Color of the Sea by John Hamamura is a 2007 Alex Award winner.
If you've read this book, please leave a comment with your review of it and whether you think other readers are likely to find it engaging (do you think they’d be eager to finish it and perhaps start reading another book when they are done). If you recommend the book, please also state any themes or topics that would be good for discussion. Thanks.
10 comments:
This is a very good book. There was never a time when I wanted to stop reading it or for it to get more interesting. It is well paced and each chapter is short, portraying a specific scene or incident in the story. There is plenty to talk about regarding this book – challenges of being born and raised in a different country than your parents, living for years in a different country from where close family members live, how people get “Americanized,” Japanese traditions, WWII history and issues that remain today from key events such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor, internment camps and the atom bomb; and fighting a war with family members on both sides.
I do have some reservations about the book though: there are parts where the book is a pure love story and that might not appeal to many of our readers, and a few incidents seem a bit contrived, such as the school kids showing up at Keiko’s home before the family is almost arrested. Another concern is that this book is too obscure – almost no one has heard of it. GoodReads.com has only 20 ratings for it compared to over 38,000 for Water for Elephants, and even Whistling Season had 613 ratings!
I absolutely loved this book. It was so engaging and the imagery was quite powerful. It was a quick read and had lots of good "lessons". I think this would be a good potential pick, but I do understand Annette's reservations about the love story.
I actually enjoy the obscure parts that seem a bit unrealistic as that is one of the reasons I enjoy reading so very much... that things can happen in a book that may not happen often or ever in our "real" world.
The novel tells the story of Sam Hamada, a Japanese boy who moves to Hawaii at the age of 9, in the 1930s. He winds up moving to the mainland to pursue his family’s dreams of him being college educated in order to support the family. He studies the way of the Samurai while in Hawaii and keeps the practice of martial arts going the rest of his life. The story tells not only of Sam’s life, but also of several other Japanese-Americans with whom her connects in California and who become his surrogate family. World War II brings an added historical and dramatic dimension as many of the characters become involved in the war, somehow, either as soldiers, or because of their enforced stay at internment camps in the US.
This book is superbly written, very engaging, and historically important. It deals with issues of biculturalism, being caught between two worlds, the war and the issues it brings up, family ties, love, and the journey towards inner peace and wisdom. I think it would be a wonderful choice for the campus reading program for all the topics that it evokes for discussion, as well as its resonance with many of our students, due to the struggles that many of the characters face, being trapped between two distinct cultures. It would also provide a good historical insight without being dry.
-dominie garcia, December 2007
I also understand Annette's reservations, but I read Color of the Sea in one day because I didn't want to stop. As happened with Kite Runner and Water for Elephants, the story pulled me in and made me care. At the same time, the beauty of many descriptions would cause me to pause to create and savor the mental picture. I appreciated the demonstrated importance of introspection and "centeredness" and accompanying reminder that how we approach the world helps determine what we see. Color of the Sea would be on my short list.
Loved this one. It's short and readable, with a compelling local angle and plenty of hooks to inspire discussion (immigration, family, marriage, children, racism, and more).
It is not as well known to the general public as Kite Runner or Water for Elephants, but that's a small concern, in my mind.
Here is an anonymous review we received in 2008: "This book was wonderful!!! I picked it up on Tuesday night at about 8:00pm and didn’t stop reading until 4:00 in the morning. It was reminiscent of The Kite Runner in that it follows the story of a young boy through adulthood. It also reminded me a bit of Farewell to Manzinar. I loved this book. Wonderful story and plot, easy to read, very compelling. I believe that the discussion around this book would be very rich and that students would be able to relate to the characters, if not directly from personal experience then from a connection to the book as they read. I would choose this as THE book, but I definitely think it should be on the short list."
“Color of the Sea” was a pretty great novel. It follows a nine year old as he matures, eventually becoming a sergeant for the US army during WWII. The story follows his love, his learning, his evolution. When he is young, his father takes him away from Japan and the rest of his family to live in Hawaii. Isamu transforms into Sam, his father’s lottery ticket. Making a move to Lodi, California, Sam is determined to study at Berkeley and give his family a better life (and local flavor to the story). There is also inner turmoil on the difference between the love that Sam has with Keiko, and lust, what he feels for Yuriko (not a typical love story but realistic emotions).
The story continues to follow him as he heads to Hiroshima to search for his surviving mother and sister, as he is nearly broken after the war. The author delves into the difficult balance that many people maintain between their loyalties to their home countries and that which they feel after moving to America. Sam is Japanese AND American and slowly discovered that he can be both.
During his martial arts studies, Sam is taught to truly see the world around him, the numerous colors of the sea, not just what’s on the surface, but what we usually are too busy to notice. His observations allowed him a deep understanding of the surrounding world, an understanding that every part of life is a test of the soul.
There was one section of the book that really stood out considering current events. When Keiko’s family returns to the US, after a brief stay in Japan, Genzo asks, “Will Japan go to war against the United States?” The response: “It’s not what the Japanese people want, but the combined American, British and Dutch oil embargo is strangling Japan. What modern nation can survive without petroleum? What would America do if someone cut off her oil supply? Japan feels compelled to strike out against the embargo as an act of self-preservation. I hate to say it, but unless the situation changes, I think war is inevitable.”
I feel this would be a decent selection for the Reading Program because not only does it have a multitude of lessons within but also relates to many possibilities for events. There are a few Taiko (Japanese drums) groups in the area that I’m sure we could get to perform. This could also lead to partnering with others in our community for events, such as those in Japantown. There are plenty of Japanese festivals and holidays during the spring semester. The end of April, beginning of May, marks Golden Week, a collection of four Japanese national holidays within seven days, one of Japan's three busiest holiday seasons beside New Year and the Obon week.
~SJSU Student
I loved it. Beautiful in its portrayals of Sam's development, but harsh in its portrayal of post-war Hiroshima. Themes include coming of age, biculturalism, inter-generational differences that all our students will understand, and many will identify with.
The Honorable Norm Mineta will be in San Jose for the ASPA conference in April 2010. Perhaps he would give a talk about his experiences as a Japanese-American slightly younger contemporary of the protagonist.
Frannie Edwards, PolS
I enjoyed it very much. It raises many issues of identity and biculturalism which I think will resonate with our students. Though I agree that a few parts were unrealistic, they helped to create the magic. The love story is poignant, but not so dominant that it is likely to be unappealing. The author is local (Oakland), and may be easy to bring to campus.
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