What I read: After Joseph and Bull meet, Sumiko's auntie gets a job in Chicago. The plan is that Sumiko and her brother Tak-Tak will move with the aunt to Chicago, but Sumiko doesn't want to. Sumiko also realizes that Bull is going to join the army and fight in the war. Sumiko feels scared about all these changes.
Sumiko is determined not to leave with her aunt. She tries asking other family members to take her and her brother in. Nothing works. She even talks to Frank and Frank says that she should go with her aunt to Chicago.
Finally at the end, Sumiko realizes it's best for her and her brother to move to Chicago and leave the camp to start a new life. On the last day, Frank comes to say goodbye to Sumiko and to wish her luck. They promise to write letters and stay in touch. Frank is one of the first friends Sumiko has ever had. Sumiko thinks about opening a flower shop in the future when she is grown up and the war is over.
What I thought about: Even though it hard to start a new life, I believe that Sumiko and her family made the right choice. It was also the bravest choice. They were comfortable living in the camp, but they realized that they couldn't be imprisioned as the war is going on. No one knew how long the war would last. Making the choice to leave the camp is risky but it reminds them that they have the right to be free. They make the hard choice to be free over being comfortable.
When Sumiko talks to Frank about moving to Chicago, Frank says that she should go because he's trying to be a good friend and help her have a good life. Sumiko doesn't understand this at first and thinks that he wants to get rid of her. Sumiko has never had any friends before and so she doesn't really understand the meaning of friendship. She doesn't think about how Frank would rather have her there but tells her to leave because leaving is the best thing for her. I think that a friend like Frank is truely a good friend and the best kind of friend a person can have because he wants what's best for her instead of himself.
What I conclude: I learned a lot from this book about how Japanese, Japanese Americans, and American Indians were treated during world war II. Despite the fact that this isn't a true story, you learn so much about interracial friendship, stereotypes, and freedom. For example, Japanese and Japanese Americans are forced to live in internment camps and American Indians aren't supposed to have names of their culture.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes learning about history or who likes historical fiction. But I also recommend this book to people who think that interracial friendship is a topic worth reading about.
What I read: On Saturday morning, Sumiko takes her cousin Bull to the river where they meet Frank and his older brother Joseph. At first, Joseph and Bull introduce themselves respectfully but a little distant. But later Joseph and Bull talk about their different farms and they warm up to each other. By the end of the meeting they seem friendly.
Joseph is about the go fight in the war in about a month. This upsets Frank because all of his older brothers are already fighting. This is obviously dangerous because they might die in the war.
What I thought about: When Sumiko brings Bull to meet Frank and Joseph, she asks Frank why they have English sounding names instead of "Indian" names. Frank says it's because the state of Arizona won't let them. This makes me think about how unfair it is to not follow your own culture. For example, in the state of Arizona American Indians aren't allowed to have names from their own culture.
They must have English names like Frank and Joseph. I think this is wrong because it's horrible to lose your culture.
Another example is that my name is Nia. My name can be pronounced in both English and Spanish, but my name is actually Swahili. My parents thought this was a good name for me. It seems unfair that some government would tell them that they couldn't name me that.
What I conclude: As I read these chapters it reminded me about how possible it is to have friendships between people that come from two different races. In the book Bull and Joseph accept each others differences and cultures. So do Sumiko and Frank. It can be hard to break barriers sometimes, but once you do you discover that you have more in common than you think. For instance, my best friend in Los Angeles is white and her parents are from Australia. I'm black and from Ecuador. My mom is white and my dad is black. Just because my friend and I are from different places and races doesn't mean we must hate each other.
What I read: In the last chapters, the American Indians decide to build a wall between their reservation and the Japanese internment camp. They say it's to keep cows "inside" their own farms. But the Japanese disagree and therefore hate what the Indians are doing.
Sumiko and Frank become friends after Sumiko saves Frank from getting beat up by Japanese boys. In fact, Sumiko herself hits a Japanese boy with a stick and breaks his nose. She does this to defend Frank.
Sumiko and Frank are planning to meet with each other and introduce their older family members. Frank's older brother is a farmer and wants to meet Sumiko's cousin Bull so that they can talk about farming practices. Bull is a very skilled farmer with lots of experience, but it's not clear if he'll be okay to meet with a Native American.
What I thought about: Reading this part reminds me of the Berlin Wall and Donald Trump saying that he wants to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. First, the Berlin Wall was built to separate Eastern Germans from Western Germans because both sides were part of different countries. They didn't have the freedom to go back and forth across the city of Berlin just like Donald Trump wants to stop people crossing the Mexican-American border.
In the book, the Japanese people enclosed by the wall that the American Indians have put up. It's sad for Sumiko because it's ruining her garden that she keeps with her friend Mr. Moto. It's not nearly as bad having a wall blocking your garden as it is having a wall blocking your freedom.
What I conclude:
Thinking about the fact that Donald Trump wants to build a wall makes me think that the United States hasn't learned from their mistakes they have made in the past. For example, sending Japanese and Japanese Americans to internment camps was a huge mistake in history. Now many Americans are excited about discriminating against a group of people again. We think that we learn from our mistakes in the past, but that's not always the case. That's not happening now. By reading these chapters, it makes me think about how ignorant Americans have been throughout history and continue to be. It makes me really sad to think about this.
Finally at the end, Sumiko realizes it's best for her and her brother to move to Chicago and leave the camp to start a new life. On the last day, Frank comes to say goodbye to Sumiko and to wish her luck. They promise to write letters and stay in touch. Frank is one of the first friends Sumiko has ever had. Sumiko thinks about opening a flower shop in the future when she is grown up and the war is over.
