Helpful Score: 5
Told in unusual first-person plural, this brief book is a haunting reminder of all that the Japanese endured as mail-order brides, as immigrants trying to find their way in America, as parents of children who assimilated more quickly than they did and as people forced into camps during WWII because they were universally suspected of subversive activities. These are collective experiences that will touch your heart.
Helpful Score: 3
A lovely, haunting book about the brides from Japan brought to San Francisco. It loosly follows their journey until the arrival of the war. Beautifully written. A quick read that will stay with you long after you close the last page.
Helpful Score: 2
Told in unusual first-person plural, this brief book is a haunting reminder of all that the Japanese endured as mail-order brides, as immigrants trying to find their way in America, as parents of children who assimilated more quickly than they did and as people forced into camps during WWII because they were universally suspected of subversive activities. These are collective experiences that will touch your heart.
Helpful Score: 2
Wonderful, powerful book. A quick and easy read that reaches your emotions.
Review first published on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-buddha-in-attic.html
The Buddha in the Attic tells the history of a segment of our country. It tells the story of the "picture brides."
To understand the book, you have to understand a little of the history behind it. In the late 19th century, Japanese men travelled to the US to seek work. The original goal was to work, earn, and then return home. For a variety of reasons. the men were unable to do so. So, they worked with matchmakers in their native country to select brides. The young women or their families agreed to the marriages - some for economic reasons and some because "it was better to marry a stranger in America than grow old with a farmer from the village." These young women became the picture brides.
This book tells the story of one group of such women and their experiences in the US. It begins in the early twentieth century with the journey on the boat to the US and concludes with the onset of World War II. Through these women's eyes, we witness their disillusionment as reality does not match the picture painted in letters, the migrant worker life style, the development of ethnic communities, the birth, childhood, and assimilation of their children into US culture, and finally the treatment of the Japanese at the onset of World War II.
The book is unusual in that it is narrated in first person plural. It is told from the perspective of the entire group of women rather than one individual. As such, it is very descriptive in nature. As each point in life is reached, it is described for the group and then in statements like "one of us....." or "most of us...." or "we.....". The only difference in narration comes in the last chapter, and it most effectively makes the point.
The book is history. The book is narrative in nature. The book does not have an individual main character. Yet, it is an absolutely beautifully told story. It is personal and emotional and pulls me right in. The group of picture brides become the single main character. You travel their journey with them - the love, the fear, the tears, and everything else in life.
The Buddha in the Attic tells the history of a segment of our country. It tells the story of the "picture brides."
To understand the book, you have to understand a little of the history behind it. In the late 19th century, Japanese men travelled to the US to seek work. The original goal was to work, earn, and then return home. For a variety of reasons. the men were unable to do so. So, they worked with matchmakers in their native country to select brides. The young women or their families agreed to the marriages - some for economic reasons and some because "it was better to marry a stranger in America than grow old with a farmer from the village." These young women became the picture brides.
This book tells the story of one group of such women and their experiences in the US. It begins in the early twentieth century with the journey on the boat to the US and concludes with the onset of World War II. Through these women's eyes, we witness their disillusionment as reality does not match the picture painted in letters, the migrant worker life style, the development of ethnic communities, the birth, childhood, and assimilation of their children into US culture, and finally the treatment of the Japanese at the onset of World War II.
The book is unusual in that it is narrated in first person plural. It is told from the perspective of the entire group of women rather than one individual. As such, it is very descriptive in nature. As each point in life is reached, it is described for the group and then in statements like "one of us....." or "most of us...." or "we.....". The only difference in narration comes in the last chapter, and it most effectively makes the point.
The book is history. The book is narrative in nature. The book does not have an individual main character. Yet, it is an absolutely beautifully told story. It is personal and emotional and pulls me right in. The group of picture brides become the single main character. You travel their journey with them - the love, the fear, the tears, and everything else in life.
I loved this book. Not quite a novel, it reads more like a long poem, each chapter echoing with the voices of the Japanese mail order brides of the early twentieth century, telling their stories and conveying their emotions. Nothing is told straight through in a narrative, yet somehow after finishing it you can feel their emotional life - traveling so far from home, their disappointments and triumphs, their joys and sorrows. The style reminded me of Tim O'Brien's short story of the soldiers in Vietnam, "The Things They Carried." Both works use lists to make an impact on the reader.
aving read other books about how those of Japanese background were treated during WWII, I found this novel to be a bit repetitious. What differed were the details given by the brides who traveled to this country to marry those of their background and the realities that they faced. Like many brides, most harbored romantic dreams that were far from the realities they found. The photos they received may have been of young, handsome men, while the grooms were old and weary. The descriptions of their future homes were often not the beautiful houses described but hovels in poor parts of the cities. First nights varied from harsh sexual encounters to gentle considerate smiles. Many found themselves working in fields picking fruit or cleaning the homes of white people. The author weaves the many descriptions into an interesting novel, particularly if one has read no previous writing about wartime life.
I had never read anything written by this author. I usually love reading books about Asian themes so I was excited to see it at my library. The dust jacket peaked my interest so I checked it out. I read the first chapter. I thought maybe it was just the introduction and that in the next chapter things would get better. The chapter seemed like a huge list of facts written about a group of women. It read like "Some of us did this. Some of us did that. One woman did this, one woman did that." The whole chapter. Next chapter: same thing. List after list of what "some of us" did. It's completely written in the plural. We felt this. We felt that. You don't get to know any of the characters. No names. Just one big list after another. I actually made it through almost half of the book, but I just couldn't stand it anymore. I also don't understand the title. It seems to have nothing to do with the actual "story". Maybe I didn't make it far enough into the book.
The surprising thing about this book (to me) is that you do get a description of things through the lists. I did get a picture of how it was to ride on the boat. I got a picture of the disappointment of the women when they saw their husbands. There is actually a story being told in a context. I got a picture of the settings in my head. So the author is clever in that regard. I think the book was well written, it just wasn't my style and it was not what I expected.
I think based on what other people have said, you will either love this book or hate it. I did not care for it. I thank my lucky stars that I didn't actually pay for it. I am a librarian and I would caution my patrons to read a few paragraphs before they checked it out.
The surprising thing about this book (to me) is that you do get a description of things through the lists. I did get a picture of how it was to ride on the boat. I got a picture of the disappointment of the women when they saw their husbands. There is actually a story being told in a context. I got a picture of the settings in my head. So the author is clever in that regard. I think the book was well written, it just wasn't my style and it was not what I expected.
I think based on what other people have said, you will either love this book or hate it. I did not care for it. I thank my lucky stars that I didn't actually pay for it. I am a librarian and I would caution my patrons to read a few paragraphs before they checked it out.
What was it like for these Japanese picture brides? What were the challenges they faced, in the home and in society? The writing style was very effective in giving all of their voices the space to be heard, to not be forgotten, relating their struggle to fit into a society that hardly valued them and of being forced to leave behind everything they worked for during the war. It's heartbreaking as it is insightful and definitely not to be missed. 4.5 stars.
Despite sounding like a fascinating topic, this was a disappointing read for my monthly book club. We expected this to have a more historical basis, but no real facts were presented. It was anecdotal, but I wasn't sure any of the incidents actually happened or were just 'like' something that appeared in one of the author's historical resources she used.
I just didn't like the voice the book was written in. And though names were sometimes used, we never got to 'know' any of the characters. More often, the author said " One of us" did this or that. For this reason, I felt disconnected from the characters.
I will look for another book on this topic as it is one many Americans know little about.
I just didn't like the voice the book was written in. And though names were sometimes used, we never got to 'know' any of the characters. More often, the author said " One of us" did this or that. For this reason, I felt disconnected from the characters.
I will look for another book on this topic as it is one many Americans know little about.
Wow. Beautifully written. Emotionally powerful. Full of history.
Quick read about mail order brides arriving to San Francisco with expectations that weren't met. I found it boring and without depth.
