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adenacohen's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
tsundokuq's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
civicsqueen's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely a different perspective on internment camps. I had no idea that they had German families in a camp.
meganac's review against another edition
3.0
I liked it but didn't love it - it isn't the kind of book that sticks with me, and maybe that's just a book/person mismatch.
It's set in a Japanese/German internment camp and flips back and forth between a German girl and a Japanese girl and how they interact with each other, and I'm all for little-covered periods of history. We don't think about how cruel the suspicion and hatred we directed towards our German/Japanese citizens was, and how close we may be to falling into the same thing today. The book gives a fantastic look into the tension of the time, the struggles of individuals to follow the law and reconcile it with their personal beliefs, and little nuances of camp life that you don't get from the history books.
The story flips back and forth between the two girls' points of view, which made it a little tricky to follow at times although the audiobook is nicely done. Not sure I'd recommend it just because I wasn't sucked in the way I like to be, but it wasn't bad.
It's set in a Japanese/German internment camp and flips back and forth between a German girl and a Japanese girl and how they interact with each other, and I'm all for little-covered periods of history. We don't think about how cruel the suspicion and hatred we directed towards our German/Japanese citizens was, and how close we may be to falling into the same thing today. The book gives a fantastic look into the tension of the time, the struggles of individuals to follow the law and reconcile it with their personal beliefs, and little nuances of camp life that you don't get from the history books.
The story flips back and forth between the two girls' points of view, which made it a little tricky to follow at times although the audiobook is nicely done. Not sure I'd recommend it just because I wasn't sucked in the way I like to be, but it wasn't bad.
noajasmine's review against another edition
2.0
I have never read a book about German Americans in internment camps so there was quite a bit to learn from this one. However, I felt underwhelmed and was kind of waiting for this one to end.
larkin21's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
pianorunner421's review against another edition
4.0
I love reading stores about WWII. Engel though this is young adult literature, I would recommend it to all readers. This is a part of the US participation in the war that is not often explored or discussed.
emmirosereads's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to TheNovl for sending me an advanced copy in exchange for a review
"I don't want you to ever forget where you are. You are a prisoner here. I don't care if you have a new friend, or if there's a school newspaper, or if there are books in the new library, or if there are community picnics. Or if there's a football team everyone comes out to cheer for. At the end of the day you're a prisoner in the only way that matters. If our family wanted to leave they wouldn't let you."
If this review makes little to no sense I'm apologizing in advance because I'm just filled with so much emotion after finishing this beautiful book. I don't have enough of the right words to express everything I feel.
"I don't want you to ever forget where you are. You are a prisoner here. I don't care if you have a new friend, or if there's a school newspaper, or if there are books in the new library, or if there are community picnics. Or if there's a football team everyone comes out to cheer for. At the end of the day you're a prisoner in the only way that matters. If our family wanted to leave they wouldn't let you."
If this review makes little to no sense I'm apologizing in advance because I'm just filled with so much emotion after finishing this beautiful book. I don't have enough of the right words to express everything I feel.
tallulahk's review against another edition
3.0
The characters in The War Outside-Margot, who loses pieces of her family and life in Iowa day by day, and Haruko, who worries about the lies inside her family and within Crystal City-really make this book unforgettably. Some of the plot’s major developments came at the end of the book, which really changed the way that I viewed the characters' interactions.