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A review by ashylibrarian
While I Was Away by Waka T. Brown
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
**Thank you to NetGalley, author Waka T. Brown, and HarperCollins Children's Books for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**
Wow, what an amazing debut novel by Waka T. Brown. This memoir is full of emotion, inspiration, frustration, and self-discovery. Brown shares her story of traveling alone and living in Japan with her Obaasama (grandmother) for five months in 1983-'84. She shares the raw emotion behind not wanting to go by herself and attend the local Japanese school along with the adventures that helped her to discover who she truly wanted to be.
One of the pieces of this story that I absolutely loved was the Japanese culture intricately woven throughout. Brown added in the Japanese spelling and writing for words with descriptions of what they meant, shared traditions of food and dress, described the beautiful natural scenery of Japanese streets, and so much more. This was a really interesting part of the story for me as a reader because I was able to learn more about the life that Brown and her family grew up in, and her descriptions made it easy for me to paint the pictures in my head.
The writing is engaging but not too mature for the intended audience. Brown does a wonderful job shaping together words and stories that brings her experiences to life. I also really hope that the final edition will keep the images throughout. This was a great addition to the story and did not take away from the writing or age-level at all. I really enjoyed seeing the flowers, letters, and words that Brown was experiencing in those moments.
The one thing that did stand out a bit was the pace of the story for the audience. Though this is written from a middle-grade perspective, I think the content of the story is more suited for a young adult reader and up. By this, I mean that the content is not quick-paced and action-packed (not a bad thing!), but because of this, I am not sure how interested middle-grade readers would be in the story. As a new-adult-aged reader, I was really invested in Brown's story and found it engaging to learn so much about her experience with American and Japanese cultural overlaps and the traditional Japanese culture that is woven throughout, but for a younger reader, this may not be as appealing because there was not a ton of "high-intensity" moments.
Overall, though, I see this as a book that I will recommend in the future for those looking for an interesting, engaging, and inspiring nonfiction memoir.
Wow, what an amazing debut novel by Waka T. Brown. This memoir is full of emotion, inspiration, frustration, and self-discovery. Brown shares her story of traveling alone and living in Japan with her Obaasama (grandmother) for five months in 1983-'84. She shares the raw emotion behind not wanting to go by herself and attend the local Japanese school along with the adventures that helped her to discover who she truly wanted to be.
One of the pieces of this story that I absolutely loved was the Japanese culture intricately woven throughout. Brown added in the Japanese spelling and writing for words with descriptions of what they meant, shared traditions of food and dress, described the beautiful natural scenery of Japanese streets, and so much more. This was a really interesting part of the story for me as a reader because I was able to learn more about the life that Brown and her family grew up in, and her descriptions made it easy for me to paint the pictures in my head.
The writing is engaging but not too mature for the intended audience. Brown does a wonderful job shaping together words and stories that brings her experiences to life. I also really hope that the final edition will keep the images throughout. This was a great addition to the story and did not take away from the writing or age-level at all. I really enjoyed seeing the flowers, letters, and words that Brown was experiencing in those moments.
The one thing that did stand out a bit was the pace of the story for the audience. Though this is written from a middle-grade perspective, I think the content of the story is more suited for a young adult reader and up. By this, I mean that the content is not quick-paced and action-packed (not a bad thing!), but because of this, I am not sure how interested middle-grade readers would be in the story. As a new-adult-aged reader, I was really invested in Brown's story and found it engaging to learn so much about her experience with American and Japanese cultural overlaps and the traditional Japanese culture that is woven throughout, but for a younger reader, this may not be as appealing because there was not a ton of "high-intensity" moments.
Overall, though, I see this as a book that I will recommend in the future for those looking for an interesting, engaging, and inspiring nonfiction memoir.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Child abuse
Minor: Cancer and Death
brief discussions of body image; death of a family member