I am not Japanese, but as I opened this book, my eyes kept tearing up. This is not an emotional book, but the question that I’ve asked since high school has made me tear up, once again. The question is – how, how could these men volunteer to fight of a country that, in all actuality stripped them of their citizenship and found them of guilty of things they haven’t even thought of doing? The American government had taken their homes, their livelihood, and their place in the society. Their families were forced to live behind barbed wire fences when these men willingly and bravely fought for the country which had put them there. How? How could they have done that? I wish I could say I’d do the same, but even now, my answer, when it comes down to it is I don’t know…. I’m afraid my heart is not big enough to forgive them. So, I read this book in matter of hours (yes, it’s a short book full of gorgeous pictures). In the earlier pages, next to forward, there’s a picture of a beautiful girl. The caption says – An American school girl and I’m crying. I thank Ansel Adams for his humanity.
I’ve known the story about 442nd combat team since high school. My high school was very good about bringing survivors (Holocaust week) or participants (Japanese internment) for special talks. And fortunately for me, one of my best friends from high school was Japanese and her father generously shared his own stories. I’ll get back to what I remember most of his stories, but for now, I’ll be getting back to 442nd.
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team of the United States Army was a regimental size fighting unit composed almost entirely of American soldiers of Japanese descent who volunteered to fight in World War II even though their families were subject to internment. The 442nd, beginning in 1944, fought primarily in Europe during World War II. The 442nd was a self-sufficient force, and fought with uncommon distinction in Italy, southern France, and Germany. The 442nd is considered to be the most decorated infantry regiment in the history of the United States Army. The 442nd was awarded eight Presidential Unit Citations and twenty-one of its members were awarded the Medal of Honor for World War II. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team motto was, "Go for Broke". (From Wikipedia)
This is one of those books I’d list as a “must read” for everyone. Not because of its plot, writing, character development, dialogue, etc., but for its content. This book contains beautiful Ansel Adams photos, but that’s not the reason. This is a story that every American should try to remember, just as the Germans try not to bury holocaust in the annals of their history.
After having read the book, I think I understand the reason, at least a little bit. The simple answer is the dignity of the Japanese Americans interned in Mazanar. They, as a group, took the high road when everything around them imploded and turned ugly. How they were treated by their government didn’t warrant them losing sight of their own dignity and respect. No matter what happened, they’d be true to the values they were born to and raised with. When I read about a mother whose five sons were in the American Armed services fighting in the European theater, I prayed for her sons (of course, the absurdity is that they might have survived the war and all died of old age). I don’t know why this book affected me this way, but it did.
A couple of years ago, yet another movie about Nazi atrocities came out in theaters, and I asked a friend of mine who had come to America to study then married. I asked her what she thought of yet another movie. Didn’t she get tired of this German bashing? I’d get tired of it if I had to see a movie about Nazi atrocities every couple of years. And she said, she didn’t mind at all. In fact, she felt that it’s every German’s responsibility to remember the holocaust so that it could never happen again, not only in Germany, but anywhere else in the world because there will be a German voice protesting it. I found this very inspirational.
As Americans, we need to follow suit. We need to look squarely into the past and see what we’ve done, what we still fail to do today, and what concrete steps we must take to make sure nothing like this will ever happen again here.
Additional note: The people who were at the Manzanar internment camp were those who chose to sign the loyalty oath. Those who refused to sign the loyalty oath were sent elsewhere. Most of those who didn’t sign the oath believed that the government had broken the sacred contract with them first (which I whole heartedly agree), and not because they were Japanese agents waiting for opportunities to sabotage the west coast. Later, after the war, it was revealed that most of the intel on America that the Japanese had were in fact from the Germans, rather than anyone from America.
This book wasn't received well when it first came out almost right after the war (there could be a possiblity of our government pulling from shelves right after the war). I think Ansel Adams must have recieved his share of hate mails for this book, especially from mothers and wives of men who has lost their lives in the Pacific theater of war. I admire his courage.
A digression and a funny note about my friend's father from high school - he share several stories with me, but one that stuck with me all these years was the story about how he suddenly had all his friends with him right next door, and the kids thought it was great! Because they got to play long past their regular time outside the fence. These kids didn't see the barbed wire fences or the soldiers standing guard in the towers. This innocence makes me profoundly hopeful because it speaks to the resilience of the human spirit.
Is this one of my favorite books? Does it rank with Les Miserables and such? No, but I love this book for it's humanity. I think it is one of the most important books for people (especially Americans) to read, and that’s why I’m putting it in my blog.
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Stunning. I finished it in less than 24 hours. Maybe even less than 12 hours and I've got two little kids! Need I say more?
Spoiler alert!
There are a few problems, though. I didn't really like his style of writing. Almost truncated, fragmented thoughts running through the head…this type of thing didn't impress me too much. But I do have to say that I was impressed with the sheer simplicity and brevity in his words. Also, it was getting too dark, with little reprieve from the threats of cannibalism and starvation. By the end of the book, I was convince the good guy the boy ran into after his father’s death was still a bad guy luring the boy away so he can eat him later. There's a part of me that still believe this is the true ending.
But...against such a bleak landscape where almost everyone they meet are out to do them harm, never mind the ash, dust, and lack of food, the love between the man and the boy is awesome in its power to bring hope to such miserable existence. And me, being an eternal optimist, really liked the fact that when they were on the verge of starvation, a slow, agonizing death from what I’ve read, they find food. They will have to go through harrowing ordeal to get the food, but they do. Although it sounds really convenient, I was cheering for them every time they found it. The father’s death was heart-wrenching, but it was coming and the father knew it. It’s agonizing to imagine the thoughts that ran through the father as he drew his last breath – his heart still full of worries for his boy knowing that he won’t be there to protect him for another instant. It must have been a miserable death.
I love this book because it made me think about all kinds of thing I actually try not to think about, especially since I had kids. I can no longer watch movies where kids are killed or kidnapped. Too close to home. And I used to love war movies, but after I had my son, the whole war movie watching experience has been ruined, forever. Every time I watch a war movie, I think about how much love I felt for my little boy and wondered if there was anything that was worth losing his life for. Then I thought about all those mothers, from both sides of conflict, no matter what the conflict was, losing their sons...for what?
Yes. I know theoretically, there are many good reasons to go to war. WWII. And as a Korean, I thank God for all the soldiers who came and fought in the Korean War. Because of their sacrifice, South Korea is thriving today. I know all these things, but I’m not sure I could relinquish his life for any amount of good it would do the world. I am no Mary. I don't think I could ever be Mary or ever want to be.
OK. I’m not Mary, but I still have my brand of faith and hope. I have friends who don't have kids because they think this world is too corrupt, too dangerous, too miserable, but I tell them those are all the more reasons for them to have children. Never mind that they are highly educated, intelligent, and compassionate people. I tell them the sheer act of having a child is a profound act of faith. Maybe their offspring is the one who could change the world, even just a little bit, for the better.
As I was reading the book, I thought about what I would do, with my two children and a husband. There's a part of me that would hang in there until the bitter end, like the man, but I also remember all those men and women enslaved by a gang of thugs who will rape, pillage, and cannibalize whoever they come across. I would never want that kind of existence for my children. A bullet in the head would be so much better than that kind of existence, or would it? I don’t know… If they were alive, there’s still hope of one day escaping and living free, but would a life in a world like that be worth it? It might just lead to lingering death by starvation. Who many awful scenarios to consider…. It would be so easy to do what the woman had done, but it leaves no hope for the future. It's Romeo and Juliet again when all the young people die and there is no hope for the future. This is not a future I want for anyone. I believe there's always hope, even if the sky is falling on you.
What I agonized about was...what if I have to choose between my two children? What if I had just enough food to ensure the survival of one or two die together…. That question haunts me to this day even though I finished reading this book over several weeks ago. I love that it made me ask so many questions. The sad thing is…North Korea has had to deal with devastating famine several times. There were rumors of cannibalism, and older family members choosing to die of starvation so that the younger generation may eat and live. I’ve seen pictures of kids will light brown hair in North Korea and I was asking…biracial? The sad fact was, because they lack nutrients, their hair lost their original color, black. It is chilling to think about their world, and I’m so eternally grateful that I only have to wonder about these things instead of living it.
I think this might make it to my top 10 books. So bleak and dark on the outside, so bright and hopeful on the inside. The boy will carry that fire in his heart for the rest of his life because of the father who planted it. The man with the shot gun will protect this boy and the other two children with his life because not to do that would mean to consign the whole human race to slow but certain extinction. I whooped loudly when the man with the shot gun came by. The world is still good, I shouted.
This book reminded me that the universe will indeed conspire to make your dreams come true (The Alchemist, Paolo Coelho). The glass is always half full.
Spoiler alert!
There are a few problems, though. I didn't really like his style of writing. Almost truncated, fragmented thoughts running through the head…this type of thing didn't impress me too much. But I do have to say that I was impressed with the sheer simplicity and brevity in his words. Also, it was getting too dark, with little reprieve from the threats of cannibalism and starvation. By the end of the book, I was convince the good guy the boy ran into after his father’s death was still a bad guy luring the boy away so he can eat him later. There's a part of me that still believe this is the true ending.
But...against such a bleak landscape where almost everyone they meet are out to do them harm, never mind the ash, dust, and lack of food, the love between the man and the boy is awesome in its power to bring hope to such miserable existence. And me, being an eternal optimist, really liked the fact that when they were on the verge of starvation, a slow, agonizing death from what I’ve read, they find food. They will have to go through harrowing ordeal to get the food, but they do. Although it sounds really convenient, I was cheering for them every time they found it. The father’s death was heart-wrenching, but it was coming and the father knew it. It’s agonizing to imagine the thoughts that ran through the father as he drew his last breath – his heart still full of worries for his boy knowing that he won’t be there to protect him for another instant. It must have been a miserable death.
I love this book because it made me think about all kinds of thing I actually try not to think about, especially since I had kids. I can no longer watch movies where kids are killed or kidnapped. Too close to home. And I used to love war movies, but after I had my son, the whole war movie watching experience has been ruined, forever. Every time I watch a war movie, I think about how much love I felt for my little boy and wondered if there was anything that was worth losing his life for. Then I thought about all those mothers, from both sides of conflict, no matter what the conflict was, losing their sons...for what?
Yes. I know theoretically, there are many good reasons to go to war. WWII. And as a Korean, I thank God for all the soldiers who came and fought in the Korean War. Because of their sacrifice, South Korea is thriving today. I know all these things, but I’m not sure I could relinquish his life for any amount of good it would do the world. I am no Mary. I don't think I could ever be Mary or ever want to be.
OK. I’m not Mary, but I still have my brand of faith and hope. I have friends who don't have kids because they think this world is too corrupt, too dangerous, too miserable, but I tell them those are all the more reasons for them to have children. Never mind that they are highly educated, intelligent, and compassionate people. I tell them the sheer act of having a child is a profound act of faith. Maybe their offspring is the one who could change the world, even just a little bit, for the better.
As I was reading the book, I thought about what I would do, with my two children and a husband. There's a part of me that would hang in there until the bitter end, like the man, but I also remember all those men and women enslaved by a gang of thugs who will rape, pillage, and cannibalize whoever they come across. I would never want that kind of existence for my children. A bullet in the head would be so much better than that kind of existence, or would it? I don’t know… If they were alive, there’s still hope of one day escaping and living free, but would a life in a world like that be worth it? It might just lead to lingering death by starvation. Who many awful scenarios to consider…. It would be so easy to do what the woman had done, but it leaves no hope for the future. It's Romeo and Juliet again when all the young people die and there is no hope for the future. This is not a future I want for anyone. I believe there's always hope, even if the sky is falling on you.
What I agonized about was...what if I have to choose between my two children? What if I had just enough food to ensure the survival of one or two die together…. That question haunts me to this day even though I finished reading this book over several weeks ago. I love that it made me ask so many questions. The sad thing is…North Korea has had to deal with devastating famine several times. There were rumors of cannibalism, and older family members choosing to die of starvation so that the younger generation may eat and live. I’ve seen pictures of kids will light brown hair in North Korea and I was asking…biracial? The sad fact was, because they lack nutrients, their hair lost their original color, black. It is chilling to think about their world, and I’m so eternally grateful that I only have to wonder about these things instead of living it.
I think this might make it to my top 10 books. So bleak and dark on the outside, so bright and hopeful on the inside. The boy will carry that fire in his heart for the rest of his life because of the father who planted it. The man with the shot gun will protect this boy and the other two children with his life because not to do that would mean to consign the whole human race to slow but certain extinction. I whooped loudly when the man with the shot gun came by. The world is still good, I shouted.
This book reminded me that the universe will indeed conspire to make your dreams come true (The Alchemist, Paolo Coelho). The glass is always half full.
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