The War Outside and Washington Black

Here are some comments about two very well-written, but very sad historical novels. The first, THE WAR OUTSIDE by Monica Hesse, is a young adult novel about life during WWII for two you teenage girls, Haruko and Margot. They are a Japanese American and a German American whose fathers are suspected of being “enemy aliens” and are therefore sent to the Crystal City internment camp, a topic addressed previously on this blog. Many of our students already read and discuss Otsuka’s When the Emperor was Divine for English classes, but Hesse’s story goes in a slightly different direction by probing the experiences of both German and Japanese detainees and their families, by exploring the prejudices and misunderstandings between those two groups, and by layering on the emotional drama of a friendship and attraction gone awry between these two young teens. As the question on the cover asks, “They can’t trust their country, can they trust each other?”

Hesse’s writing evokes numerous emotions, especially the loneliness, tension, boredom, and lack of control for the internees, and this is not a “feel good” book although it is very powerful. THE WAR OUTSIDE received starred reviews from Booklist, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal. Given ongoing headlines about xenophobia and deportation, this is a timely and ultimately haunting read which will be on our shelves soon.   

 

WASHINGTON BLACK by Esi Edugyan is a historical novel written primarily for adults which deals with questions of slavery and race. The main character, George Washington Black (called “Wash”) was a slave in Barbados on a sugar plantation when (around 1830) his owner’s brother, “Titch” selected him as an assistant of sorts. Together, Wash and Titch experience numerous adventures associated with inventions (like hot air balloons) and inter-continental travel (to the Arctic and elsewhere). This book is a dark read, dealing as it does with the face of evil and brutality and cruelty involved with violence perpetuated against Blacks.

Esi Edugyan’s WASHINGTON BLACK was recently named to the short list for the Man Booker Prize (winner to be announced on October 16) and this title received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly.  Read an excerpt and see a reading guide here.

Train to Crystal City by Jan Jarboe Russell

Our English teachers and I were excited to learn about the publication of The Train to Crystal City because, per its subtitle, it tells the story of "FDR's Secret Prisoner Exchange Program and America's Only Family Internment Camp During World War II." Our students read, research and discuss When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka so The Train to Crystal City will be an excellent additional resource.   Over several years, we have compiled and shared related teaching and learning resources, including many primary sources.

I expected The Train to Crystal City to tell much of the same story -- it does that and more. Author Russell has focused attention not only on Japanese/Japanese-American internees, but on Latin American, Italian, and German internees as well. Frankly, I was shocked to read the Eiserloh family story -- that family could have been my relatives or their friends.  The immigration dates and ages were eerily similar, including a the profile of a patriarch who worked for a well-respected Fortune 500 company and who enjoyed German music and wrote letters to family still in Europe. Fortunately, my family never experienced life in an internment camp, but I heard stories of how difficult it was to be living in America with a German surname in the 1940's and 50's. For the adults, it meant less social time with friends and worries about relatives in Dresden and nearby German towns.  For the children, it lead to teasing and bullying.

Stressful? Yes, but not like the secret prisoner exchanges which Jan Jarboe Russell investigates and documents. Russell spent years researching The Train to Crystal City and she includes copious footnotes and annotations, although her family stories are very readable.  In its review Booklist describes The Train to Crystal City as "an informative, disturbing, and necessary reminder of the dangers produced by wartime hysteria." Our teachers and students will be using this reference work and drawing parallels to their reading and to today's news headlines where threatening events may lead to fear, prejudice and over-reaction with negative impacts on civil liberties.