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A Place Where Sunflowers GrowBy Amy Lee-TaiIllustrated by Felicia Hoshino 2006, 31 pages, Hardback. |
ORDER -- Item #3407, Price $16.95
Inspired by her family's experiences, author Amy Lee-Tai has crafted a story rooted in one of America's most shameful historical episodes-the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans during the second World War. The art schools which offered internees moments of solace and self-expression are a little known part of this history. Amy Lee-Tai's gentle prose and Felicia Hoshino's stunning mixed media images are a testimony to hope and how it can survive alongside even the harshest injustice.
"A Place Where Sunflowers Grow reminds us of the human wellspring of hope in spite of injustice and the incomprehensible circumstances of imprisonment. Like the sunflowers that grow above the barrack walls at Topaz, Amy Lee-Tai and Felicia Hoshino lift up the indomitable human spirit that transcends suffering."
"Preservation of our history is the preservation of our democracy and a reminder of who we are as Americans. In a time of uncertainty, Amy Lee-Tai shines a light on what we are capable of perpetrating on our fellow citizens, and what we are capable of rising above."
"In this touching story, young Mart is the embodiment of all Japanese Americans who were wrongly and unconstitutionally interned during World War II. She transcends her hardships and, most importantly, teaches all of us important lessons about our shared humanity and dignity."
"A Place Where Sunflowers Grow offers beautiful, haunting depictions of life in an internment camp as seen by a child, and a narrative that is both simple and profound. A must in every school and library in the country."
Felicia Hoshino was born in San Francisco, California. In addition to creating mixed-media images for children's books and for magazines such as Cicada, Felicia also studies and performs Japanese classical dance. She lives with her husband and son in San Francisco, California.
Book Description from the Front Cover Flap
Can sunflowers bloom in the desert?
Mari wonders if anything can bloom at Topaz, where her family is interned along with thousands of other Japanese Americans during World War II. The summer sun is blazingly hot, and Mari's art class has begun. But it's hard to think of anything to draw in a place where nothing beautiful grows. Somehow, glimmers of hope begin to surface under the harsh sun-in the eyes of a kindly art teacher, in the tender words of Mari's parents, and in the smile of a new friend.
Comments from the Cover
"A story about our past and the promise of our future, A Place Where Sunflowers Grow will make our history-and our humanity-bloom."
-Don T. Nakanishi, Director, UCLA Asian American Studies Center
-Janice Mirikitani, San Francisco Poet Laureate, 2000 and Executive Director, Glide Church
-Mike Honda, United States Congressman
-Daniel K. Inouye, United States Senator
-Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, author of Farewell to Manzanar
Background on Amy Lee-Tai and Felicia Hoshino
Amy Lee-Tai, who is of both Japanese and Chinese ancestry, was born in New York City. Amy first learned about the Japanese American internment from her mother and through her grandmother Hisako Hibi's paintings. She lives in Virginia with her husband and two daughters. This is her first book.
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Copyright © 2006 by AACP, Inc.
Most recent revision June 13, 2006