Eyes of the Emperor
Graham Salisbury
Wendy Lamb Books
2005
Eddy Okubo is a Japanese-American teenager who lives in Hawaii during World War II. His father, who still has a flag of Japan in the house and who cherishes the homeland values even while he lives in America is shamed when Eddy lies about his age in order to enlist in the army. Things change, however, when Japan bombs Pearl Harbor. With new-found honor and his father's blessing, Eddy continues his work as an American soldier, only to discover he is discriminated against because of the shape of his eyes. He and other Japanese-American soldiers are sent to the other side of the United States, passing internment camps along the way. Their mission is to secretly train dogs for the war. How these dogs are trained and the trials Eddy and his friends meet along the way bring intensity to this different kind of war story.
Graham Salisbury and his family have a long history of living on the Hawaiian Islands. Though he is not of Japanese decent, his first-person narration through the character of Eddy provides what seems to be a credible glimpse into the experiences and emotions of a soldier whose country turns on one of its own. The short chapters and the easier reading level make this novel more accessible for a class study. The mature themes of war and discrimination make it more appropriate for middle school.
Definitely a cooler story for students to learn more about World War II in middle school.
ReplyDeleteA book with intensity is a must for anybody over the age of 11 so I can see how this book can be successful in a middle school classroom.
Wow, I wish I had seen this one on the table in class. It sounds like it would be a good book to read and to share with my class. For a more mature class it could even be tied to modern times as the story of an Army Seargant on trial for harassment resulting in the suicide of an Asian soldier has been in the news the past few months. It could be a resource used to talk about bullying in CARE.
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