So Far From the Bamboo Grove by: Yoko Kawashima Watkins

Ages: 12+

Yoko Kawashima, an eleven year-old Japanese girl, lives in Korea during the end of World War II. As danger creeps closer to her hometown of Nanam, she, her sixteen year old sister Ko, and her mother must flee their home without her father or older brother, Hideyo. Her father worked for the government in another city, and her brother was at work. Their journey to Japan is a very long and difficult journey. They encounter many dangerous and scary moments. Finally, Yoko, Ko, and her mother make it to Japan. However, mother dies, and Yoko and Ko are left on their own. At the same time, Hideyo is making his journey to Japan alone. He is also facing many difficulties on the long and dangerous journey. Will Yoko and Ko be able to survive on their own? Will Hideyo make it to Japan and be reunited with his sisters? Find out the answers to these questions and read about the journey from Korea to Japan during WWII in So Far From the Bamboo Grove.

I really enjoyed So Far From the Bamboo Grove. It was a quick read, and kept my interest the whole time. I could not put the book down, because I wanted to find out what happened to Yoko and her family. The book was beautifully written with many details and events of WWII. The author does a great job of explaining events and making them come to life. I was able to create mental images in my head while reading throughout the entire book. I like that the author alternates the girls’ journey and Hideyo’s journey. I had never read a book about WWII, and it was neat to get the perspective from a young Japanese girl. The reader gets a close up look at life during wartime. I really like that the book is written from the author’s real life experiences. A great addition to the book is a letter from the author at the beginning of the book that tells why she chose to write this book – to tell her own life experiences. This helped me get into the book because I was interested in reading about what she experienced as a young girl. I think I enjoyed this book because of all of the emotions it evoked. This is one of the saddest books that I have ever read. I cannot imagine going through the difficulties and pain that Yoko and her family, along with several other families, went through. They didn’t eat for days, experienced injury, and experienced several other difficulties along the way. There are certain parts of the book that were especially emotional. The first is the fact that Yoko and her family were told they needed to leave their home right away. I don’t know what I would grab if I was told I needed to evacuate my house. It would be scary not knowing if you would ever see your house again. I also cannot imagine leaving without my father and brother, not knowing if I would ever see them again. Another part that sticks out is when Yoko, Ko, and her mother were on the train with the wounded people. The part that really struck me was when the baby was thrown out the window of the train. This was terribly sad, and cannot imagine seeing that. I was also very saddened when Yoko’s mother died in her arms. I cannot begin to imagine how I would react and handle that situation. Something that stuck out to me while reading this book is how amazing it is what we are capable of when it comes to life or death. It is amazing what we can endure and the lengths we will go to in order to survive. I cannot imagine going through the hardships Yoko went through as a young girl just trying to stay alive. A powerful aspect of their journey is the fact that Yoko, Ko, and her mother share what they have with other people. It is wonderful to see a family sharing what little they have even in the middle of a war. This book was a story of triumph, courage, love, and war. It was about family and surviving obstacles together. Love and family are such important factors for everyone, especially during war. Overall, this book was very emotional to read. The characters had to go through horrible situations over and over again. The fact that this story is based off of a true story makes it even more emotional. This was a very touching and inspiring story. It definitely showed me a different perspective of life. This book would be a great way to introduce students to WWII. They would be able to see what life was like for the Japanese, and how dangerous life was for them during war. War is a powerful topic to talk about, and I think many great discussions would occur in a classroom. So Far From the Bamboo Grove was a wonderful book that older children and adults would enjoy.