Picture Bride: A Novel
by Yoshiko Uchida
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Book Summary Information
Author: Yoshiko UchidaEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1997-06
ISBN: 0295976160
Number of pages: 216
Publisher: Univ of Washington Pr
Book Reviews of Picture Bride: A Novel
Book Review: An amazing look at US history and Japanese-American culture
Summary: 5 Stars
Picture bride, an excellent novel, boasts a wonderful cast of characters. As a story about Japanese-immigrant life in America during the 1930's and 1940's, Picture Bride tells a tale that the average American never hears. Best of all, after reading Picture Bride, a person understands current Japanese-American culture and its roots. The Japanese immigrants' fortitude and strength in Picture Bride amaze the reader. Hana a young Japanese woman, comes to America expecting to marry a young, prospering merchant. Instead she finds Taro, a kind older man with a low-class shop. Despite her disappointment, Hana accepts Taro and makes a relatively successful life with him, a testament to her inner strength. Taro himself endured changes in fortune upon arriving in America. He had to work as a houseboy but saved money and later started his own shop. all immigrants in the novel face the added trial of discrimination. Hana and Taro almost lose their home because of it. Reverend Okada, the Doctor, and Kenji Nishima give help to and support to others in the Japanese community while accepting the same hardships. The hard-working, accepting personalities of the characters make Picture Bride an intriguing novel. The story of the immigrants' new, American lives greatly interests the reader because many readers first learn about Japanese immigrant life by reading Picture Bride. Details of immigrant life, from funny anecdotes about a confused Japanese student and a bathtub to descriptions of Hana making breakfast tea, reside in the pages of the novel. Picture Bride also addresses the issues of discrimination and the interment of Japanese-Americans during WW2. After reading Picture Bride, the reader knows more about the Japanese-immigrant experience. Picture Bride gives the reader a better understanding of Japanese-American culture, also. The Japanese who came to America, like Hana and Taro, worked hard to fit into American society, but they still held onto their culture. Hana and Taro wanted their daughter Mary to lucubrate so she could earn her M.D. and earn respect from the San Francisco natives. Kiku, Hana's friend, helped Hana fit in when Hana first arrived by dressing her in western-style clothing. Henry Toda even changed his name to ease his assimilation. Japanese immigrants, from the farmers like Henry Toda to the houseboys and shop owners like Taro, worked hard to gain accept- ance into American society and make new lives for themselves. Japanese-Americans today have continued to be hard-working citizens. The Japanese immigrants retained their culture, too. Hana and Taro still ate pickled radish, rice, tea, and other Japanese foods. Hana kept her kimono and obi to wear on special celebrations like New Year, and Taro and Hana spoke Japanese with their friends and with each other. In present-day society, vestiges of Japanese culute, in food, language, and special traditions, still exist in Japanese-American homes. Picture Bride helps a reader understand and admire this unique culture and its roots. Picture Bride tells the story of America-the story of the immigrant. It is a story every American should hear.
Summary of Picture Bride: A Novel
Carrying a photograph of the man she is to marry but has yet to meet, young Hana Omiya arrives in San Francisco, California, in 1917, one of several hundred Japanese "picture brides" whose arranged marriages brought them to America in the early 1900s.Her story is intertwined with others: her husband Taro Takeda, an Oakland shopkeeper; Kiku and her husband Henry, who reject demeaning city work to become farmers; Dr. Kaneda, a respected community leader who is destroyed by the adopted land he loves. All are caught up in the cruel turmoil of World War II, when West Coast Japanese Americans are uprooted from their homes and imprisoned in desert concentration camps. Although tragedy strikes each of them, the same spirit and strength that brought her to America enable Hana to survive.
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