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A review by crystal_reading
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
4.0
I am listening to Weedflower on CD. I have enjoyed getting to know Sumiko. Kadohota presents Sumiko as a young girl trying to find her way during a difficult time for her family. The children have trials, but they also find ways to have fun while they are kept in their internment camp. In some ways, the children like the freedom that they have in the camp. They eat and play with their friends every day. But in this situation, family ties wear down.
I found it interesting that the camp was on reservation land. Since Sumiko becomes friends with a Mohave boy it is easy to start seeing parallels with the Mohave and Japanese. They were not granted the same freedoms that other citizens had. Like, I didn't realize that there were states that did not grant Native Americans the right to vote even after the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. Some states used residency laws and other technicalities to keep Indians from voting up until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It just blows my mind. Also, it was interesting/sad that even the Japanese were given electricity and ice, but the Mohave didn't have such luxuries.
I have learned a lot while reading this book, but it isn't just a book about discrimination. It is also a book about perseverance, friendship, and family. It is definitely worth the time.
As usual with historical fiction, I was curious about the history as I read, so I picked up the non-fiction book Children of Manzanar. It was very helpful to see what a camp looked like and to see that the children had good times there along with tough times. It was sad to hear about the breakdown of families and the loss of their belongings. There were so many things done to them. It is difficult to accept man's inhumanity to man. On a side note, Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams were the photographers for some of the pictures featured. I have since found out that at the time, Dorothea's photos were kept hidden for the duration of the war. I am guessing our politicians didn't think it looked very good for the United States to also have places that looked like concentration camps. To see what Poston (the camp in Weedflower) looked like, you can visit the Poston Internment Camp blog.
For younger readers, I would also recommend the middle grade book Syvia and Aki which is based on the experiences of two young girls. The picture books are also fantastic.
For more titles on this topic, visit Cynthia Leitich Smith's Page
I found it interesting that the camp was on reservation land. Since Sumiko becomes friends with a Mohave boy it is easy to start seeing parallels with the Mohave and Japanese. They were not granted the same freedoms that other citizens had. Like, I didn't realize that there were states that did not grant Native Americans the right to vote even after the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. Some states used residency laws and other technicalities to keep Indians from voting up until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It just blows my mind. Also, it was interesting/sad that even the Japanese were given electricity and ice, but the Mohave didn't have such luxuries.
I have learned a lot while reading this book, but it isn't just a book about discrimination. It is also a book about perseverance, friendship, and family. It is definitely worth the time.
As usual with historical fiction, I was curious about the history as I read, so I picked up the non-fiction book Children of Manzanar. It was very helpful to see what a camp looked like and to see that the children had good times there along with tough times. It was sad to hear about the breakdown of families and the loss of their belongings. There were so many things done to them. It is difficult to accept man's inhumanity to man. On a side note, Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams were the photographers for some of the pictures featured. I have since found out that at the time, Dorothea's photos were kept hidden for the duration of the war. I am guessing our politicians didn't think it looked very good for the United States to also have places that looked like concentration camps. To see what Poston (the camp in Weedflower) looked like, you can visit the Poston Internment Camp blog.
For younger readers, I would also recommend the middle grade book Syvia and Aki which is based on the experiences of two young girls. The picture books are also fantastic.
For more titles on this topic, visit Cynthia Leitich Smith's Page