The only book I packed for our vacation turned out to be a great read and I wanted to share. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford will be a great addition to your reading list this summer.
This book is a well developed tale of friendship, love, loss, and independence. The characters are so easy to relate to, with great dialogue and insight to their internal struggles. Henry is a 12 year old boy struggling to gain independence from his rigid traditional Chinese father. Keiko is a second generation Japanese American citizen from a family who believes in the American dream and whose father is an American educated attorney. The characters paths cross when they are the only two non-white students at Ranier Intermediate in Seattle. The author writes from Henry's perspective and the book shifts between the 1940's and current day (set as 1980's.)
While the author clearly states the book is fiction, he based the story around the events during WWII when Japanese American citizens were 'relocated' to "safety camps" in inland portions of the country.
This book peaked my interest and I followed up with some research about these events during the 1940's.
I highly recommend the book to anyone interested in an incredible story of strength, and friendship, with a realistic taste of bitterness and loss as well.
