"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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