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Reviewed by:
  • Dust of Eden by Mariko Nagai
  • Hope Morrison
Nagai, Mariko. Dust of Eden. Whitman, 2014. [218p]. ISBN 978-0-8075-1739-0 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys     R Gr. 4–7.

This verse novel offers a poetic sequence in the voice of Mina Tagawa, a Japanese-American girl living in Seattle at the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. First Mina and her family face the initial backlash and prejudice, then they are relocated to a temporary camp (ironically named “Camp Harmony”), and finally they arrive at the Minidoka Relocation Center in near Eden, Idaho. In all, the family spends nearly four years away from their home before returning to the boarded-up house on their quiet Seattle street in 1945. The free-verse poems, each simply named with a month and year, range from longer narrative expositions to quick glimpses. While not all the entries shine, the verse sequence suits the subject matter; the story’s fragmentation suggests that Mina too is piecing together bits and pieces of understanding in an effort to come up with a cohesive, coherent narrative for herself. The free-verse format also allows young readers to take on complex subject matter in a way that might be out of their reach in a denser prose narrative. The storyline surrounding Mina’s grandfather, who does not make it back to Seattle, is tenderly wrought; the complexities of her brother’s stance on the family’s situation and his eventual decision to enlist add further interest. This is an honest and thoughtful exploration of a complicated chapter in American history, and the book’s strong narrative voice and solid imagery will help contemporary readers understand those complexities. A note provides further information about the Japanese-American internment.

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