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Rinko #3
The Happiest Ending
When twelve-year-old Rinko learns that a neighbor's daughter is coming from Japan to marry a stranger twice her age, she sets out to change this arrangement and gains new insights into love and adult problems.
111 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
2 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Yoshiko Uchida
53 books96 followersYoshiko, born on November 24, 1921, was the second daughter of Japanese immigrant parents Takashi and Iku. Her father worked as a businessman for Mitsui and Company in San Francisco, and Iku wrote poetry, passing along her love of literature to her girls. Though the Great Depression raged, the Uchida family enjoyed comforts because of Takashi's well-paying job and their own frugality. Yoshiko loved to write, and her stories played out on pieces of brown wrapping paper. She also kept a journal to record her thoughts and events.
Enveloped in love and tradition at home, Yoshiko weathered the prejudice she sometimes faced. Many white students at University High School in Oakland didn't invite her to their parties and wouldn't socialize with her, deeming her a foreigner. Even while attending the University of California at Berkley, Yoshiko often faced the same dilemma of being ostracized. She found friendships with other Japanese American students and was preparing to graduate when Pearl Harbor was bombed, changing her life.
The United States government rounded up 120,000 people of Japanese descent and put them into camps. The Uchida family first resided in a horse stall at a racetrack in California, surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. Though difficult to endure, the next move was worse. Almost 8,000 Japanese were sent to a relocation concentration camp called Topaz in the Utah desert. The detainees suffered from violent dust storms, scorpions, snakes, and exceedingly poor living conditions. Yoshiko taught second grade children there until she received a fellowship from Smith College to earn a master's degree in education.
Yoshiko and her sister both left the camp in May of 1943, with their parents gaining release later that year. Teaching for several years in a Quaker school outside of Philadelphia, Yoshiko decided to quit teaching and find work that allowed more time for writing. She moved to New York City and began as a secretary, penning stories in the evenings. Asked to contribute to a book about Japanese folk tales, Yoshiko discovered that though the book didn't come to be, with time she could create a full collection of folk tales. Writing a few pieces for adults, Yoshiko realized she was better suited for children's books.
A Ford Foundation fellowship sent her to Japan to research the culture and their stories. Spending two years, Yoshiko found her time to be healing as she learned about her own ancestry. The pain of the concentration camps lessened, and she began writing about the experiences in fictional books such as Journey to Topaz and Journey Home. Her career as an author soared as people regarded her as a pioneer in Japanese American children's literature. The author of almost forty works, including Japanese folk tales and stories of Japanese American children making their way in the world, Yoshiko traveled extensively, lectured, and wrote. After suffering from a stroke, Yoshiko passed away on June 25, 1992, in Berkeley, California.
Enveloped in love and tradition at home, Yoshiko weathered the prejudice she sometimes faced. Many white students at University High School in Oakland didn't invite her to their parties and wouldn't socialize with her, deeming her a foreigner. Even while attending the University of California at Berkley, Yoshiko often faced the same dilemma of being ostracized. She found friendships with other Japanese American students and was preparing to graduate when Pearl Harbor was bombed, changing her life.
The United States government rounded up 120,000 people of Japanese descent and put them into camps. The Uchida family first resided in a horse stall at a racetrack in California, surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards. Though difficult to endure, the next move was worse. Almost 8,000 Japanese were sent to a relocation concentration camp called Topaz in the Utah desert. The detainees suffered from violent dust storms, scorpions, snakes, and exceedingly poor living conditions. Yoshiko taught second grade children there until she received a fellowship from Smith College to earn a master's degree in education.
Yoshiko and her sister both left the camp in May of 1943, with their parents gaining release later that year. Teaching for several years in a Quaker school outside of Philadelphia, Yoshiko decided to quit teaching and find work that allowed more time for writing. She moved to New York City and began as a secretary, penning stories in the evenings. Asked to contribute to a book about Japanese folk tales, Yoshiko discovered that though the book didn't come to be, with time she could create a full collection of folk tales. Writing a few pieces for adults, Yoshiko realized she was better suited for children's books.
A Ford Foundation fellowship sent her to Japan to research the culture and their stories. Spending two years, Yoshiko found her time to be healing as she learned about her own ancestry. The pain of the concentration camps lessened, and she began writing about the experiences in fictional books such as Journey to Topaz and Journey Home. Her career as an author soared as people regarded her as a pioneer in Japanese American children's literature. The author of almost forty works, including Japanese folk tales and stories of Japanese American children making their way in the world, Yoshiko traveled extensively, lectured, and wrote. After suffering from a stroke, Yoshiko passed away on June 25, 1992, in Berkeley, California.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 26, 2020
(Read the first book, could not find a copy of the second in my libraries, but didn't need it.)
A quick easy read with some heavy themes. Probably especially good for immigrants and children learning about Japanese-Americans *before* the internments of WWII. I have to be honest to say I rounded down from 3.5 just for my personal enjoyment/ satisfaction because I do still recommend this series to anyone who feels they don't know enough about the time between the Wars.
A quick easy read with some heavy themes. Probably especially good for immigrants and children learning about Japanese-Americans *before* the internments of WWII. I have to be honest to say I rounded down from 3.5 just for my personal enjoyment/ satisfaction because I do still recommend this series to anyone who feels they don't know enough about the time between the Wars.
September 1, 2020
Rinko # 3
In ‘The Best Bad Thing’ Rinko had gone to help Mrs. Hata who was in the midst of a terrible crisis after her husband had died.
When Rinko was helping Mrs. Hata, her young son Abu had met with a terrible accident and Mrs. Hata’s little truck had been stolen. Rinko had stayed on to help the family…
In the final book of the Rinko trilogy, we realise that the Tsujimura family had helped Mrs. Hata get a job as a cook in a Men’s Hostel. Meanwhile, Rinko is sent to learn Japanese with Mrs. S who runs a boarding house for Men.
At Mrs. S, Rinko meets all the boarders and is completely taken up by the very handsome wannabe actor Johnny Ochi. Rinko now plans to get Mrs. Hata’s daughter Teru, who has just arrived from Japan to marry Johnny…
It is agreed that the man Teru is to marry, a boarder, Mr. Kinjo is pretty much older than his bride. The problem is Teru is already engaged to Mr. Kinjo, who has paid the passage to bring Teru to the United States. This has been explained to Rinko by Cal her brother and Teru herself who does not want to marry Johnny Ochi and who is really grateful to Mr. Kinjo…
Of course 12 year old Rinko has visions of a grand wedding and she as a go-between.
Sadly, predicament strikes Mrs. S’s little boarding house, Mr. S a gambler robs a third boarder of his life savings. Everyone steps in and Mr. Kinjo gives the boarder his savings, money he had collected to have a feast for his wedding to Teru…
It is then that the 12 year old Rinko realizes that Johnny Ocho may be handsome but is not one of those you can depend on in time of crisis.
In ‘The Best Bad Thing’ Rinko had gone to help Mrs. Hata who was in the midst of a terrible crisis after her husband had died.
When Rinko was helping Mrs. Hata, her young son Abu had met with a terrible accident and Mrs. Hata’s little truck had been stolen. Rinko had stayed on to help the family…
In the final book of the Rinko trilogy, we realise that the Tsujimura family had helped Mrs. Hata get a job as a cook in a Men’s Hostel. Meanwhile, Rinko is sent to learn Japanese with Mrs. S who runs a boarding house for Men.
At Mrs. S, Rinko meets all the boarders and is completely taken up by the very handsome wannabe actor Johnny Ochi. Rinko now plans to get Mrs. Hata’s daughter Teru, who has just arrived from Japan to marry Johnny…
It is agreed that the man Teru is to marry, a boarder, Mr. Kinjo is pretty much older than his bride. The problem is Teru is already engaged to Mr. Kinjo, who has paid the passage to bring Teru to the United States. This has been explained to Rinko by Cal her brother and Teru herself who does not want to marry Johnny Ochi and who is really grateful to Mr. Kinjo…
Of course 12 year old Rinko has visions of a grand wedding and she as a go-between.
Sadly, predicament strikes Mrs. S’s little boarding house, Mr. S a gambler robs a third boarder of his life savings. Everyone steps in and Mr. Kinjo gives the boarder his savings, money he had collected to have a feast for his wedding to Teru…
It is then that the 12 year old Rinko realizes that Johnny Ocho may be handsome but is not one of those you can depend on in time of crisis.
July 20, 2018
Rinko is a Japanese American girl caught between the two cultures in 1936, before WWII and the interment camps and when Asians couldn't become U.S. citizens. Her native language is English. Her parents want her to learn Japanese and about her heritage. She isn't thrilled.
Rinko begins private Japanese lessons from Mrs. Sugino and finds herself included in the lives of the Sugino's and their boarders. She is already the summer daughter of Auntie Hata whose daughter is finally returning from Japan where she was raised by her grandparents.
This is an easy to read book. It raises issues of being caught between two cultures, family problems, social issues with Japanese immigrants and learning social graces. All are done in a relaxed way as part of the main story.
Rinko begins private Japanese lessons from Mrs. Sugino and finds herself included in the lives of the Sugino's and their boarders. She is already the summer daughter of Auntie Hata whose daughter is finally returning from Japan where she was raised by her grandparents.
This is an easy to read book. It raises issues of being caught between two cultures, family problems, social issues with Japanese immigrants and learning social graces. All are done in a relaxed way as part of the main story.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews