Sachie: A Daughter of Hawaii

by Patsy S. Saiki

Daughter of Hawaii details life in ethnically diverse Hilo as seen through the eyes of a twelve year old girl coming of age in 1942. Sachie faces competing forces vying for her cultural allegiance. To become her own person, she must forge her own unique, blended identity as and "American Japanese," and honor both her Japanese culture and the American values she learns in school and with friends. In the end, Sachie realizes both Japanese and American traditions are sources of strength and pride and "takes the best from each." The narrative also offers rich insight into the lives of Hawaii’s immigrant groups during World War II and details their efforts to establish themselves in the islands.

180 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2004

Reviews

[Magda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful. This young adult novel about a first-generation Japanese girl growing up in Depression-era Hawai’i could be read to younger children, with some explanations, and is also very enjoyable for adults.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sachie was about a young Japanese girl trying to figure out what and who she is. Where does a Japanese girl belong in a society without a set government and great differences in ways of life from generation to generation? Where is she able to act like what she wants to act like? Where does she have to act like an American? Where does she act like a Japanese? Who's rules must she follow? Sachie follows her heart's path through the course of a year and finds that life, like an obi, is what you create it.