One More Book

Now that we aren't traveling, I've had time to read more books.  The advantage of having library books put on hold for me is that I never know what's going to arrive.  Instead of reading every book that I get, I read the ones that look most interesting first.  If I don't get around to reading the others, I send them back, or I renew them if possible.  I am a fast reader, so that helps!

I stayed up WAY too late last night finishing this book by Jamie Ford, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.  This is a novel, but it is another very true-to-life book.  It tells the story of the Chinese and Japanese in Seattle in 1942.  The main character, Henry Lee, was 12 that year and he befriended a 12-year-old Japanese girl.  Henry's father was very prejudiced against the Japanese, as were many people during WWII, so Henry had to keep the friendship a secret.  The girl's family gets sent to a internment camp, first at Camp Harmony at the Puyallup Fairgrounds near Seattle, and then to the Minidoka camp in SE Idaho. 

Fast forward to 1986.   Henry is 57 and his wife has just died.  He deals with life, stress, his relationship with his adult son, and his memories of the war years.  The story goes back and forth from 1986 to 1942 in a well-written, engaging style. 

If you like traditional jazz music, there is an extra treat for you in this book because Henry is enthralled with jazz, which is something else he has to hide from his father.  I highly recommend this book!

Click here to read the Amazon reviews.