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Color of the Sea
Raised in Japan and Hawaii, Sam Hamada has been trained in the ways of the samurai. After graduation Sam strikes out for California and falls in love for the first time, with a beautiful young woman named Keiko. But then the Japanese attack Peal Harbor, igniting the war and making Sam, Keiko, and their families enemies of the state.
Drafted into the U.S. Army, sent on a secret mission, Sam’s very identity both puts his life at risk and gives him the strength he needs to survive. Taking us from the lush Hawaiian Islands of the 1930s to the wartime world of madness in Hiroshima, Color of the Sea is the unforgettable story of one Japanese boy’s coming-of-age.
Drafted into the U.S. Army, sent on a secret mission, Sam’s very identity both puts his life at risk and gives him the strength he needs to survive. Taking us from the lush Hawaiian Islands of the 1930s to the wartime world of madness in Hiroshima, Color of the Sea is the unforgettable story of one Japanese boy’s coming-of-age.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
December 3, 2008
I loved this book. If you enjoying reading about Japanese culture, Japanese-American culture, WWII, the ways of the samurai, the Japanese-American internment, Hawaii, and even romance; you will like this book. So many great plots in such a small book (321pg). I kept wishing the book would go on and on.....
June 3, 2012
I enjoyed this book. From time to time it felt a bit melodramatic. Other parts were vivid and felt authentic, though. Individual emotions were described brilliantly, but they lacked the complexity of mixed emotions. I guess in a way, I wanted the author to reveal all the "colors" of the human spirit. A character can be bitter, angry, contain hate, and still be loving, nurturing and kind. The scene with the barber and the haircut was reminiscent of a Hallmark movie, in that the resolution came so fast and easily. While I guess we can accept Isamu's ability to cleanse his spirit and mind of bad feeling, I think it's a bit much to ask that of all of the other characters in the book.
The descriptions of Hiroshima were amazing. I also found the story of Keiko's temporary return to Japan to be vivid, authentic and convincing. I liked the naginata sensei, with his commitment to his nation and to his country's children--despite his humiliation, he continued to struggle to be what he felt was expected of him. The theme of being true to a code and tradition that has rejected an individual is an interesting one. I was also interested to learn of the Japanese secret police. It offered perhaps the only evidence of the niseis' alienation from not just American, but also Japanese culture.
The author clearly walked a thin line trying to convey the brutality and hatred of war while avoiding blanket statements about one kind of people or another. I feel that he erred on the side of caution a few many times resulting in saccharine, simplistic acts of purity and goodness that were unconvincing in the wake of the atrocities the author explained so explicitly in earlier parts of the book.
Overall, it's a good read, and very entertaining.
The descriptions of Hiroshima were amazing. I also found the story of Keiko's temporary return to Japan to be vivid, authentic and convincing. I liked the naginata sensei, with his commitment to his nation and to his country's children--despite his humiliation, he continued to struggle to be what he felt was expected of him. The theme of being true to a code and tradition that has rejected an individual is an interesting one. I was also interested to learn of the Japanese secret police. It offered perhaps the only evidence of the niseis' alienation from not just American, but also Japanese culture.
The author clearly walked a thin line trying to convey the brutality and hatred of war while avoiding blanket statements about one kind of people or another. I feel that he erred on the side of caution a few many times resulting in saccharine, simplistic acts of purity and goodness that were unconvincing in the wake of the atrocities the author explained so explicitly in earlier parts of the book.
Overall, it's a good read, and very entertaining.
December 16, 2008
“Color of the Sea” was a pretty great novel. It follows a nine year old as he matures, eventually becoming a sergeant for the US army during WWII. The story follows his love, his learning, his evolution. When he is young, his father takes him away from Japan and the rest of his family to live in Hawaii. Isamu transforms into Sam, his father’s lottery ticket. Making a move to Lodi, California, Sam is determined to study at Berkeley and give his family a better life (and local flavor to the story). There is also inner turmoil on the difference between the love that Sam has with Keiko, and lust, what he feels for Yuriko (not a typical love story but realistic emotions).
The story continues to follow him as he heads to Hiroshima to search for his surviving mother and sister, as he is nearly broken after the war. The author delves into the difficult balance that many people maintain between their loyalties to their home countries and that which they feel after moving to America. Sam is Japanese AND American and slowly discovered that he can be both.
During his martial arts studies, Sam is taught to truly see the world around him, the numerous colors of the sea, not just what’s on the surface, but what we usually are too busy to notice. His observations allowed him a deep understanding of the surrounding world, an understanding that every part of life is a test of the soul.
There was one section of the book that really stood out considering current events. When Keiko’s family returns to the US, after a brief stay in Japan, Genzo asks, “Will Japan go to war against the United States?” The response: “It’s not what the Japanese people want, but the combined American, British and Dutch oil embargo is strangling Japan. What modern nation can survive without petroleum? What would America do if someone cut off her oil supply? Japan feels compelled to strike out against the embargo as an act of self-preservation. I hate to say it, but unless the situation changes, I think war is inevitable.”
Overall, I really enjoyed this read and chose it as my pick for San Jose State's Reading Program book for the Spring 2009 semester, for which it was ultimately selected.
The story continues to follow him as he heads to Hiroshima to search for his surviving mother and sister, as he is nearly broken after the war. The author delves into the difficult balance that many people maintain between their loyalties to their home countries and that which they feel after moving to America. Sam is Japanese AND American and slowly discovered that he can be both.
During his martial arts studies, Sam is taught to truly see the world around him, the numerous colors of the sea, not just what’s on the surface, but what we usually are too busy to notice. His observations allowed him a deep understanding of the surrounding world, an understanding that every part of life is a test of the soul.
There was one section of the book that really stood out considering current events. When Keiko’s family returns to the US, after a brief stay in Japan, Genzo asks, “Will Japan go to war against the United States?” The response: “It’s not what the Japanese people want, but the combined American, British and Dutch oil embargo is strangling Japan. What modern nation can survive without petroleum? What would America do if someone cut off her oil supply? Japan feels compelled to strike out against the embargo as an act of self-preservation. I hate to say it, but unless the situation changes, I think war is inevitable.”
Overall, I really enjoyed this read and chose it as my pick for San Jose State's Reading Program book for the Spring 2009 semester, for which it was ultimately selected.
February 19, 2008
There were parts of this book I liked very much, and I found both the opening and the ending strong, but at times I felt the author was trying to do too much, cover too much, and characters became flattened into stereotypes or two dimensions often as a result. At first it seemed it was going to be primarily a sensei-training-the grasshopper story, but then it wanted to focus mostly on sensual love/romance, then in wanted to be a neo-feminist Asian woman story (in the tradition of MuLan), then a war story, then even a secret agent story! In the process we would increasingly slip away from Sam, the Japanese born American hero of the story who comes of age as World War II coalesces, to follow secondary characters for awhile, and thus go to Japan several times but also to Hawaii, California, Arkansas, Minnesota, Okinawa, and even Europe. Complex ongoing internal struggles (such as bigotry, racism,or one's personal identity) were often dealt with as either/or choices, and broad stroke generalizations of such complexities detracted from the author's ability to foreground how complicated, yet universal such human intricacies really are, which he sometimes did quite well, and which he conveys to us was his true purpose in the very title of the book.
March 2, 2019
Set before, during and after WWII, Color of the Sea tells a coming-of-age story of Japanese-American Sam Hamada who was born in Hawaii and spent his childhood in Hiroshima. As a young adult, he was sent back to the US to capitalise on his American citizenship, because an American college degree would pave the way for the rest of his Japanese family.
As the war broke out, Sam was drafted into the US army as a bilingual interpreter. He along with the rest of the Japanese-American communities in the US are forced to confront their loyalties. They are labelled the derogatory “Japs” in their American home and “American dogs” in their Japanese ones. Both insisting that “Japanese American” is not a real identity and they have to pick sides.
Despite its heterosexual male protagonist, I loved how the major storylines were carried on the backs of the women in his life. His younger sister and mother back in Hiroshima, a prostitute he had an affair and accidentally committed a dark crime with, and finally his eventual wife Keiko and her intuitive mother.
Like a true artist, Hamamura patiently paints each scene for the reader to immerse in his prose. Whether it is the warm atmosphere of a Californian harvest, or the streets of hell in the immediate aftermath of the Hiroshima atomic attack.
From what little information I gathered about the author online, he was most probably telling the tale of his father, who was a GI Japanese-language sensei. The author’s mother’s family was also reportedly in internment camps in the US during the peak of Japanese hostility, and he had 2 family members that survived the atomic bombs.
An intense story of identity, honour and pain. A true gem that kept me up all night, in shock, in tears and in disbelief of what humanity is capable of.
As the war broke out, Sam was drafted into the US army as a bilingual interpreter. He along with the rest of the Japanese-American communities in the US are forced to confront their loyalties. They are labelled the derogatory “Japs” in their American home and “American dogs” in their Japanese ones. Both insisting that “Japanese American” is not a real identity and they have to pick sides.
Despite its heterosexual male protagonist, I loved how the major storylines were carried on the backs of the women in his life. His younger sister and mother back in Hiroshima, a prostitute he had an affair and accidentally committed a dark crime with, and finally his eventual wife Keiko and her intuitive mother.
Like a true artist, Hamamura patiently paints each scene for the reader to immerse in his prose. Whether it is the warm atmosphere of a Californian harvest, or the streets of hell in the immediate aftermath of the Hiroshima atomic attack.
From what little information I gathered about the author online, he was most probably telling the tale of his father, who was a GI Japanese-language sensei. The author’s mother’s family was also reportedly in internment camps in the US during the peak of Japanese hostility, and he had 2 family members that survived the atomic bombs.
An intense story of identity, honour and pain. A true gem that kept me up all night, in shock, in tears and in disbelief of what humanity is capable of.
November 11, 2021
Overall, I enjoyed Color of the Sea. I particularly appreciated the relationship between the protagonist and his sensei, Zen master. The lessons and observations of the sensei fit well with my own journey in mindfulness and Buddhist meditation.
For anyone unfamiliar with the plight of Japanese-Americans during WWII, this briefly describes the discrimination and internment camps (Japanese-Canadians, unfortunately, met with the same fate in Canada).
The love story is okay, and the author seems to rush through much of the critical times of the war, but I still recommend the book for some of the beautiful insights it holds.
Also, I suggest you read the John Hamamura's bio at the end. It turns out that this novel is based on his family's experience in the US and Hiroshima.
For anyone unfamiliar with the plight of Japanese-Americans during WWII, this briefly describes the discrimination and internment camps (Japanese-Canadians, unfortunately, met with the same fate in Canada).
The love story is okay, and the author seems to rush through much of the critical times of the war, but I still recommend the book for some of the beautiful insights it holds.
Also, I suggest you read the John Hamamura's bio at the end. It turns out that this novel is based on his family's experience in the US and Hiroshima.
March 8, 2024
Color of the Sea greatly did not meet what I wanted from such a specific and meaningful point of view. There was some lovely cultural moments that taught intimate lessons of Japanese culture mixed with the American nostalgia you gain living in the USA. However these moments were not enough to carry my enthusiasm through. The characters are under developed and often read as flat stereotypes of real people. The stoic strong yet gentle samurai boy. The outspoken and modern younger girl resisting tradition. The conversations between the characters flow unnaturally, and narration from various characters jumps around to fit the plot without much other attention put into it. The pacing of this novel was very strange with many pages dedicated to the coming of age awkwardly descriptive sex scenes and very little coverage of meaningful historical events of the time.
June 24, 2010
This is a gorgeous book. Not perfect, but this is, after all John Mamamura’s first book. I could only wish that my first attempt outside of academe could be this good. I am really, really surprised that Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is so much better known, because I discovered this gem completely by accident. No book club recommendation here. AND it is a much, much better book.
The story concerns Isamu or Sam as he comes to be called. It begins in Japan prior to WWII when Sam leaves his homeland, mother and siblings to live with his father in Hawaii. His father has become an alcoholic, but is a descendent of a Samurai family. He has enough wherewithal to realize that he is at a dead end, he forces Sam to learn English, and he procures a sensei or teacher to teach him the Samurai ways. John Hamamura is the right man to write this story as he is a Japanese American who was born at the cusp of the end of World War II. He has lived in the Japanese and American worlds.
It is the story of Sam’s coming of age, his romance with the beautiful Keiko, a Japanese American, and his conscription as a Japanese person into the war with Japan as a translator for the U.S. army. The disgusting placement of Japanese-Americans into camps is mentioned, but the author does not dwell on it. It is context for the story, but it is not THE story.
From his sensei Sam learns all that he is and all that he can be. The name of the book comes from the old sensei repeatedly asking him what color the sea is. Finally Sam gives the answer the old man is looking for..."I see light blue and dark blue and gray and green and black and white and yellow and orange. I see green. Gray-green, dull green, bright green, yellow-green, blue-green..." Sam has learned to attend, and to attend to details. This story is deeply spiritual and the writing is sublime. Hamamura understands the concept of the wabi-sabi esthetic in which "less is more" when it comes to his craft. He fills the pages of this book with all sorts of wonderful images. In describing Sam’s learning of English: “Sam savors words and phrases on his tongue; to him Japanese tastes familiar, aged and subtle, warm and salty. In contrast English seems youthful, sweet, effervescent, surprising him with pockets that snap, releasing ticklish bubbles.” I mean how gorgeous is that?
And Keiko when she finds out that Sam has a lover back in Japan: “…a chill starts in Keiko’s chest and sweeps through her entire body. All the odd pieces are falling into place. Pieces of ice, forming walls, a box to hold her heart.” The book is filled with these images of human experience – the few “sex” scenes are sublime. I usually dispense with those, since I find them gratuitous for the most part. These are so beautifully rendered that you will go back and read them again.
So, what did I not like about this book and why did I not give it 5 stars. Well, frankly Sam is way too perfect. I think Hamamura got a little rushed in the end as well because his prose became less poetic. But what I thought was truly a bit cheesy was the Star War type Obi Wan Kanobi scene toward the end where he encounters the cave full of Japanese soldiers and his sensei appears to him. Hmm. From a guy who could write the kind of images Hamamura did, I wondered where THAT came from. Luckily, there was only the one cheesy section. As I said at the beginning, this is his first book. And, unlike Jamie Ford, John Hamamura has a competent editor.
The story concerns Isamu or Sam as he comes to be called. It begins in Japan prior to WWII when Sam leaves his homeland, mother and siblings to live with his father in Hawaii. His father has become an alcoholic, but is a descendent of a Samurai family. He has enough wherewithal to realize that he is at a dead end, he forces Sam to learn English, and he procures a sensei or teacher to teach him the Samurai ways. John Hamamura is the right man to write this story as he is a Japanese American who was born at the cusp of the end of World War II. He has lived in the Japanese and American worlds.
It is the story of Sam’s coming of age, his romance with the beautiful Keiko, a Japanese American, and his conscription as a Japanese person into the war with Japan as a translator for the U.S. army. The disgusting placement of Japanese-Americans into camps is mentioned, but the author does not dwell on it. It is context for the story, but it is not THE story.
From his sensei Sam learns all that he is and all that he can be. The name of the book comes from the old sensei repeatedly asking him what color the sea is. Finally Sam gives the answer the old man is looking for..."I see light blue and dark blue and gray and green and black and white and yellow and orange. I see green. Gray-green, dull green, bright green, yellow-green, blue-green..." Sam has learned to attend, and to attend to details. This story is deeply spiritual and the writing is sublime. Hamamura understands the concept of the wabi-sabi esthetic in which "less is more" when it comes to his craft. He fills the pages of this book with all sorts of wonderful images. In describing Sam’s learning of English: “Sam savors words and phrases on his tongue; to him Japanese tastes familiar, aged and subtle, warm and salty. In contrast English seems youthful, sweet, effervescent, surprising him with pockets that snap, releasing ticklish bubbles.” I mean how gorgeous is that?
And Keiko when she finds out that Sam has a lover back in Japan: “…a chill starts in Keiko’s chest and sweeps through her entire body. All the odd pieces are falling into place. Pieces of ice, forming walls, a box to hold her heart.” The book is filled with these images of human experience – the few “sex” scenes are sublime. I usually dispense with those, since I find them gratuitous for the most part. These are so beautifully rendered that you will go back and read them again.
So, what did I not like about this book and why did I not give it 5 stars. Well, frankly Sam is way too perfect. I think Hamamura got a little rushed in the end as well because his prose became less poetic. But what I thought was truly a bit cheesy was the Star War type Obi Wan Kanobi scene toward the end where he encounters the cave full of Japanese soldiers and his sensei appears to him. Hmm. From a guy who could write the kind of images Hamamura did, I wondered where THAT came from. Luckily, there was only the one cheesy section. As I said at the beginning, this is his first book. And, unlike Jamie Ford, John Hamamura has a competent editor.
July 7, 2009
I loved this book, which reminded me of Cold Mountain and Snow Falling on Cedars. Hamadu Isamu (Sam) was born in Hawaii, lived for about 9 years in Honura, Japan, and returns to Hawaii to live with his father until after his father's death, when he goes to Lodi, CA. There he meets Keiko, the sister of his cousin Dewey's best friend al. Sam falls in love with Keiko, but because of his promise to a woman (Yuriko) from Hawaii, he cannot be with Keiko. As WWII approaches and begins, it becomes increasinly apparent that Japan may be involved, when Pearl Harbor is bombed, Keiko's family and Sam's uncle's family are sent to a camp in Arkansas, while Sam, Dewey, and Keiko's brother Al are all drafted into the army. Sam's fluency in Japanese and English, as well as his martial arts training, make him valuable, and he is put to work as a combat instructor - and later a language instructor - before being sent on a secret mission to Okinawa. Shortly after returning to the US, the Americans bomb Hiroshima, where Sam's mother, sister Akemi, and brother Bunji live. Sam struggles with what it means to be a samurai, the importance of honor and promise-keeping and the idea of mu (nothingness) that is necessary to feel ki...
July 21, 2010
This is a touching, beautifully written novel about two American youths of Japanese descent as they deal with the transition into adulthood as well as integrating the culture of their parents and the culture in which they are living. Nevertheless,I had difficulty pursuing it because it's set in the 1930s and 1940s. I knew what was coming, and I resisted reading it because of the historical context and the effects I knew it would have on these people I had come to like. However, the author handles the horrifying events associated with World War II with wrenching honesty, a deft gentleness, and a profound respect for his characters and their dilemmas. Once the novel actually got to December 1941, and I was into the part I'd worried about, I found it more fascinating than ever, and finished it in one sitting from there. Definitely recommended. A good book group novel, too.
July 21, 2008
This is the story of Sam, born in Hawaii, raised in Japan, educated in the U.S., his early samurai training, his falling in love with a beautiful "samurai woman," and how World War II affects both them and those they love.
The story itself is compelling; it wasn't predictable, it was human, and you care about the people. Even better, though, is how the story is written. Hamamura conveys the beauty of the Japanese culture using vivid poetry and imagery. (It is so vivid that I often found myself dreaming in poetry on the nights I read the book.)
I highly recommend this book, even if you don't normally read "historical novels."
The story itself is compelling; it wasn't predictable, it was human, and you care about the people. Even better, though, is how the story is written. Hamamura conveys the beauty of the Japanese culture using vivid poetry and imagery. (It is so vivid that I often found myself dreaming in poetry on the nights I read the book.)
I highly recommend this book, even if you don't normally read "historical novels."
November 28, 2009
John Hamamura's Color of the Sea was a page turner, no doubt about it, and was one of the first books I have been assigned to read that I've really enjoyed. The story follows Isamu a.k.a. Sam, a Japanese-American who was born in Hawaii but raised in Japan, giving him access to both worlds. He is sent to America by his father, as the first U.S. citizen of his family, trained as a samurai in Hawaii and goes to college. His dual lineage is challenged when World War II breaks out and Pearl Harbor is attacked. Color of the Sea is a story of true love, life, dreams and cultural conflict amid a war that crosses both oceans, interconnecting and affecting everyone.
February 2, 2010
I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. It deftly handles multiple themes (romance, honor, war's horrors, cultural differences) in a readable, don't want to set it down format. I liked the short chapters - each one a succinct little scene vividly described with interesting imagery and readable prose.
It helps that I'm living in Japan and familiar with much of the Japanese culture described so nicely in the book - I'm not sure I would have liked it as much if I wasn't as familiar with Japanese culture.
It helps that I'm living in Japan and familiar with much of the Japanese culture described so nicely in the book - I'm not sure I would have liked it as much if I wasn't as familiar with Japanese culture.
March 11, 2016
Lyrical "memoir" (based in great part on the experiences of the author's father) of the Japanese-American experience leading up to and during WWII. Perhaps not surprisingly, loyalty and honor are significant themes throughout. Sections of the second half felt rushed and there were questions left unanswered, but beautiful language and could have certainly been a longer book. Would be interested in a sequel / follow-up. Impressive debut novel.
February 4, 2008
This book is so beautifully written. I would encourage anyone with an appreciation of achingly beautiful prose to read this. Even better, read it aloud.
The story seems to jump around a little, but in the end it all makes sense. Once again, the descriptions throughout the book paint such a vivid picture, you would swear you have been living in the same places alongside the characters.
The story seems to jump around a little, but in the end it all makes sense. Once again, the descriptions throughout the book paint such a vivid picture, you would swear you have been living in the same places alongside the characters.
July 24, 2010
Powerful book about a Japanese boy growing up around WWII. When he moves to Hawaii to be with his father, get and education and become the family's "great future hope," the son meets a learned master who teaches him much about life, technique, and power.
A beautifully written book for a first novel.
A beautifully written book for a first novel.
February 1, 2008
The first half is really calm and controlled with utterly great description and excellent prose and character development. However the second half seems like Hamamura got bored with his own story and rushed the ending. Could have easily been another 200 pages but overall I like it.
maybe
November 13, 2011I was not won over by the sample I read from this book! I was left with the impression that it is primarily directed toward young adults. Beautiful imagery, but simplistic. I am not going to grab this right away.
February 14, 2011
what a great read! very well done... so glad I read this... an intriguing story that also affirms and/or educates. I wonder if the author wrote more. he certainly is talented. (John, if you're reading this, write and send forth your gift.)
August 1, 2011
I liked the perspective of a Japanese-American leading up to and including WWII. It was fascinating to read more about the Samurai and Japanese cultures. This is probably not a book I would read over and over (Has some sex and a little language) but was a good one-time read.
June 2, 2009
It is a beautifully written story about inner strength, true love and World War II.
July 27, 2021
I don't read a lot of fiction but even if you are a non-fiction lover this is a must read. I am sure the essence of this story is true it just couldn't be captured to it's depth by trying to find a real person who experienced this. Mandatory reading for anyone wanting to understand how culture affects communication, which can be difficult for me personally. The human psyche is complicated and depression not as easily cured as just telling someone to be happy. Life is pain and suffering. I love this passage, "....we swear an oath before we are born: To cherish and savor the gift of life. To honor the sacredness of all living things. To be honest and kind. To be gentle and forgiving. And then we arrive here and learn how difficult it is to follow our oath."
"The father sparrow lands on the floor, hops forward on one foot; the other foot is cripple, claws curled under and back like a tangle of black fishhooks. With a sharp peck the father retrieves the worm, flies to the nest, and stuffs it down the throat of one of the screeching babies. Then the sparrow drops backward from the edge of the nest, rotates in midair, spreads his wings, and flashes out the doorway. .......Survivors. Shattered, fragmented, torn. Crippled. But alive. Living with their pain."
Life is pain and suffering we were never promised otherwise. I wonder how many animals ever kill themselves no matter how great their injuries. How often do we step up and say we are ready for the challenge, we are determined, we believe we are capable and that we can succeed and then midway through the challenge our exhaustion tells us we in fact cannot go on. We must remember that all things change. Pain and suffering will come again but this pain, right now is temporary. Instead of focusing on believing we can succeed at the beginning of the challenge maybe we should focus on how much we want it and that it will in fact be more difficult than we probably expect but it will be temporary. Pain and suffering means we are alive, and we only get one life. Remember you made your commitment without knowing what it was going to feel like and yet you committed anyway.
Never have I written such a length "review" for any book much less fiction. This book really moved me and deserved the Alex Award it received. I am so glad I stumbled on it!
"The father sparrow lands on the floor, hops forward on one foot; the other foot is cripple, claws curled under and back like a tangle of black fishhooks. With a sharp peck the father retrieves the worm, flies to the nest, and stuffs it down the throat of one of the screeching babies. Then the sparrow drops backward from the edge of the nest, rotates in midair, spreads his wings, and flashes out the doorway. .......Survivors. Shattered, fragmented, torn. Crippled. But alive. Living with their pain."
Life is pain and suffering we were never promised otherwise. I wonder how many animals ever kill themselves no matter how great their injuries. How often do we step up and say we are ready for the challenge, we are determined, we believe we are capable and that we can succeed and then midway through the challenge our exhaustion tells us we in fact cannot go on. We must remember that all things change. Pain and suffering will come again but this pain, right now is temporary. Instead of focusing on believing we can succeed at the beginning of the challenge maybe we should focus on how much we want it and that it will in fact be more difficult than we probably expect but it will be temporary. Pain and suffering means we are alive, and we only get one life. Remember you made your commitment without knowing what it was going to feel like and yet you committed anyway.
Never have I written such a length "review" for any book much less fiction. This book really moved me and deserved the Alex Award it received. I am so glad I stumbled on it!
April 22, 2020
This book is definitely going to stay on my mind for a while. Color of the Sea is a historical romance set in Hawaii, California and Japan around World War II. The book is divided into five parts and starts in 1930 with Isamu (Sam) Hamada leaving his mother and siblings in Japan to return to Hawaii, where he was born, to live with his father and grow up in a community of Japanese-Americans prior to the war. Sam is descended from the samurai and he undergoes training with Fujiwara-san, who teaches him martial arts and gives him insight of Japanese philosophy. In 1938, Sam relocates to Lodi, California, to live with his maternal uncle, Genzo. He is 18 but works as a Japanese language teacher for Japanese-American teenagers and meets Keiko, who is his student but also the daughter of his uncle's best friend. Keiko was also born in America, making them both American citizens, which decides the course of their lives when World War II breaks out and Sam is drafted into the US Army. Sam and Keiko's romance takes twists and turns and their resilience is heartbreaking at times.
The premise of this novel was fascinating and it was interesting to see Japanese culture being described from the perspective of Japanese-Americans from just before the war and how the war affected their lives. It's not an area that often gets a close look in literature and I loved it.
What I enjoyed the most was the message of Fujiwara-san's lessons and the authentic and informative representation of Japanese culture. I like reading Asian literature but I often struggle with English books with a Japanese premise because of my own background; I find it difficult to read about my own culture with emphasis on amplifying certain aspects to the point where it grates (like in Memoirs of a Geisha, which I did not get on with). While I had some question marks in the logic of the storyline, I still enjoyed it immensely.
This book was completely off my radar until I saw it on BookXcess and I'm so glad I picked it up.
I'm so sad that this book is not more popular. It's one of those books that makes you feel like you need a bit of time before picking up the next book. Highly recommended!
The premise of this novel was fascinating and it was interesting to see Japanese culture being described from the perspective of Japanese-Americans from just before the war and how the war affected their lives. It's not an area that often gets a close look in literature and I loved it.
What I enjoyed the most was the message of Fujiwara-san's lessons and the authentic and informative representation of Japanese culture. I like reading Asian literature but I often struggle with English books with a Japanese premise because of my own background; I find it difficult to read about my own culture with emphasis on amplifying certain aspects to the point where it grates (like in Memoirs of a Geisha, which I did not get on with). While I had some question marks in the logic of the storyline, I still enjoyed it immensely.
This book was completely off my radar until I saw it on BookXcess and I'm so glad I picked it up.
I'm so sad that this book is not more popular. It's one of those books that makes you feel like you need a bit of time before picking up the next book. Highly recommended!
February 20, 2025
This is an interesting one. I've never read a historical fiction piece that's written more like a Fantasy novel than this. It's incredibly dramatic and the main character often feels like a superhero. I'm not sure those aspects mesh well with what are some incredibly grounded, harrowing and just plain sad scenes of wartime. The most insane example of this is straight-up a "Remember Me" type reveal in the latter half of the third act. Most scenes with instances of bigotry or injustice are immediately resolved with an intervention from either fate or "one of the good ones," which, although heartwarming or satisfying in the moment, kind of wipes away opportunity for deeper engagement or tension.
However, both the spectacular and more reserved parts of the book are written very, very well with prose that has an excellent tempo and voice. It was overall an evocative story which I enjoyed a lot. I just don't feel like I came out of it having interfaced with much history or reality beyond what I'm already acquainted with.
However, both the spectacular and more reserved parts of the book are written very, very well with prose that has an excellent tempo and voice. It was overall an evocative story which I enjoyed a lot. I just don't feel like I came out of it having interfaced with much history or reality beyond what I'm already acquainted with.
December 3, 2021
The book revolved around the Japanese-American during the second world war and how they were pinned against the two nations, felt out of place within their two homes.
I'm kind of tired reading about typical cool-headed, tragic hero such as Sam Hamada and how women are categorized in dichotomy (good, responsible, chaste daughter Keiko and sultry seductress Yuriko), but at least i got to read depictions of America's concentration camps for the Japanese-American (or the 'Japs', a racist label they used for them). Also I enjoyed every chapters with their rich narration and the naginata lessons in which Keiko, the female lead, learned from her mother.
I'm kind of tired reading about typical cool-headed, tragic hero such as Sam Hamada and how women are categorized in dichotomy (good, responsible, chaste daughter Keiko and sultry seductress Yuriko), but at least i got to read depictions of America's concentration camps for the Japanese-American (or the 'Japs', a racist label they used for them). Also I enjoyed every chapters with their rich narration and the naginata lessons in which Keiko, the female lead, learned from her mother.
May 22, 2023
I really liked reading this book, for so many reasons following nine year old Sam, serving in the US Army during WWll, his coming of age and learning the ways of the samurai. This is another of my library "Bag Sale" books, initially this book was in the Middle School Library Media Center. If read by young students, it would give them more than a glimpse of history and the Japanese-American struggles during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
I would recommend this book.
I would recommend this book.
January 13, 2019
Beautiful, haunting, educational. For me, much deeper and nuanced than Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet which shares subject matter and even a character named Keiko. Learning that the story aligns closely with the author's own family history gave me an even deeper appreciation for its authenticity. Memorable.
March 18, 2019
Descriptive. Radiant. Touching. Inspiring. Instructive. Powerful. Passionate. Brutal. Surprising. Intense. Absorbing. A delicious rollercoaster of emotions. I'm tempted to start again at the beginning.
November 17, 2022
All I have to say is I found this book in my favorite section of the library, and it looked pretty good. All I have to say is as an innocent 15 year old, I was not prepared for this. It's not a bad book, but read at your own risk.
March 30, 2025
Beautifully written prose. The story is dark, heavy but beautiful and touching. The author writes using nature to bring emotions and internal reflections to life and it just works so well. Through this book I also learned more about Japanese culture and the mindset ingrained in Japanese society.
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