Everything is illuminated - Literary Fiction

Author: Jonathan Safran Foer

Publication Date: 2002 

Number of Pages: 276

Part of a Series: No

Subject Heading(s):

• Americans -- Ukraine – Fiction  
• Bildungsromane  
• Grandfather and child  
• Grandfathers -- Fiction  
• Guilt in men  
• Holocaust, Jewish (1933-1945)  
• Holocaust survivors  
• Humorous fiction  
• Jewish-Americans in Ukraine  
• Novelists -- Fiction  
• Novels within novels  
• Translators  
• World War II  
• World War, 1939-1945 -- Ukraine – Fiction  
• Young men -- Fiction  

Note: Bildungsromane: A novel mainly about the moral, psychological, and/or intellectual development of a protagonist, typically a young adult (see wiktionary.org)

Geographical Setting/ Time Period: United States and Ukraine; 1997

Main Character(s):

Jonathan Safran Foer- a young, Jewish-American college student who has a penchant for collecting strange items

Alex Perchov- a young Ukrainian translator, his knowledge of American culture is at least a decade out of date

Grandfather- Alex’s disgruntled grandfather, a taxi driver who claims to be blind and insists his “deranged seeing-eye bitch,” Sammie Davis Jr., Jr., go everywhere with him.

Plot Summary: Jonathan, a fictitious writer who happens to share the author’s name, goes to the Ukraine armed only with a photograph and a story in search of Augustine, the woman who saved Jonathan’s grandfather during the Nazi invasion of Ukraine. Jonathan’s translator, Alex, along with Alex’s grandfather guide Jonathan across the Ukrainian countryside in search of the lost story of his grandfather’s youth.

Appeal: The language style is unique. The story is told through both Jonathan and Alex, a young Ukrainian man who speaks in a combination of Ukrainian-taught broken English heavily influenced by American pop culture. The story unfolds slowly, interspersed with comedic moments that result from Alex’s use of English and the interactions between the three main characters. The characters themselves, even minor ones, are interesting, richly developed, and unique. While not suspenseful, the story Foer travels across the world to uncover is engaging. The frame, Ukraine from the 1700s to the present, and the details of Jewish life are essential to the story development. The emotions and experiences of the main characters will resonate with readers as they experience the truth unfold through Alex’s words and Jonathan’s retelling of his family history. The telling is very straightforward, so there are some references to sex and explicit descriptions of the human body. It is important to note that the ending is somewhat open and the narrative ends abruptly.

Brief quote: “But first I am burdened to recite my good appearance. I am unequivocally tall. I do not know any women who are taller than me. The women I know who are taller than me are lesbians, for whom 1969 was a very momentous year. I have handsome hairs, which are split in the middle. This is because Mother used to split them on the side when I was a boy, and to spleen her I split them in the middle.” (page 3-4)

Prizes or Awards: 

• 2002 National Jewish Book Award, 
• 2003 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing
• The 2002 Guardian First Book Award. 
• Kirkus & Publishers Weekly starred reviews. 
• Movie adaptation released in 2005, starring Elijah Wood.

Similar Works: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (Novels within novels; translators; Holocaust survivors)

Reviewer’s Name: Lori Chatman

 

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd.  Chicago: ALA, 1997.

People of the Book - Literary fiction

Author: Geraldine Brooks

Publication Date: 2008  

Number of Pages: 372

Part of a Series: no

Subject Heading(s):

• Books-conservation and restoration-fiction  
• Judaism-prayers and devotions-fiction  
• Rare books- fiction  
• Religious persecution  
• Toleration  
• Greed  
• Manuscripts  
• Religious liberty  
• Sacred books  
• Voyages and travel  

Geographical Setting/ Time Period: modern day- Bosnia, Australia, U.S., Israel and the past Spain, Italy, Austria, Bosnia  

Main Character(s): 

Hanna Heath- the Australian rare book conservator who tries to find the story behind the books she works on;  

Ozren Karaman- the brave librarian who saved the Haggadah during the bombing in Sarajevo  

Plot Summary: The Sarajevo Haggadah, an ancient illustrated Hebrew manuscript, has reappeared after the cease fire in Sarajevo. Hanna has been approved by the UN and the Bosnians to inspect the manuscript and restore it so it can be placed on display with other religious items that will showcase that various cultures and religions enrich each other. Thus begins a journey which takes the reader back to specific times in the manuscript’s history based on small items found during the restoration.

 

Appeal: This book has many stories within the main story. It delves into many issues concerning religion and some politics. It progresses at a fairly leisurely pace. This would appeal to many historical fiction readers as it is detailed and visits various places at different times in history. The characters are well written and strong. Note: This book has a map on the inside cover of the trip that the manuscript has taken.

Brief quote:  “Here in this museum in 1894, M. Martell had worked his soft cloth and his small brushes over the old and blackened pieces of metal until the silver once again gleamed in the light. For just a moment, the very dispassionate M. Martell had lost his head. ‘The clasps,’ he had written, ‘are extraordinarily beautiful.’” (page 104)

Prizes or Awards: Australian Book Industry Awards Book of the Year and Literary Fiction Book of the Year, Massachusetts Book Awards Fiction Award and School Library Journal’s Adult Books for High School Students 2008

 

Similar Works:  

Sarah’s Key by, Tatiana de Rosnay (NoveList- Jewish history, WWII) 

Kepler by John Banville (NoveList- intricate plot historical fiction, religious persecution)

Reviewer’s Name: Erin Bedford

 

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd.  Chicago: ALA, 1997.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Historical fiction

Author:                Jamie Ford

Publication Date:  2009, debut novel      

Number of Pages: 285 (hardcover)

Part of a Series:    No

Subject Heading(s):

• Chinese Americans
• Japanese Americans
• WWII
• Japanese internment
• Racism
• Seattle
• historical fiction
• family
• friendship
• love story
• jazz
• The forties (20^th century)
• father and son
• memories,
• widowers

Geographical Setting:Seattle, WA

Time Period: 1942-1945 and 1986

Main Character(s): 

Henry Lee-a smart, independent, Chinese American boy who readers also encounter as a man with many sweet yet painful memories; 

Keiko Okabe-an artistic, confident Japanese American girl whose family is taken away to internment camps in the U.S. during WWII

Plot Summary:        Henry Lee becomes a teenager during WWII and is considered an outsider by many simply because he is Asian. To make the situation worse, his father commands that Henry wear a pin that says, “I am Chinese” and attend an all white school where racism is rampant. But, when a Japanese American girl, Keiko Okabe, is also sent to the white school, he quickly makes friends with her and the two bond through their Asian heritage and because they are both considered outsiders. However, Keiko and her family, along with thousands of other Japanese Americans, are forced to move into a Japanese internment camp to ensure they don’t take part in any espionage against America. Henry and Keiko vow to wait for each other as their relationship has become more than just friends. However, things don’t go quite as planned due to Henry’s father’s hatred toward all things Japanese and they both move on. 40 years later, after some of Keiko’s old belongings are found in a Japanese hotel, Henry’s son and future daughter-in-law encourage him to reunite and regain the relationship they once had.

Appeal:                   

Frame/Setting: 2/3 of the book is set in WWII in the Asian district of Seattle, WA with real events and real places mentioned  

Storyline: Seattle during WWII, character and historical events are interwoven successfully, episodic and alternates between WWII time period and the 1980s, chapter titles include dates 

Style/Language: lots of conversation about the war, also some Chinese and Japanese phrases  

Pacing: leisurely  

Characterization: gets more intimate and matures as you read about Henry becoming a teenager and then a man and it feels as if you have known him for a long time  

Tone: like the title states, some bitterness mixed with some sweetness

Brief quote:           “Loyalty. We’re still loyal to the United States of America. Why? Because we too are Americans. We don’t agree, but we will show our loyalty by our obedience. Do you understand, Henry?

                             All Henry could do was sign and nod. He knew that concept all too well. Painfully well. Obedience as a sign of loyalty, as an expression of honor, even as an act of love, was a well-worn theme in his household.” (229)

Prizes or Awards:   Asian Pacific American Award for Literature: Adult Fiction (2009) given by the Asian/American Librarians Association; Montana Book Award (2009) given by Friends of the Missoula Public Library to recognize noteworthy literature by an author from Montana, books about Montana, or themes important to the state of Montana

Similar Works:      

Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas- Japanese Americans, mass internment, WWII, historical fiction, teenagers (NoveList) 

The Whirlwind by Carol Matas- Seattle, Japanese Americans, mass internment, teenage boys, prejudice, historical fiction, adult books for teens (NoveList)

Reviewer’s Name:   Taryn Kingery

Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd.  Chicago: ALA, 1997.

When the Emperor Was Divine - Historical Fiction

Author: Julie Otsuka   

Publication Date: 2002                                     

Number of Pages: 144

Part of a Series: No

Subject Heading(s): 

• Adult books for young adults
• Japanese Americans
• Concentration Camps
• Japanese-American Internment
• Historical Fiction—Literary Historical Novels—United States—20^th Century
• United States, World War II
• Internment Camp
• War Stories

Geographical Setting/ Time Period: United States, World War II

Main Character(s):

• A mother, who must pack up her family’s home when the relocation order is given. 
• A girl, 10 years old at the beginning of the story, she likes boys, jump rope, and making up stories.
• A boy, 7 years old at the beginning of the story, he wears a fedora given to him by his father, likes horses and dreams of heroes and outlaws.
• A father, who writes letters to his family once a week.  They are marked “Detained Enemy Alien Mail.”

Plot Summary: In spring of 1942, a woman headed to the library sees a sign in the post office window.  She turns back home to pack.  She is a Japanese woman who has been living in the United States for the last 20 years.  Her husband has already been taken by the FBI, accused of treason in the days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  She and her children will now leave their white stucco house in Berkeley, California, carrying one suitcase each, and be sent to live in a crowded camp in the Utah desert.

Appeal: Simply and beautifully written story of the hardship and loss experienced by Japanese families during World War II.  Each of the five chapters is from a different perspective.  Lyrical, spare writing style.

Brief quote: “The boy played marbles on the laundry room floor.  He played Chinese checkers.  He roamed through the barracks with the other boys in his block, playing cops and robbers and war.  Kill the Germans!  Kill the Japs!”

Prizes or Awards: 

Alex Award, 2003 (recognizes outstanding adult books for teens);  

Booklist Editor’s Choice—Best Fiction Books, 2002; 

Booklist Editor’s Choice—Adult Books for Young Adults, 2002;  

New York Times notable books—Fiction an d Poetry, 2002.

Similar Works: 

Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Watatsuki Houston (memoirs of WWII internment camps,);

Legend of Fire Horse Woman by Jeanne Watatsuki Houston (historical fiction, Japanese-American families, WWII,);

A Fence Away from Freedom:  Japanese-Americans during World War II by Ellen Levine (non-fiction account of WWII internment camps, used as a source by the author),

White Rose:  Una Rosa Blanca (poetic, spare language, literary historical fiction)

Reviewer’s Name: Joy Woods

 









Adapted from Saricks, Joyce G. and Nancy Brown. Readers= Advisory Service in the Public Library 2^nd.  Chicago: ALA, 1997.