Color of the Sea

I started reading Color of the Sea by John Hamamura because I found a reading list about Japanese American internment during World War II and decided to read through it to see which were really worth reading. (This is one of my dad's big interests; he even designed a class that teaches around this.)

Anyway, the first book on the list wasn't very good, so I wasn't expecting much out of this one. However, I loved this book. It tells 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.)

Unfortunately, I do not have his command of language to praise him highly enough, but if you are interested in this time period, I highly recommend this book.