the camps in a textbook, but its another to read about how mind-numbingly boring and hopeless they were.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Racism, and Xenophobia
grey_writes_love's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deportation, Racism, Confinement, and Animal death
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
paperpoppy's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Racism, Violence, and War
directorpurry's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Confinement, Xenophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, and Animal death
Moderate: Torture and War
stephalopuff's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The last chapter of this book is powerful and stands on its own as a poem, for sure.
My star rating is reflective more of the audiobook than the book itself. Do yourself a favor and read a hardcopy. The narrator sounded so prim and proper, her style of narration felt inappropriate for the subject matter and the way the book itself was written. That being said, the book itself feels a little detached from its audience - do I dare say a SparkNotes of the characters' experiences? I'd like to read more detailed, thorough accounts of Japanese internment.
My star rating is reflective more of the audiobook than the book itself. Do yourself a favor and read a hardcopy. The narrator sounded so prim and proper, her style of narration felt inappropriate for the subject matter and the way the book itself was written. That being said, the book itself feels a little detached from its audience - do I dare say a SparkNotes of the characters' experiences? I'd like to read more detailed, thorough accounts of Japanese internment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs
Moderate: Racism, War, Deportation, and Colonisation
erinblue's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Animal death
Moderate: War