A review by nursenell
The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner

5.0

Excellent book about a Japanese American teenager, Mariko, and a German American teenager, Elise, who meet at an interment camp in Crystal City, Texas. They become best friends despite the fact the the German Americans and Japanese Americans try to avoid one another within the camp. Elise is from Iowa, Mariko from Los Angeles. They are both U.S. citizens by virtue of being born in the U.S. Their parents are resident aliens who had been in this country two decades but had not gotten around to becoming naturalized, which until the paranoia of WWII wasn't a problem. The story follows Elise and Mariko as they, along with the parents and siblings, are sent back to Germany and Japan, countries neither teenager has ever lived in. The bond the two girls formed is strong but will it stand the test of time and distance?