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Apparently, summer is always going to feel crazier than I think it should; on the other hand, we had a community tragedy last week, and between that and PTA end of fiscal year financials, I haven’t had any brain cells to spare. I still really want to write about the cruise and the brief overnights before it, but if I don’t review the books that are piling up by my computer, they might bury me. And so…
Review #1: Stealing Home, which was an impulse graphic novel pick at the library. Not being Canadian myself, I had no idea that Vancouver had a Japanese baseball team in the early 20th century that won multiple championships–until WWII started and the US and (apparently) Canada went nuts on their coastal residents-of-Japanese-descent. The Asahi, however, were famous in their time, and Stealing Home follows a young boy named Sandy and his family from Vancouver to an internment camp. Sandy’s father, a doctor, continues to treat patients when they need him–even (gasp!) after curfew; Sandy’s mother worries about the possible consequences on their family. There is separation when they are sent off to camps, and it takes time, illness, and heightened understanding to bring their family together again.
Also baseball. So many people love baseball, but I’ve been to a few games, and I get bored quickly. (On the other hand, I do love the literary and cinematic idea of baseball, so there’s that.) What matters here is what baseball and the Asahi represent–community spirit, cultural pride, and the cost of governmental policies during WWII. Bottom line? Stealing Home is totally worth your time.