Under the Blood-Red Sun Mass Market Paperback – April 26, 2005

Tomi liked to play baseball at diamond grass. The field shone like diamonds when the dewdrops sparkled in the morning sun. Tomi found refuge there, away from the chaos of life in Honolulu.Mama knew all about chaos. She’d fled the poverty of Japan by becoming a picture bride, sailing to Honolulu to marry a sugarcane worker she’d never met. Her future husband was killed in a gambling fight, leaving Mama stranded in a fisherman’s hut. Papa heard her story and claimed her for his own.Grampa loved Japan. He took great pride in his enormous Japanese flag, washing it with care and leaving it hanging to dry in the open air. When Tomi came home and saw it waving in the breeze, he was rattled. “Grampa! Take that thing down!” In 1941, Japanese were not always welcome on the streets of Hawaii.One Sunday morning, Tomi and his friend Billy were playing ball when clouds of smoke spiraled into the sky. Explosions rocked Pearl Harbor. Tomi was shocked to see amber planes emblazoned with a blood-red sun. Japanese planes were bombing his home!As the Japanese warplanes bombarded the coast, Papa was out fishing in his sampan. American forces opened fire on every ship without an American flag. Papa took a bullet to his leg, and was hauled away to Sand Island. Within days, a black car arrived at Tomi’s home. Two huge men had come for Grampa. They covered Grampa’s mouth as he screamed, and shoved Tomi into the weeds.Hatred for Japan surged across the island. Japanese fathers were arrested or killed, leaving their children to fend for themselves. Mama was fired. Tomi’s family was watched with open suspicion. Tomi knew the day had come to lead his family, long before he was ready, with enemies on every side.Under the Blood-Red Sun provides a riveting view of what Japanese Americans endured at the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Loyalties were tested to the extreme as military and volunteer brigades strung barbed wire around the schools and excavated bomb shelters in public parks. As he strives to free his innocent father, Tomi is incredibly brave, facing angry guards and cruel soldiers who would not hesitate to shoot him. In the midst of all the hostilities, bold friends bring Tomi gifts of love and hope that brighten his days of fear.Graham Salisbury has received numerous awards for his work, including the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, the Library of Congress Notable Children’s Book of the Year, and the Best Books for Young Adults (American Library Association).--Kate Calina

The review by /Granddaddy/ nailed it on the head. The author tries to write this from a narrative historical perspective but fails when he superimposes modern societal values/ideas over his main character. 'Way to many examples to cite, and none worthy of the time to detail it all. Granddaddy's evaluation is good enough.The author should do MUCH more research into the Japanese culture and society. Page 29: "She was supposed to be called Rocky, but no one in my family could say that word. LOCKY was the best they could do. So I changed it to Lucky." --This is SO *WRONG!!* and indicative of the author's meager understanding of Japanese culture and society. The Japanese can't pronounce Ls and Vs--it's the Chinese who can't pronounce the Rs (and Vs). "I rike to eat sarami sandwiches when I watch terebision." would be the "Japanese" pronunciation of "I like to eat salami sandwiches when I watch television." Salisbury's pidgin Japanese-English is degrading in its' "imitation-Asian" accented English.Dropping a few Japanese phrases doesn't add any validity either to his characterizations when it's blatantly obvious he spent minimal time investigating his subject.Salisbury titles one chapter "Shikata Ga Nai". Literally it translates to just what he wrote: "it can't be helped". But there's an attitude; a melancholy regret in the cultural expression--it's not meant like the French phrase--"C'est la guerre (, n'est pas?)."-- a dismissive "can't be helped"/ unavoidable circumstance. This is indicative of the author's lack of understanding, or at least his faux projection of "genuine" cultural inferences. No one I know would *ever* use "shigata ga nai" as a remark about the events of December 7 nor its' consequences (*especially* from the Japanese-homeland view, as the author's "Grandpa" expresses in the book)."Shigata ga nai" attaches regret, a sadness and an "opportunity cost" along with a resigned attitude to a circumstance, not an event; the whole chapter reads as if the narrator is experiencing and evaluating an action/event and its' consequences; that's not "shigata ga nai".

The historical portion of the book was fascinating. However; in the personal/interpersonal portion showed a bias on the part of the author. He drapes the story in the WWII era but follows many others into the politically correct understanding of interpersonal relations which seek "a perfect life" for every child without the failures, hurts, and adventures that have built character in generations of Americans who dared much and achieved much.

I probably would not have read this book, but a movie is being made of the book in Hawaii right now. My son, who will have a small speaking part, told me about the book. It is a well written story about the lives of several young boys and their families on Oahu just before and after December 7, 1941. One of the boys is a Japanese American and his father and grandfather are arrested and imprisoned. The book is a good pictured of life on Oahu during this difficult time. The book is a recommended book for young adults, but older adults can enjoy and learn from the book as well.

This is a great way to introduce the dark side of the US during WWII. Our own racism and treament of Japanese Americans is portrayed appropriately for older children and young adults. It is a great companion to books for this age group learning about the holocaust (such as Boy in the Striped Pajamas or Anne Frank)as it demonstrates how pervasive racism is and the consequences of it on a society. The central character is a young Japanese American boy living in Hawaii during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The conflict between his heritage and his country and how his family is treated is well portrayed.

School required reading for my son. The book arrived super quick, was packaged well and great condition.

perfect

Easy to read but entartaining and educative story worth reading.

日本人としてぜひ読んでおきたい。第二次世界大戦中、日系アメリカ人の人々がどんな思いをしたのか。戦争あたえた影響を。ぜひ考えるきっかけとして読んでもらいたい。

very good value. thanks a lot.