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Inujini
Three indigenous Ryukyuan girls are stripped of everything in a war their people will gain nothing from, except loss. As they struggle to survive, they learn the power of resilience lies in connecting with who they were, who they are and who they will be together.
Kaori, Yuki and Shigeko are three island girls on the edge of womanhood who find themselves trapped in a fictionalized Battle of Okinawa. Based on true events, the three girls endure hunger, injury, humiliation and gender based violence as everything they love is stripped from them.
They each survive parallel story arcs that entwine in the last act as they connect to their intuition, in the form of the shiisaa guardians specific to Okinawa, and each other. Shamanistic magic may be what brings them together, but in the end it’s the girls themselves that wind up being the heroines. Their sisterhood is what defies and defeats those that threaten them.
Trigger Sexual violence is an essential part of the plot to represent the real life situation women in Okinawa face to this day, but there are no graphic depictions of the act in this story. It remains only a threat to the characters.
Kaori, Yuki and Shigeko are three island girls on the edge of womanhood who find themselves trapped in a fictionalized Battle of Okinawa. Based on true events, the three girls endure hunger, injury, humiliation and gender based violence as everything they love is stripped from them.
They each survive parallel story arcs that entwine in the last act as they connect to their intuition, in the form of the shiisaa guardians specific to Okinawa, and each other. Shamanistic magic may be what brings them together, but in the end it’s the girls themselves that wind up being the heroines. Their sisterhood is what defies and defeats those that threaten them.
Trigger Sexual violence is an essential part of the plot to represent the real life situation women in Okinawa face to this day, but there are no graphic depictions of the act in this story. It remains only a threat to the characters.
178 pages, Paperback
Published June 23, 2024
3 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Angela Yuriko Smith
145 books111 followersAngela Yuriko Smith, HWA president and Space and Time publisher, is a two-time Bram Stoker Award winner. As a Publishing Coach, she helps writers search less and submit more with her weekly calendar of author opportunities at authortunities.substack.com.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 9, 2025
This book offers a haunting look into the forgotten history of the Ryukyuan people. As well as the harsh realities of war. It doesn't shy away from showing the horror of war including rape without fully showing it. It's a haunting and amazing read and is making me want to find out more about the Ryukyuan people.
June 23, 2024
History should not be forgotten, nor should it be hidden. If it lurks in the shadows then it should be dragged into the light regardless of attempts to supress what may be uncomfortable to one regime or another. Without shining a spotlight into these dark corners, the truth is distorted and betrays too many who have suffered.
In Inujini, Angela Yuriko Smith chose to shine her light into her own past and share with the reader a fictional account of the reality of her ancestor’s lives, the people of the Ryukyuan Kingdom, whose heritage has been systematically destroyed by the Japanese government which annexed the islands and turned them into the Okinawa Prefecture. I say ancestors, but when you consider this is only a few generations back, in this instance I think I prefer the term family—it is that recent, it is that personal to the author.
Inujini is set during World War II in 1945 when the Japanese are under attack from the US and Japan has stationed its soldiers across the islands, including those of the Ryukyuan. Whilst their presence is ostensibly to protect the people, they also provide a threat to the families. Young girls are at risk, homes are used as billets, and the people are treated poorly. On Zamami Island, we meet Shigeko, 14, and already being harassed by the soldiers. She lives with her parents, and her little brother Chiga. Her survival story involves her belief in the shiisaa, figures made by her grandmother which carry protection. On South Okinawa, we meet Yuki, another girl of similar age who likewise carries her own shiisaa as guardians. And finally, we meet Kaori from North Okinawa. She has remained behind to search for her younger brother who has been missing for a year. She too, believes in the shiisaa.
As each girl takes her particular journey, whether with family or alone, we run with them, hear the bombs and the guns and the shouts, and above all else, we feel their fear. To cope with the latter, all pray to their guardians, and the shiisaa either guide them, or, in Kaori’s case, materialise to destroy the soldiers, wiping out units in a brutal manner and leaving bodies dismembered and scattered across the ground – much as the bombs from above have similarly destroyed people and land. This belief and the faith the girls have in the protection of their ancestors makes for a very spiritual book despite its bleak nature. It allows the girls to retain hope, that they will survive and that they will cleanse their islands of the interlopers, Japanese and American alike. That they need this belief is explicit. As Yuki grips the shiisaa she considers ‘The hard clay guardians would keep her safe. She had to believe in them.’
Nor are the horrors of war sugar-coated. One of the girls is caught by a group of predatory soldiers but only the onset of menstruation – and the men’s disgust at the blood – prevent her from coming to harm. Rape is a war crime, but that is something which has long been ignored, with recent events in Ukraine and Israel both throwing up horrific examples. I look forward to the day when society in general finally condemns utterly and completely that which women have been subjected to for far too long.
And even when the families are supposedly safe, their threat comes from within the midst. To me, one of the most shocking revelations was the idea of Group Self-Determination, where the Japanese handed out grenades to husbands and fathers so that they would kill themselves and their families rather than be captured as a matter of ‘honour’. Shigeko overhears her father: “It is for honor,” he said, “It is a gift to protect our children.” Her mother responds, “Her voice was venomous. ‘I apologize. I am too weak to kill my own children.’”
The trauma these girls endure is almost unbearable as they flee again and again to find a place of safety. Horrible sights await, a woman’s body lies in a stream and her dead baby is found held against her chest. One moment someone is standing in plain view, the next a crater and no sign of their existence. The pages fly by, keeping pace with the girls as they seek safety in the chaotic mess of war. Guns and bombs pound land and people and the guardians are kept busy. The book is classed as 12-18 and whilst what I have recounted sounds, and is, horrific, it is treated in such a way that aspects are not as graphic as you might think. As a former librarian for this age group, I would be more than happy to have loaned this book to a student – having made them aware there are aspects which they will find disturbing. It is a thoughtful book. What is hinted at as a fictionalised representation of the truth is not gratuitous or heavy handed in the way that many films and games aimed at this age group are. I believe it would also have a place as a class book for discussion.
Angela Yuriko Smith has written a moving story, one even more pertinent in today’s world, of a people under attack. Nobody has the right to wipe out the existence of a people or culture. But mankind, being what it is, will always seek to impose its own conformity on others. Until that imposition stops, the world will never know true peace. I hope this story of the Ryukyuan will mark the beginning of a greater awareness of these people and their suffering, not just at the hands of the Japanese, but also at the hands of the US which leases the islands. There are too many crimes committed against the islanders even today.
Inujini is an important book, and a powerful condemnation of the treatment of a people. Read it and weep for those who were destroyed in the war, then read it and weep for their descendants destroyed during peace time.
In Inujini, Angela Yuriko Smith chose to shine her light into her own past and share with the reader a fictional account of the reality of her ancestor’s lives, the people of the Ryukyuan Kingdom, whose heritage has been systematically destroyed by the Japanese government which annexed the islands and turned them into the Okinawa Prefecture. I say ancestors, but when you consider this is only a few generations back, in this instance I think I prefer the term family—it is that recent, it is that personal to the author.
Inujini is set during World War II in 1945 when the Japanese are under attack from the US and Japan has stationed its soldiers across the islands, including those of the Ryukyuan. Whilst their presence is ostensibly to protect the people, they also provide a threat to the families. Young girls are at risk, homes are used as billets, and the people are treated poorly. On Zamami Island, we meet Shigeko, 14, and already being harassed by the soldiers. She lives with her parents, and her little brother Chiga. Her survival story involves her belief in the shiisaa, figures made by her grandmother which carry protection. On South Okinawa, we meet Yuki, another girl of similar age who likewise carries her own shiisaa as guardians. And finally, we meet Kaori from North Okinawa. She has remained behind to search for her younger brother who has been missing for a year. She too, believes in the shiisaa.
As each girl takes her particular journey, whether with family or alone, we run with them, hear the bombs and the guns and the shouts, and above all else, we feel their fear. To cope with the latter, all pray to their guardians, and the shiisaa either guide them, or, in Kaori’s case, materialise to destroy the soldiers, wiping out units in a brutal manner and leaving bodies dismembered and scattered across the ground – much as the bombs from above have similarly destroyed people and land. This belief and the faith the girls have in the protection of their ancestors makes for a very spiritual book despite its bleak nature. It allows the girls to retain hope, that they will survive and that they will cleanse their islands of the interlopers, Japanese and American alike. That they need this belief is explicit. As Yuki grips the shiisaa she considers ‘The hard clay guardians would keep her safe. She had to believe in them.’
Nor are the horrors of war sugar-coated. One of the girls is caught by a group of predatory soldiers but only the onset of menstruation – and the men’s disgust at the blood – prevent her from coming to harm. Rape is a war crime, but that is something which has long been ignored, with recent events in Ukraine and Israel both throwing up horrific examples. I look forward to the day when society in general finally condemns utterly and completely that which women have been subjected to for far too long.
And even when the families are supposedly safe, their threat comes from within the midst. To me, one of the most shocking revelations was the idea of Group Self-Determination, where the Japanese handed out grenades to husbands and fathers so that they would kill themselves and their families rather than be captured as a matter of ‘honour’. Shigeko overhears her father: “It is for honor,” he said, “It is a gift to protect our children.” Her mother responds, “Her voice was venomous. ‘I apologize. I am too weak to kill my own children.’”
The trauma these girls endure is almost unbearable as they flee again and again to find a place of safety. Horrible sights await, a woman’s body lies in a stream and her dead baby is found held against her chest. One moment someone is standing in plain view, the next a crater and no sign of their existence. The pages fly by, keeping pace with the girls as they seek safety in the chaotic mess of war. Guns and bombs pound land and people and the guardians are kept busy. The book is classed as 12-18 and whilst what I have recounted sounds, and is, horrific, it is treated in such a way that aspects are not as graphic as you might think. As a former librarian for this age group, I would be more than happy to have loaned this book to a student – having made them aware there are aspects which they will find disturbing. It is a thoughtful book. What is hinted at as a fictionalised representation of the truth is not gratuitous or heavy handed in the way that many films and games aimed at this age group are. I believe it would also have a place as a class book for discussion.
Angela Yuriko Smith has written a moving story, one even more pertinent in today’s world, of a people under attack. Nobody has the right to wipe out the existence of a people or culture. But mankind, being what it is, will always seek to impose its own conformity on others. Until that imposition stops, the world will never know true peace. I hope this story of the Ryukyuan will mark the beginning of a greater awareness of these people and their suffering, not just at the hands of the Japanese, but also at the hands of the US which leases the islands. There are too many crimes committed against the islanders even today.
Inujini is an important book, and a powerful condemnation of the treatment of a people. Read it and weep for those who were destroyed in the war, then read it and weep for their descendants destroyed during peace time.
June 26, 2024
Inujini was a moving, emotional, eye opening story. Told through alternating viewpoints of Kaori, Yuki and Shigeko - 3 girls, not quite yet women. They are living in different parts on the island so we get to see how they experience the events slightly differently. It was eye opening to read about this part of history- something I knew nothing about before. We learn a great deal about their culture and beliefs, and what lengths they had to go through to survive. Was heartbreaking but well worth the read.
February 1, 2024
'Inujini' is an exquisite work, and much more than 'just' a story. While it binds together so many lives, it tells of matters that have for too long been a piece of shamefully hidden history.
Angela Yuriko Smith has gifted the workd with 'Inujini' and has simultaneously produced an extremely important document - a work of historical importance. That it should immediately be added to national curriculums worldwide, is without doubt.
But 'Inujini' is so much more than a precious resetting of history. It is a breathtakingly beautiful piece of writing, a compelling yet heartbreaking human story, where the characters come alive from the very first page, and take up immediate residence in your heart and thoughts. Even when you reach the final page, you don't want their stories to end. And in many ways, they never will.
With 'Inujini', Angela Yuriko Smith - Author, publisher, two times Bram Stoker Award winner for excellence in Poetry, and herself third-generation Shimanchu/Ryukyuan-American - has earned the highest place possible alongside the greatest history tellers of all times. Angela is one of the great truth tellers, who seeks to right the wrongs and atrocities that man has unleash upon man. Her work here, recounting the TRUE history of the Okinawa Prefecture, has only just begun.
I am honoured to count Angela as a friend (even though it has to be through the wonders of modern communication, as we live in different parts of the world) but I know that she is a truly special lady, with a heart of gold. My feelings for my friend have not clouded this review, however. I have focused on 'Inujini' as it deserves, in other words, on the content within its pages. If you only read one book this year, please read this one. The sooner 'Inujini' reaches as wide an audience as possible, the better, because then, the healing may finally begin.
I now pray that Angela's words, through 'Inujini' (and all her work, both past and future) will be a power of good, and carry her gift of magic to heal. May 'Inujini' be the 'gold to mend the broken pottery' of the history of her heritage. This 'story' about the Ryukyuan people and their suffering throught WWII and beyond, must not remain an unquiet story. Thank you, Angela, for your courage in bringing 'Inujini' to the light. This shameful history needs to be rewritten, and you are exactly the person destined to do it.
For complete transparency, I simply close by adding add that I was privileged to receive an ARC of this work, and this is my honest review.
Fiona xXx
Dr Fiona M Clements-Russell,
1st February 2024, SW Scotland
Angela Yuriko Smith has gifted the workd with 'Inujini' and has simultaneously produced an extremely important document - a work of historical importance. That it should immediately be added to national curriculums worldwide, is without doubt.
But 'Inujini' is so much more than a precious resetting of history. It is a breathtakingly beautiful piece of writing, a compelling yet heartbreaking human story, where the characters come alive from the very first page, and take up immediate residence in your heart and thoughts. Even when you reach the final page, you don't want their stories to end. And in many ways, they never will.
With 'Inujini', Angela Yuriko Smith - Author, publisher, two times Bram Stoker Award winner for excellence in Poetry, and herself third-generation Shimanchu/Ryukyuan-American - has earned the highest place possible alongside the greatest history tellers of all times. Angela is one of the great truth tellers, who seeks to right the wrongs and atrocities that man has unleash upon man. Her work here, recounting the TRUE history of the Okinawa Prefecture, has only just begun.
I am honoured to count Angela as a friend (even though it has to be through the wonders of modern communication, as we live in different parts of the world) but I know that she is a truly special lady, with a heart of gold. My feelings for my friend have not clouded this review, however. I have focused on 'Inujini' as it deserves, in other words, on the content within its pages. If you only read one book this year, please read this one. The sooner 'Inujini' reaches as wide an audience as possible, the better, because then, the healing may finally begin.
I now pray that Angela's words, through 'Inujini' (and all her work, both past and future) will be a power of good, and carry her gift of magic to heal. May 'Inujini' be the 'gold to mend the broken pottery' of the history of her heritage. This 'story' about the Ryukyuan people and their suffering throught WWII and beyond, must not remain an unquiet story. Thank you, Angela, for your courage in bringing 'Inujini' to the light. This shameful history needs to be rewritten, and you are exactly the person destined to do it.
For complete transparency, I simply close by adding add that I was privileged to receive an ARC of this work, and this is my honest review.
Fiona xXx
Dr Fiona M Clements-Russell,
1st February 2024, SW Scotland
January 10, 2025
Angela Yuriko Smith’s Inujini offers a novel perspective on the Battle of Okinawa. It is told from the perspective of three young female protagonists. Many passages in the book evoke deep emotions. Fundamentally, Inujini is about the realities of war, the relevance of indigenous voice, and human compassion. Highly recommended.
Quotes from the book:
“No one knew why. The Ryukyuan people had done nothing, had no enemies. Their only crime was being under Japanese rule.”
“Kaori backed away another step. She wanted to run through the outgoing tide and join her family. She was terrified of the soldiers that would soon overrun everything. She felt too young to be alone, but there was no way she could leave the island, the grove and grotto specifically. Her spirit voice told her to stay, so she would.”
“Her tears escaped to baptize the new baby.”
“If this island is wealthy in anything, it is caves. Too bad those don’t export well. We would be a wealthy people.”
“I’m only 25% Ryukyuan. It’s just enough to allow me to tell this story, my fictional version of the Battle of Okinawa. The rest of me is Caucasian enough to feel like I have a voice. I have never wanted to use it until I learned what it meant to be Ryukyuan.”
“I called this story Inujini because it means a dog’s death—a poor reward for a loyal and loving friend. Another name might have been Kintsugi, the art of repairing broken treasures with gold and other precious metals. Behind this art is a mindset that considers breakage and repair as part of an object’s history, rather than something to hide.”
“There is no enemy to point the finger at. We can’t wholly blame cultural privilege, imperialism, gender… sadly it’s human nature to oppress and dominate regardless of who we are. We do it on a small, everyday scale, and we do it globally. As soon as we recognize this, we can stop pointing fingers and get busy evolving.”
Quotes from the book:
“No one knew why. The Ryukyuan people had done nothing, had no enemies. Their only crime was being under Japanese rule.”
“Kaori backed away another step. She wanted to run through the outgoing tide and join her family. She was terrified of the soldiers that would soon overrun everything. She felt too young to be alone, but there was no way she could leave the island, the grove and grotto specifically. Her spirit voice told her to stay, so she would.”
“Her tears escaped to baptize the new baby.”
“If this island is wealthy in anything, it is caves. Too bad those don’t export well. We would be a wealthy people.”
“I’m only 25% Ryukyuan. It’s just enough to allow me to tell this story, my fictional version of the Battle of Okinawa. The rest of me is Caucasian enough to feel like I have a voice. I have never wanted to use it until I learned what it meant to be Ryukyuan.”
“I called this story Inujini because it means a dog’s death—a poor reward for a loyal and loving friend. Another name might have been Kintsugi, the art of repairing broken treasures with gold and other precious metals. Behind this art is a mindset that considers breakage and repair as part of an object’s history, rather than something to hide.”
“There is no enemy to point the finger at. We can’t wholly blame cultural privilege, imperialism, gender… sadly it’s human nature to oppress and dominate regardless of who we are. We do it on a small, everyday scale, and we do it globally. As soon as we recognize this, we can stop pointing fingers and get busy evolving.”
January 9, 2024
I struggle for the words to adequately convey the impact this book has had on me. As an expat in Korea who came home burdened with the knowledge of the full extent of Japanese atrocities, this book forced me to reckon with the truth that it was, in fact, not the full extent. The Shimanchu suffered too - immensely.
Inujini means, "a dog's death" and it's the idea that loyalty is repaid only with abuse, sugar-coated as protection. That coating melts on the tongue faster than a brown sugar candy given to quiet a terrified child in the makeshift shelter of a shallow cave.
At its heart, Inujini is about the ordeals endured by 3 Shimanchu girls during the Battle of Okinawa. Through the perspectives of Kaori, Yuki, and Shigeko, the reader is forced to witness firsthand the senseless fallout of war. Threats close in on all sides and the only outcome most can imagine is Death. As the novel progresses and the fighting intensifies, it becomes an assumption rather than a risk. This reality is set against the hope for survival, the will to live in order to remember the fallen. And this hope comes as it so often does - from youth.
But Kaori, Yuki, and Shigeko are not alone. They have their shiisaa, their guardian spirits.
Inujini is simultaneously historical and fantastical, tragic and hopeful. There are monsters and there are heroes. I will leave it up to the reader to determine which is which.
I highly recommend Inujini for all lovers of historical fiction, fantasy, horror, and young adult. It is likely to strike a chord with multiple audiences. It feels like one of those important books that we will still be talking about years in the future.
Inujini means, "a dog's death" and it's the idea that loyalty is repaid only with abuse, sugar-coated as protection. That coating melts on the tongue faster than a brown sugar candy given to quiet a terrified child in the makeshift shelter of a shallow cave.
At its heart, Inujini is about the ordeals endured by 3 Shimanchu girls during the Battle of Okinawa. Through the perspectives of Kaori, Yuki, and Shigeko, the reader is forced to witness firsthand the senseless fallout of war. Threats close in on all sides and the only outcome most can imagine is Death. As the novel progresses and the fighting intensifies, it becomes an assumption rather than a risk. This reality is set against the hope for survival, the will to live in order to remember the fallen. And this hope comes as it so often does - from youth.
But Kaori, Yuki, and Shigeko are not alone. They have their shiisaa, their guardian spirits.
Inujini is simultaneously historical and fantastical, tragic and hopeful. There are monsters and there are heroes. I will leave it up to the reader to determine which is which.
I highly recommend Inujini for all lovers of historical fiction, fantasy, horror, and young adult. It is likely to strike a chord with multiple audiences. It feels like one of those important books that we will still be talking about years in the future.
January 13, 2025
World War II content often revolves around facts, statistics, battles, and destruction. Inujini provides a much-needed human perspective.
The story unfolds through the eyes of three Indigenous Okinawa girls coming of age during the Battle of Okinawa. Each chapter immerses us in the harrowing experiences of one of the three girls, providing a deeply personal view of the devastation they endure.
Family is at the heart of their lives. Like the other Okinawans, they want nothing more than a simple, peaceful existence. But the war is not kind to families. The people of Okinawa are swept up in the US-Japan conflict, wanting no part in the violence.
The book has many uncomfortable scenes showing humanity at its worst—cruelty, indifference, and a profound lack of empathy. Occasional acts of kindness provide glimpses of hope. But in reading the girls’ stories, I’m reminded of the persistent lack of empathy in our world.
One particularly moving scene finds Yuki, one of the three girls, imagining she is merely a heroine in a story, in a dream. If she could only wake up, her life would be as before.
Thought-provoking and deeply moving, Inujini confronts us with uncomfortable truths and challenges us to recognize our shared humanity.
The story unfolds through the eyes of three Indigenous Okinawa girls coming of age during the Battle of Okinawa. Each chapter immerses us in the harrowing experiences of one of the three girls, providing a deeply personal view of the devastation they endure.
Family is at the heart of their lives. Like the other Okinawans, they want nothing more than a simple, peaceful existence. But the war is not kind to families. The people of Okinawa are swept up in the US-Japan conflict, wanting no part in the violence.
The book has many uncomfortable scenes showing humanity at its worst—cruelty, indifference, and a profound lack of empathy. Occasional acts of kindness provide glimpses of hope. But in reading the girls’ stories, I’m reminded of the persistent lack of empathy in our world.
One particularly moving scene finds Yuki, one of the three girls, imagining she is merely a heroine in a story, in a dream. If she could only wake up, her life would be as before.
Thought-provoking and deeply moving, Inujini confronts us with uncomfortable truths and challenges us to recognize our shared humanity.
February 29, 2024
Inujini drew me in from the first page. It tells the heartbreaking and oft-forgotten story of the Okinawan Islands under first Japanese and then American occupation during WWII. The story follows the parallel paths of three girls on the brink of womanhood, navigating survival in a world in which they have been made invisible.
As each young woman taps into reservoirs of strength that are deeply connected to the spirituality and belief systems of the Ryukyuan people, they find their way to compassion and hope amid the devastation of the lives they were forced to abandon.
Angela Yuriko Smith handles this neglected history with a sensitive yet keen eye, mindful that speaking truth is often the first step to healing. This story shines a potent light on a tragic moment of violence and cultural erasure, as well as the beauty and resilience found in honoring the memory and faith of our ancestors.
As each young woman taps into reservoirs of strength that are deeply connected to the spirituality and belief systems of the Ryukyuan people, they find their way to compassion and hope amid the devastation of the lives they were forced to abandon.
Angela Yuriko Smith handles this neglected history with a sensitive yet keen eye, mindful that speaking truth is often the first step to healing. This story shines a potent light on a tragic moment of violence and cultural erasure, as well as the beauty and resilience found in honoring the memory and faith of our ancestors.
June 26, 2024
"A name for the island wide devastation was inujini, a dog death — an unnecessary cruelty. Isn’t that all war? Whatever we call it, those that have no stake usually suffer the most." This truth is woven between the three stories that make up Inujini, crafting a tapestry so substantial that readers are forced to remember a travesty that the victims hope to forget.
Inujini tells the stories of Kaori, Yuki, and Shigeko who, like fairy-tale princesses, are on the cusp of womanhood. Unlike fairy tale princesss, there is no one to save them and they must use their own ingenuity for survival. Even though the stories are about three girls from a particular heritage, the inner struggles and emotions are universal
Yuriko Smith's dreamy voice lulls a reader, even when the plot contains the most evil types of acts that humans can come up with. This is an important book and I wish that schools would adopt it.
I will now replace my Saint medallions with Shiisaa.
Inujini tells the stories of Kaori, Yuki, and Shigeko who, like fairy-tale princesses, are on the cusp of womanhood. Unlike fairy tale princesss, there is no one to save them and they must use their own ingenuity for survival. Even though the stories are about three girls from a particular heritage, the inner struggles and emotions are universal
Yuriko Smith's dreamy voice lulls a reader, even when the plot contains the most evil types of acts that humans can come up with. This is an important book and I wish that schools would adopt it.
I will now replace my Saint medallions with Shiisaa.
December 20, 2023
I was honored to read an ARC (Advanced Reader’s Copy) of Inujini by Angela Yuriko Smith. This deeply thoughtful and personal novel is her debut, but she writes with the confidence of a seasoned author. (She has published poetry and shorter works, as well, but this is the first novel.) The title refers to “a dog’s death” or a terrible repayment for loyalty, which is clearly illustrated through the narrative. Told from the perspective of three young Shimanchu women from an independent island off of Japan, this history’s told with straightforward, simple language. Readers take an almost mystical journey through the hellish invasion, social destruction, and inhumane upheaval of the strategically placed, peaceful island nation during WWII. There are trigger warnings aplenty, since this does unflinchingly look at the casualties and complications of war.
July 15, 2024
A Haunting Tale Amidst War's Destruction
Angela Yuriko Smith's (Inujini) is a gripping dive into the untold story of Okinawa's indigenous people during World War II.
The novel follows three Ryukyuan girls as they fight to survive a conflict that promises them nothing but loss.
Smith tales a powerful narrative of historical truth and magical realism, shedding light on a culture often overshadowed by colonialism.
The author doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of war, including the threat of sexual violence, but handles these themes with sensitivity and restraint along with haunting detail that lingers long after reading.
Through their struggles, the characters discover the strength that comes from embracing their heritage and supporting each other.
Inujini is a must-read for those seeking to understand the often-overlooked impact of WWII on Okinawa.
Angela Yuriko Smith's (Inujini) is a gripping dive into the untold story of Okinawa's indigenous people during World War II.
The novel follows three Ryukyuan girls as they fight to survive a conflict that promises them nothing but loss.
Smith tales a powerful narrative of historical truth and magical realism, shedding light on a culture often overshadowed by colonialism.
The author doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of war, including the threat of sexual violence, but handles these themes with sensitivity and restraint along with haunting detail that lingers long after reading.
Through their struggles, the characters discover the strength that comes from embracing their heritage and supporting each other.
Inujini is a must-read for those seeking to understand the often-overlooked impact of WWII on Okinawa.
July 20, 2024
Before reading this book I had been unaware of the indigenous people of Okinawa, they being the Ryukyuan, another indigenous people who's language and culture has been taken away.
The story, for me follows an emotional path experienced by the three main characters Kaori, Yuki and Shikego. Three girls about to enter womanhood in the midst of losing everything due to a war fought on their island. Their struggle to survive through the true horror of war is complimented by fictional horror through the magical Shiisaa.
This story truly moved me, it instilled a gamut of emotions as I followed them on their journey.
Read this and you come away enlightened, entertained and a little more angry at the so called civilised bullies of this planet who still deny a peoples own culture.
The story, for me follows an emotional path experienced by the three main characters Kaori, Yuki and Shikego. Three girls about to enter womanhood in the midst of losing everything due to a war fought on their island. Their struggle to survive through the true horror of war is complimented by fictional horror through the magical Shiisaa.
This story truly moved me, it instilled a gamut of emotions as I followed them on their journey.
Read this and you come away enlightened, entertained and a little more angry at the so called civilised bullies of this planet who still deny a peoples own culture.
September 2, 2024
Compelling characters and a fascinating immersion in a culture most Americans are unfamiliar with.
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