What do you think?
Rate this book
The Red Kimono: A Novel
In 1941, racial tensions are rising in the California community where nine-year-old Sachiko Kimura and her seventeen-year-old brother, Nobu, live. Japan has attacked Pearl Harbor, people are angry, and one night, Sachiko and Nobu witness three teenage boys taunting and beating their father in the park. Sachiko especially remembers Terrence Harris, the boy with dark skin and hazel eyes, and Nobu cannot believe the boys capable of such violence toward his father are actually his friends.
What Sachiko and Nobu do not know is that Terrence’s family had received a telegram that morning with news that Terrence’s father was killed at Pearl Harbor. Desperate to escape his pain, Terrence rushes from his home and runs into two high-school friends who convince him to find a Japanese man and get revenge. They do not know the man they attacked is Sachiko and Nobu’s father.
In the months that follow, Terrence is convicted of his crime and Sachiko and Nobu are sent to an internment camp in Arkansas, a fictionalized version of the two camps that actually existed in Arkansas during the war. While behind bars and barbed wire, each of the three young people will go through dramatic changes. One will learn acceptance. One will remain imprisoned by resentment, and one will seek a path to forgiveness.
What Sachiko and Nobu do not know is that Terrence’s family had received a telegram that morning with news that Terrence’s father was killed at Pearl Harbor. Desperate to escape his pain, Terrence rushes from his home and runs into two high-school friends who convince him to find a Japanese man and get revenge. They do not know the man they attacked is Sachiko and Nobu’s father.
In the months that follow, Terrence is convicted of his crime and Sachiko and Nobu are sent to an internment camp in Arkansas, a fictionalized version of the two camps that actually existed in Arkansas during the war. While behind bars and barbed wire, each of the three young people will go through dramatic changes. One will learn acceptance. One will remain imprisoned by resentment, and one will seek a path to forgiveness.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2011
5 people are currently reading
1171 people want to read
About the author
Jan Morrill
11 books17 followersJan Morrill was born and (mostly) raised in California. Her mother, a Buddhist Japanese American, was an internee at Tule Lake and Topaz during World War II. Her father, a Southern Baptist redhead of Irish descent, retired from the Air Force.
Her award-winning historical fiction, The Red Kimono,(University of Arkansas Press, 2013) and other short stories and memoir essays, reflect growing up in a multicultural, multi-religious, multi-political background.
While working on the sequel to The Red Kimono, Jan teaches writing workshops and speaks about the history of the Japanese American internment.
Her award-winning historical fiction, The Red Kimono,(University of Arkansas Press, 2013) and other short stories and memoir essays, reflect growing up in a multicultural, multi-religious, multi-political background.
While working on the sequel to The Red Kimono, Jan teaches writing workshops and speaks about the history of the Japanese American internment.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
May 28, 2013
The Red Kimono is more than a story about the injustice done to American citizens of Japanese descent during WWII. It's a story about hate and how letting hate against a race cloud your judgement against a person. Gee, how timely. After Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941 the United States government rounded up all of the Japanese immigrants and their children - who were citizens - and interned them in several camps located throughout the West. Their property was taken and many men were removed from families for no other reason than for communicating with family back home in Japan.
In this novel one Japanese family's story is told and interwoven with the tale of a young African American boy whose father is killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. The teenaged sons of the families, Nobu and Terrance had been friends until a fateful event that shreds that friendship and sends Terrance to jail while Nobu ends up interred. Terrance fights white on black prejudice in jail while Nobu tries to comprehend why he as an American citizen is being locked up for nothing more than the color of his skin.
The daughter of the family, Sachi finds a freedom in the camp that the adults don't. For the first time she finds children that look just like she does. She is not an outsider but her strongest friendship is with a young Arkansan named Jubie. She does not understand why her mother does not like Jubie.
The book tells its story in alternating voices; Sachi's, Nobu's and Terrance's. Each chapter moves a bit forward and allows the reader to get to know these three characters just a little bit better while also providing different bits and pieces about the other major characters in the book. The confusion of having one's whole world taken away for no good reason. The rage and pain at the senseless loss of a loved one. The confusion and hurt of a friend betraying that friendship in the worst possible way. All of this and so much more is shared through these three voices. Ms. Morrill does an excellent job of keeping her three main characters separate and in telling a very powerful story. My only complaint at all was in how it ended; it seemed to happen all rushed. Almost as if there were a finite number of pages to fill and all of the action had to happen in those few pages. The bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Minor mention of the bomb on Nagasaki. BIG FAMILY DECISION. And it was over. There is to be a sequel and I am very happy about that but I still felt quite rushed at the end of this book.
I do feel, though, that this is a book that should be read because it is so much more than a novel about the interments during WWII. It's got great lessons for all us regarding hate.
In this novel one Japanese family's story is told and interwoven with the tale of a young African American boy whose father is killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. The teenaged sons of the families, Nobu and Terrance had been friends until a fateful event that shreds that friendship and sends Terrance to jail while Nobu ends up interred. Terrance fights white on black prejudice in jail while Nobu tries to comprehend why he as an American citizen is being locked up for nothing more than the color of his skin.
The daughter of the family, Sachi finds a freedom in the camp that the adults don't. For the first time she finds children that look just like she does. She is not an outsider but her strongest friendship is with a young Arkansan named Jubie. She does not understand why her mother does not like Jubie.
The book tells its story in alternating voices; Sachi's, Nobu's and Terrance's. Each chapter moves a bit forward and allows the reader to get to know these three characters just a little bit better while also providing different bits and pieces about the other major characters in the book. The confusion of having one's whole world taken away for no good reason. The rage and pain at the senseless loss of a loved one. The confusion and hurt of a friend betraying that friendship in the worst possible way. All of this and so much more is shared through these three voices. Ms. Morrill does an excellent job of keeping her three main characters separate and in telling a very powerful story. My only complaint at all was in how it ended; it seemed to happen all rushed. Almost as if there were a finite number of pages to fill and all of the action had to happen in those few pages. The bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Minor mention of the bomb on Nagasaki. BIG FAMILY DECISION. And it was over. There is to be a sequel and I am very happy about that but I still felt quite rushed at the end of this book.
I do feel, though, that this is a book that should be read because it is so much more than a novel about the interments during WWII. It's got great lessons for all us regarding hate.
October 1, 2014
A Read Out Loud Kind of Tale!
The Red Kimono is one of those stories that demands it be read out loud. The second you start reading it for yourself, you want to share it with others.
In my case, I started reading it out loud to my husband on a recent road trip. While he drove, I sat in the passenger seat reading the story out loud from my Kindle. As we traveled over miles and miles of two-lane blacktop and interstate, the countryside flashed passed and we were quickly immersed in the lives of Sachi, Nobu, and Terrence. Through these characters, we experienced what it is like to live the American dream one second and lose your freedom the next.
Ms. Morrill writes with such emotional impact, that several times I had to stop reading to compose myself before I continued. Compelling storytelling at its best. The characters bring history alive in this beautiful tale of friendship, enduring love, hardship, racial injustice, and acceptance. There are powerful life lessons embedded in this narrative that takes place in the early years of WWII.
A smooth and enjoyable read, I highly recommend it to people from all walks of life. We can all learn from Sachi, Nobu, and Terrence.
Kathleen M. Rodgers, author of the The Final Salute and Johnnie Come Lately
The Red Kimono is one of those stories that demands it be read out loud. The second you start reading it for yourself, you want to share it with others.
In my case, I started reading it out loud to my husband on a recent road trip. While he drove, I sat in the passenger seat reading the story out loud from my Kindle. As we traveled over miles and miles of two-lane blacktop and interstate, the countryside flashed passed and we were quickly immersed in the lives of Sachi, Nobu, and Terrence. Through these characters, we experienced what it is like to live the American dream one second and lose your freedom the next.
Ms. Morrill writes with such emotional impact, that several times I had to stop reading to compose myself before I continued. Compelling storytelling at its best. The characters bring history alive in this beautiful tale of friendship, enduring love, hardship, racial injustice, and acceptance. There are powerful life lessons embedded in this narrative that takes place in the early years of WWII.
A smooth and enjoyable read, I highly recommend it to people from all walks of life. We can all learn from Sachi, Nobu, and Terrence.
Kathleen M. Rodgers, author of the The Final Salute and Johnnie Come Lately
February 7, 2014
Beautifully written book about one of the many sad events in American history. Not just WWII, but how honest Japanese-American citizens were rounded up and placed in internment camps. The author's mother was one of those detained, and though the story is fiction you can feel the authentic nature of a personal family story coming through on every page. There are also other characters dealing with judgments and limitations based on the color of their skin woven through the story. Highly recommend. Some mild language and mature subject matter, but I have recommended it to my teenage daughters. Looking forward to the sequel!
August 30, 2013
Morrill's historical fiction novel about a Japanese family in an internment camp is engaging and believable. Highly recommended to anyone interested in the subject.
October 22, 2025
I loved reading The Red Kimono. It is an eye-opening story about a different perspective of World War II. The book was well-paced and easy to read, plus had some deep emotions and a twist I wasn't expecting. Thanks for the good read, Jan Morrill.
December 19, 2013
The Kimura family suffers after Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. Nine-year-old Sachiko and her teenage brother, Nobu, live in California. Their father is a banker. Nobu's black friend, Terrence, finds out his father was killed at Pearl Harbor. He wanders town in a rage and runs into two white friends who are looking to cause trouble. Terrence tells them about his father's death and they decide to look for a "Jap" to beat up. They find Sachiko and Nobu's father in the park and nearly kill him. Terrence didn't realize the man they attacked is Nobu's father. Terrence feels terrible and is ashamed.
While Mr. Kimura is in the hospital, the FBI takes him away. He dies during transport. Terrence goes to jail for manslaughter. The Kimuras are ordered to leave their home after President Franklin D. Roosevelt issues Executive Order 9066. The order declares military zones, enabling the government to remove and incarcerate people of Japanese ancestry. Mrs. Kimura needs to sell everything and vultures arrive to take advantage of their desperation. They're taken to Santa Anita and live in horse tables. Then they're taken to camp in Rohwer, Arkansas.
Sachiko befriends a black girl, Jubie. They're BFFs, but Mrs. Kimura doesn't approve because Jubie is black. She reminds Sachiko that a black person killed her father. Sachiko can't believe her mother would judge Jubie because of her race, exactly as the government is doing to them for being Japanese.
Nobu answers "No" and "No" to a loyalty questionnaire and gets sent to Tule Lake. This angers his mother because she thinks Nobu is causing trouble.
Loyalty Questionnaire Info From Densho Website:
Two questions became the focus of concern and confusion for many people.
Question #27 asked:
Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty, wherever ordered?
Question #28 asked:
Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the United States of America and faithfully defend the United States from any and all attack by foreign or domestic forces, and forswear any form of allegiance to the Japanese Emperor or any other foreign government, power, or organization?
Answering "yes" to #28 would've implied there was previous allegiance to Japan. The questions were poorly worded.
Miraculously, Mr. Kimura shows up at Rohwer. Sachiko finds him and can't believe her father is still alive. It's cheesy like a soap opera where characters never really die. Another Japanese man in the hospital died when the FBI were taking them away. Their identities got mixed up. Mr. Kimura had trouble finding his family for over a year. The US drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, where Mrs. Kimura's parents live. She decides to leave the family to find her parents.
Moral of the story: Racism is bad.
https://www.facebook.com/CatOverlord
http://catoverlord.blogspot.com/2013/...
While Mr. Kimura is in the hospital, the FBI takes him away. He dies during transport. Terrence goes to jail for manslaughter. The Kimuras are ordered to leave their home after President Franklin D. Roosevelt issues Executive Order 9066. The order declares military zones, enabling the government to remove and incarcerate people of Japanese ancestry. Mrs. Kimura needs to sell everything and vultures arrive to take advantage of their desperation. They're taken to Santa Anita and live in horse tables. Then they're taken to camp in Rohwer, Arkansas.
Sachiko befriends a black girl, Jubie. They're BFFs, but Mrs. Kimura doesn't approve because Jubie is black. She reminds Sachiko that a black person killed her father. Sachiko can't believe her mother would judge Jubie because of her race, exactly as the government is doing to them for being Japanese.
Nobu answers "No" and "No" to a loyalty questionnaire and gets sent to Tule Lake. This angers his mother because she thinks Nobu is causing trouble.
Loyalty Questionnaire Info From Densho Website:
Two questions became the focus of concern and confusion for many people.
Question #27 asked:
Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty, wherever ordered?
Question #28 asked:
Will you swear unqualified allegiance to the United States of America and faithfully defend the United States from any and all attack by foreign or domestic forces, and forswear any form of allegiance to the Japanese Emperor or any other foreign government, power, or organization?
Answering "yes" to #28 would've implied there was previous allegiance to Japan. The questions were poorly worded.
Miraculously, Mr. Kimura shows up at Rohwer. Sachiko finds him and can't believe her father is still alive. It's cheesy like a soap opera where characters never really die. Another Japanese man in the hospital died when the FBI were taking them away. Their identities got mixed up. Mr. Kimura had trouble finding his family for over a year. The US drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, where Mrs. Kimura's parents live. She decides to leave the family to find her parents.
Moral of the story: Racism is bad.
https://www.facebook.com/CatOverlord
http://catoverlord.blogspot.com/2013/...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2013
Book Review: The Red Kimono by Jan Morrill
Reviewer: Jan Heck
On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor.
Japanese Americans, both naturalized and American-born, who have lived in the United States for years, suddenly face intense social and political scrutiny based on the shape of their faces, the slant of their eyes, the language they speak in the privacy of their own homes, and the cultural differences they display. . . all because of the aggressive actions of a country they’d emigrated from years ago.
A Japanese American family living in San Francisco (naturalized parents, American-born children) hear the sobering news report on the radio about the devastation at Pearl Harbor. Papa and Mama instinctively know their lives will change. Nobu (17) and Sachiko (9) gain that same understanding later that day. Harassment and bullying are fast teachers.
An African American family, originally from the deep South, receives news that John Terrence Harris has been killed during the Pearl Harbor attack, leaving 17-year-old Terrence and little sisters, Missy and Patty, fatherless.
Terrence, tormented by grief, vows revenge, gathers two friends to stalk a Japanese man, any Japanese man, and harass him. They find Papa in the park with Sachiko and attack, kicking and punching, leaving him so brutalized that he is hospitalized in a coma.
Two families: entangled in grief, sorrow, anger, hatred, disbelief, racism; yet there is hope, always hope.
The story unfolds for Nobu, Sachiko, Mama, and Terrence through alternating chapters. Each person carries burdensome memories, sorrows, emotions, and secrets too painful to voice. Nobu, Sachiko, and Mama struggle to understand their new lives without their beloved Papa in this strange Arkansas internment camp. Terrence struggles with black-white prejudice in jail. The outcomes for each of these casualties far from Pearl Harbor differ, and that is the story.
I enjoyed this book, though its themes are both humbling and haunting: man’s inhumanity to man brings sorrow and disrupted lives. Tragic circumstances combine to create a compelling story, and Morrill weaves it all together in her highly successful first novel.
You can find Jan Morrill on her website and her blog, Jan Morrill Writes.
You can read the original review here: http://janiceheck.wordpress.com/2013/...
Reviewer: Jan Heck
On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor.
Japanese Americans, both naturalized and American-born, who have lived in the United States for years, suddenly face intense social and political scrutiny based on the shape of their faces, the slant of their eyes, the language they speak in the privacy of their own homes, and the cultural differences they display. . . all because of the aggressive actions of a country they’d emigrated from years ago.
A Japanese American family living in San Francisco (naturalized parents, American-born children) hear the sobering news report on the radio about the devastation at Pearl Harbor. Papa and Mama instinctively know their lives will change. Nobu (17) and Sachiko (9) gain that same understanding later that day. Harassment and bullying are fast teachers.
An African American family, originally from the deep South, receives news that John Terrence Harris has been killed during the Pearl Harbor attack, leaving 17-year-old Terrence and little sisters, Missy and Patty, fatherless.
Terrence, tormented by grief, vows revenge, gathers two friends to stalk a Japanese man, any Japanese man, and harass him. They find Papa in the park with Sachiko and attack, kicking and punching, leaving him so brutalized that he is hospitalized in a coma.
Two families: entangled in grief, sorrow, anger, hatred, disbelief, racism; yet there is hope, always hope.
The story unfolds for Nobu, Sachiko, Mama, and Terrence through alternating chapters. Each person carries burdensome memories, sorrows, emotions, and secrets too painful to voice. Nobu, Sachiko, and Mama struggle to understand their new lives without their beloved Papa in this strange Arkansas internment camp. Terrence struggles with black-white prejudice in jail. The outcomes for each of these casualties far from Pearl Harbor differ, and that is the story.
I enjoyed this book, though its themes are both humbling and haunting: man’s inhumanity to man brings sorrow and disrupted lives. Tragic circumstances combine to create a compelling story, and Morrill weaves it all together in her highly successful first novel.
You can find Jan Morrill on her website and her blog, Jan Morrill Writes.
You can read the original review here: http://janiceheck.wordpress.com/2013/...
March 6, 2014
This book was not what I expected at all. The Red Kimono is told from the view point of 3 different people. The story begins just before Pearl Harbor is attacked. Sachi and Nobu are Japanese and after Pearl Harbor is attacked life for them becomes very hard. Terrence is black and in the same grade as Nobu. One day Terrence finds out his father was killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He becomes so angry that he attacks a Japanese man. He doesn't realize it is Nubu and Sachi's father. He didn't realize that he knew this man. Terrence is then charged with the murder of Nubu and Sachi's father. He is sent to prison for 2 years after a plea deal. After losing their father Sachi, Nobu and their mother are sent to internment camps. They are shuffled from one place to the next. Terrence starts to see how what he did was so wrong thanks to his lawyer who also helps him finish school and think about college. Sachi and Nobu's mother becomes depressed and withdrawn from them. Nothing will ever be the same for any of them. The story ends right after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. I doubt anyone reading this book will be able to predict the ending. It is a total surprise. There are so many mixed feelings about each character. What they do and how they handle things will leave the reader cheering for and rooting against the characters at the same time. An emotional read for sure. This book deals with issues of race and justice. I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
October 11, 2013
I heard the author of The Red Kimono read and share some of the story behind this novel, and was intrigued by both the book, and the author. She has written about an era in our American history that is shocking - the internment of thousands of Japanese-Americans during World War II...what a shameful part of our legacy, and one that needs to be voiced! Though a work of fiction, the book is based on fact, and a compilation of true characters. We hear about the thoughts and feelings of Sachi, the main character, a young girl ripped from her California home, along with her mother, and Nobu, a brother, after her father is killed because of his race. We hear from him, and his killer, Terrance...all of them angry, hurt, deeply affected by the prejudices swirling around them both outside, and inside, the camps they are sent to. This book was especially important to me, as there were 2 internment camps in Arkansas where I live: in Rohr, and Jerome, Arkansas...and I'd never heard of them until recently.
Jan Morrill, the author, graciously agreed to come to a bookclub at my home to answer questions, share a power point presentation about the camps and history, and even brought an awesome Japanese chicken dish! How great is THAT?
The novel leaves unanswered questions about the fate of some of the characters...but, as Jan shared, she's working on a sequel...I look forward to finding out more!
Jan Morrill, the author, graciously agreed to come to a bookclub at my home to answer questions, share a power point presentation about the camps and history, and even brought an awesome Japanese chicken dish! How great is THAT?
The novel leaves unanswered questions about the fate of some of the characters...but, as Jan shared, she's working on a sequel...I look forward to finding out more!
March 1, 2017
Pearl Harbor has been bombed. Told from the third-person viewpoints of young Sachiko, her big brother Nobu, and his former friend, African-American Terence, the story follows the Kimura family through the beating death of the father to the Santa Anita racetrack assembly center to the Rohwer, Arkansas, internment camp.
This novel is multi-layered, with 3-D diverse characters each struggling with their own conflicts. Sachi must hide her unacceptable new friends from her mother, Mrs. Kimura has her grief and her own brands of prejudices, and Nobu cannot come to grips with his anger at his country’s betrayal. Terence deals with remorse, troubles in jail, and a questionable future. The author made me want to root for the bad guys!
The story is a thought-provoking journey through perspectives, with a lot going on considering the characters are trapped in prison settings. I enjoyed the well-written, descriptive prose and the haiku beginning some of the chapters. Nobu and Terence sometimes seem a bit too articulate as teen boys writing in their journals. Overall, I liked this book and think it would be a good read for high school classes studying WWII or civil rights (note: some swearing, including the f-word, but nothing new to teens these days)
This novel is multi-layered, with 3-D diverse characters each struggling with their own conflicts. Sachi must hide her unacceptable new friends from her mother, Mrs. Kimura has her grief and her own brands of prejudices, and Nobu cannot come to grips with his anger at his country’s betrayal. Terence deals with remorse, troubles in jail, and a questionable future. The author made me want to root for the bad guys!
The story is a thought-provoking journey through perspectives, with a lot going on considering the characters are trapped in prison settings. I enjoyed the well-written, descriptive prose and the haiku beginning some of the chapters. Nobu and Terence sometimes seem a bit too articulate as teen boys writing in their journals. Overall, I liked this book and think it would be a good read for high school classes studying WWII or civil rights (note: some swearing, including the f-word, but nothing new to teens these days)
December 22, 2013
In 1941, racial tensions are rising in the California community where nine year-old Sachiko Kimura and her brother, Nobu, live. Japan has attacked Pearl Harbor, people are angry, and one afternoon, Sachiko and Nobu witness three teenage boys taunting and beating their father in the park. Sachiko especially remembers Terrence Harris, the boy with dark skin and hazel eyes, and Nobu cannot believe the boys capable of such violence toward his father are actually his friends.
What Sachiko and Nobu do not know is that Terrence's family had received a telegram that morning with news that Terrence's father was killed at Pearl Harbor. Desperate to escape his pain, Terrence rushes from his home and runs into two high-school friends who convince him to find a Japanese man and get revenge. They do not know the man they attacked is Sachiko and Nobu's father.
In the months that follow, Terrence is convicted of his crime and Sachiko, Nobu and their mother are sent to an internment camp in Arkansas. While behind bars and barbed wire, each of the three young people will go through dramatic changes. In the end, each of these characters receive dramatic changes, including forgiveness for one, resentment for the other, spritual growth and path to finding the self-consciousness for the others.
What Sachiko and Nobu do not know is that Terrence's family had received a telegram that morning with news that Terrence's father was killed at Pearl Harbor. Desperate to escape his pain, Terrence rushes from his home and runs into two high-school friends who convince him to find a Japanese man and get revenge. They do not know the man they attacked is Sachiko and Nobu's father.
In the months that follow, Terrence is convicted of his crime and Sachiko, Nobu and their mother are sent to an internment camp in Arkansas. While behind bars and barbed wire, each of the three young people will go through dramatic changes. In the end, each of these characters receive dramatic changes, including forgiveness for one, resentment for the other, spritual growth and path to finding the self-consciousness for the others.
August 12, 2014
An enjoyable and very well-written addition to the ranks of the WWII-era American internment camp bildungsroman novel. The plot and characters are complex, making this an excellent pick for book group discussion. The reader is definitely left wanting to know more at the end, and happily Ms. Morrill is obliging with a forthcoming sequel. As a well-read reader in this basic plot (WWII era American internment camp + youth = disillusionment / anger) in both fiction and non-fiction, and having grown up in a community from which many residents were forced to leave, I was very familiar with the whats, whys, and wherefores of the situation. However, it is a good introduction to the topic. For me, Morrill's characters are the main attraction here. They are all interesting, and the three main characters are well-rounded. Some of the supporting characters are underdeveloped, but it only feels that way because Ms. Morrill makes the reader care for each of them; therefore, we want each character's "whole story" which is, of course, impossible. Ms. Morrill's delightful original haiku serve as epigraphs for each chapter. (If you like them, try her book of haiku, Life.) This reader is anxiously awaiting the sequel...What happened to those dolls??
July 15, 2014
Jan Morrill's debut novel is a beautifully written account of the Japanese internment during WWII, as told through the eyes of children. While the historical details of life in the internment camp were informative and interesting (and frequently horrifying), I found myself reflecting most on the themes of racism and prejudice as they appeared in many different variations throughout the book. In addition to the obvious Japanese/American tensions, Sachiko's mother demonstrates contempt for both African Americans and other classes of Japanese, and Terrence's time in prison highlights the difficulties between Caucasians and African Americans. Although I appreciated the character development shown as each person worked through these issues, at times it felt like I was being beat over the head with the moral. Nobu and Terrence often displayed understanding and articulation beyond their years, but I found the simplicity of nine-year-old Sachiko's observations to be refreshing. The ending was surprisingly hopeful for most of the characters, and I am looking forward to reading the sequel.
December 15, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, as did my wife. Although the main characters are fictional, the story is based on seeds of truth. The author's mother and her mother's family were Japanese internees during WWII. The rounding up of Japanese Americans was covered briefly in my American history classes, but I had never before read any detailed accounts of how the Japanese Americans were treated after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I was also unaware there were Japanese internment camps in the State of Arkansas. This story revolves around three main characters, who offer different perspectives of what it was like growing up in America during that time period. I found this story fascinating as well as educational. Anyone who likes to read about American history will enjoy this book. The story symbolizes seeking understanding and acceptance of others, and I believe it will find great acceptance from readers both young and old, for it is a story worth telling, a story well worth reading, and a story the American people should never forget. I could see The Red Kimono as assigned reading in our schools.
February 25, 2014
As delicate as a cherry blossom, The Red Kimono blooms quietly but persistently. It’s a gentle story of a very ungentle time. Mostly expressed through the words of young people, The Red Kimono is, of course, a comment on racism and war, but it is also a coming of age story not only for its characters but for a culture. Whether you buy the plot, or not—whether you appreciate the characters or the lovely prose or not, the premise for the story is true. Japanese interment really happened and it happened here in America. The resulting disruption to families was far reaching and long lasting. Jan Morrilldoesn’t beat you over the head with it, but it’s impossible to ignore the unsettling feeling that the events she describes so clearly are shadows of events happening half a world away during the same time period. If you enjoy writers such as Amy Tan and N. Scott Momaday, you may enjoy the clash of cultures in The Red Kimono.
November 14, 2013
Morrill tackles hard issues in this well written WWII era historical fiction novel. The main storyline is concerning the Japanese interments directly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. She then masterfully interweaves the racism of the time, not only for the Japanese, but also for African Americans. We follow the thoughts and rationales of the differing characters for their actions, while the voice of reason is a young girl who wants a friend. As a reader I was given much to think about and would highly recommend this novel to a variety of readers. I would place this novel in the YA collection and possibly even in the juvenile collection versus the adult collection, not for the topic but for age of characters and lessons taught. On the flip side this is a wonderfully written book with issues we all need to think about.
June 4, 2013
The Red Kimono is beautiful story of two families whose lives intersect in a hate crime. Sachi and her Japanese-American family are forced to relocate to several internment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Terrence, an African-American whose father has just been killed at Pearl Harbor, brutally attacks Sachi's father with two other boys. Through the interweaving of three distinct narrators, Sachi, Nobu, her brother, and Terrence, comes a story of endurance, forgiveness, and acceptance. The Red Kimono, based on true events in the author's mother's life, is historical fiction at its best.
April 22, 2013
I recently read the Red Kimono and found it a beautifully written tale about a very shameful part of the American past that I was almost unaware had happened.
This is a good book to read to get a grasp of the real people who were forced from their homes and treated as prisoners although they did nothing other than have Japanese ancestors. No account was given for the fact that they were American citizens.
I highly recommend everyone reading this book.
This is a good book to read to get a grasp of the real people who were forced from their homes and treated as prisoners although they did nothing other than have Japanese ancestors. No account was given for the fact that they were American citizens.
I highly recommend everyone reading this book.
February 18, 2014
Loved this story. The characters were so human, utterly believable, more like friends of my family. A wonderful learning experience, as I was not familiar with the history of the Japanese work camps in the United States. To learn, through this fictional account based on real life, about the struggles endured by US citizens of Japanese descent during WWII, was heart-wrenching. Thank you, Jan Morrill for a great read!
March 26, 2013
Jan Morrill has done an excellent job in recreating the feel of the time after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. She looks at the strain on relationships among Japanese, whites, and blacks but does not leave us feeling hopeless. This book helps us understand how easily relationship can be broken and how difficult it can be to mend them.
November 18, 2015
I have been wanting to read this since it came out. It was even better than I had hoped. Weaving together varying perspectives and struggles of people of different races during the period following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, this story manages to give an impressively intricate view of living with and overcoming prejudice in a short 300 pages. Beautiful and powerful.
December 14, 2013
Good story on a topic I have only learned about in recent years. I was taken with the Arkansas connection, having lived in Fayetteville for several years. The moral development of the characters was appropriate, but written with too heavy a hand.
May 7, 2013
One of the best books I've ever read. A journey that will touch your heart. Lives & worlds are effected by connected, disconnected, and altered events surrounding WWII. Amazing writing that wraps you into the characters lives.
July 20, 2013
This is an excellent book dealing with Japanese internment camps. But it also deals with prejudice and its destructive force in many forms. It is an adult book but suitable for younger readers. If I were still teaching, I would use this as a classroom read. Good writing.
February 8, 2016
A truly beautiful and tragic story about a Japanese American family and their experiences following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I had to read in chunks because the book got heavy. Overall it was an amazing story and I would recommend this book for everyone to read.
August 26, 2016
Book covers the time of internment of Japanese in camps during WWII and covers the misery and the racism of the time. However, book too open ended and clearly meant to be a series because the main characters scatter to different places at the end.
July 18, 2016
This book was about a Japanese family during internment camps. This book was beautifully written. There are several different POV. This is a story of racism and glimpse of our American history that is often left out. Great story. Recommend.
January 25, 2014
Told from three character's views... Racial profiling and hatred in World War Two.
May 2, 2013
Good story but it reads like a YA book. Needs better editing
Topic I am very interested in.
Topic I am very interested in.
August 6, 2013
This book explains by examples how we are taught to fear and hate other races.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews