02 Mar / Obasan by Joy Kogawa [in What Do I Read Next? Multicultural Literature]
When her elderly uncle dies, Naomi, an unmarried schoolteacher, is called back to the remote town of her childhood. There she is reunited with Obasan, her Uncle’s widow, and confronted with the shattered memories of her past, of her family that was torn apart and unjustly scattered with the advent of World War II.
In comparison to the U.S., the Canadian government was far more unjust to their citizens of Japanese ancestry during World War II. The Nakane/Kato family was completely torn apart, with parents disappearing without a trace, children left to be raised by other relatives, grandparents shipped away to die, and other family members separated for decades. A multi-award winning title in both Canada and the U.S., Obasan provides a harrowing look at the little-known Japanese Canadian experience.
Review: “Asian American Titles,” What Do I Read Next? Multicultural Literature, Gale Research, 1997
Readers: Adult
Published: 1982