So Far from the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins

This book is a fictionalized autobiography in which eleven year old Yoko escapes from Korea to Japan after World War II. Yoko lived in Korea with her brother Hideyo, her sister Ko and her mother. Her father worked for the government at another location. While Hideyo is off at work, mother gets notice that they must flee the country or they will be killed. After a difficult journey, mother, Ko, and Yoko make it to Japan. Mother dies which leaves Ko and Yoko on their own. Months later they are reunited with Hideyo and according to the book's footnotes, they are reunited with their father six years later.

I loved this book because of the emotions that it evoked. I could not imagine going through the difficulties and pain that this family and many other families like them endured. They were so familiar to death. The author does a great job of explaining events and making them come to life. I had such great, yet sad, mental images throughout the entire book. I am curious as to what is fiction in this book. I feel like the author could not have made up all these events but the book is considered fiction. I would love to sit down with the author because I have so many questions to ask. I would be very disappointed if I found out most of the events in the story weren't real. I think the reason that the book evoked so much emotion in me is that I think it is real. This is a book that I would have my students in my classroom read either as group reading or a read-aloud. I would recommend this book for ages 10 and up. Even though it is a short novel, I think adults of all ages would enjoy it.