When the Emperor Was Divine (Hardcover)

from lauralkeet

Imagine that a member of your family is taken away in the middle of the night, wearing only his robe and slippers. When the Emperor was Divine tells the story of a Japanese-American family immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Each chapter is written from a different point of view: th...

from Rdra1962

Another short, beautifully written book. The book is narrated by each of the members of this family sent to Japanese interment camps. Very spare writing, a quick but moving read. The author manages to convey so much with few, carefully curated words.

from kambrogi

This subtle novel tells with astonishing clarity a story of a family irreparably damaged by the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII. The mother, father, son and daughter may survive, but from page one, it is clear that they will never be the same again. This vision of the dark side of th...

from charbutton

This book tells the story of a Japanese family interned in the US in 1942, the father separate from the mother and their two children, with the narrative coming from each of their perspectives in turn. I like Otsuka's style of unfolding the tale. She doesn't ram home that the family are Japanese ...

from mrstreme

This beautiful, concise story is one that I will think about for a long time. When The Emperor Was Divine is the story of an un-named family that is affected by the imprisonment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. The father is arrested by the FBI shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, ...