A Flower Shop... Maybe

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.