I wish this was translated already! This would be a great must-read for any Americans visiting Okinawa.
It is a historical fiction that takes place in Okinawa from 1952-1973, a time where the US military was the de facto governor of the place.
Perhaps unsurprising, but the book depicts the ugly harms caused by the American military bases and how locals have managed to survive through it. (Pollution, aircraft crashes, drunk driving, sexual assault… which still continue to this day)
I appreciated the book for showcasing that it is not just the US military that causes harm, but also the Japanese mainland for neglecting and treating Okinawa as a place for second class citizens. Again and again, stories like this seem to prove that the suffering will not change with a different head. A Japanese colonizer and an American colonizer may not look too different to someone who has lived under both periods.
The book ends on a kind of positive note to carry on hope and to keep living, even if the past has been ugly and unfair.