"Eyes of the Emperor" by Graham Salisbury
Bibliography
Salisbury, Graham. (2005). Eyes of the Emperor. New York,
New York: Ember. ISBN 978-0-385-90874-0
Summary
Following orders from the United States Army, several young
Japanese American men train K-9 units to hunt Asians during World War II.
Analysis
I had so much trouble starting this
book. For some reason I just didn’t want to read it. This could be because it
is from a time period that I am not overly fond of reading about but once I got
past the second chapter, I was hooked. This isn’t your typical World War II
novel about the big, strong, red-blooded American hero and I loved that. This
book is about sixteen-year-old Eddy Okubo, a Japanese American who barely
speaks Japanese and helps his dad build boats. Eddy fakes his birth certificate
to join the army and is quickly swept into the cultural mess that was WWII.
Typically, a novel about this time
period covers the stereotypical bases that make the US look like the good guys
just doing their best against so many enemies. This gives us the perspective of
a American boy who happens to be of Japanese descent and it is not a pretty
picture. It is a splatterprint colored by racism, assumptions, patriotism and
confusion. I never remember reading about the Japanese Americans being mistreated
in my history classes. I don’t recall EVER hearing anything positive about them
from the period, or anything at all. Eddy Okubo is forced repeatedly to prove
his patriotism and loyalty to his country over and over again while being
continuously mistreated.
This book was a complete surprise
for me, but I was enthralled. I would definitely recommend this book be an
addition to a unit on WWII because of its very unique perspective on a very
widely “known” topic. It could also serve as a great personal recommendation to
students who are children of immigrants, struggling with their sense of self
and trying to find their place in a new nation.
Awards
Kirkus Reviews
Best Book
“A view of American history, seldom told… open[s] up the meanings
of homeland and patriotism.” – Booklist,
Starred
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