This book is about high school students with different backgrounds (one Chinese and one Japanese), but the message is powerful enough for all ages. I found it at school and was so glad it was on the bookshelf, because the way society is today, I think people need to remember that others around them are people - not a different color/ethnicity/religion/belief system. They are people. I am sensitive to this right now with what my church has been teaching, and I notice the students who feel left out or that they don't fit in because they "don't seem American."
Having lived in Asia, I understand the struggle with grouping people into one category - Asian. But Japanese, Chinese, Korean - they want to be appreciated and recognized for who they are. I think if someone said "oh you're (certain state - Carolinian, Midwestern, Southern....) because you are American," I'd be like "NO - I am from ____ state). That's who I am. So lumping people together - not fair. We need to get to know the people around us and appreciate them for their cultures too.
In this book, Andy and Sue are able to see past their differences, but the parents/grandparents cannot. It is important that we don't forget history. That we don't forget the hurts and the growth. But we cannot be angry decades later for something that happened in the past and just automatically assume all Chinese are bad, or all Japanese.... it isn't fair.
I admit - I cried at the end. Just so sweet. And I know what it feels like to be in another country and feel lost, jetlagged, determined to participate in the culture, not want to offend, want to fit in, want to remember everything. I can't imagine doing that all while trying to perform for another school and feel the pressure of doing well. I thought the story was well-done and interesting, and the messages for many generations are important. I do think some cultures need to respect the elderly a lot more than we do now. I appreciated that a lot in Asia.