Weedflower

Author:  Cynthia Kadohata, 2006, Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Cynthia Kadohata takes her readers on a trip of sadness and heartbreak in the book Weedflower.  Twelve-year-old Sumiko and her six-year-old brother Tak-Tak live with their aunt, uncle, cousins, and grandfather on their flower farm in California.  Sumiko and Tak-Tak came into their relatives' care when their parents perished in a car accident.  Their family unit is very strong, and their main struggle is to fit in with the rest of the world.  That is not a big issue, however, until December 7, 1941 when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.  Suddenly, Japanese-Americans become the target of hostility, racism, and segregation.  Sumiko's uncle and grandfather are moved to a work camp in North Dakota, and the rest of her family, including Sumiko, are shipped to Poston, Ariz. where there is a permanent relocation site for Japanese.  As far as the reader knows, Sumiko never returns to her home in California; rather, she spends many days in Poston, then moves near Chicago.  During her time in Poston, Sumiko makes many friends, and it is sad when she has to leave them behind.  This was a time of great sorrow for Japanese-Americans as they were treated like baggage instead of human beings.

I loved this book from cover to cover.  When I started reading, I did not realize that the setting was December, 1941, so I had no idea what was ahead.  Sumiko struggles to fit in with her peers, but she finds steadfast love and friendship in Poston.  I was amazed by how caring Sumiko was to Tak-Tak.  Tak-Tak seemed innocent and trusting, and he followed his sister everywhere.  Through the heartbreak of losing their parents to being relocated in a concentration camp, Sumiko and her brother never seemed to lose hope in the future.  Honestly, I do not know if I would have been as calm as Sumiko had I been in the same situation.  Looking back, some of the greatest injustices in history were done to some of the most innocent people, and Weedflower documents a story of strength, trust, and determination through a time of injustice.  For that reason, I will always remember this book.