The Last Cherry Blossom
During the Greater East Asian War, known in the west as World War II, 12-year-old Yuriko lives with her father in Hiroshima. She has a best friend next door, an annoying cousin-brother who lives with her, and many of the same joys and problems of any girl her age. Her father begins spending time with a woman, and Yuriko wonders and worries if she will get a new mother. A secret is revealed and Yuriko discovers that her family isn’t who she originally thought them to be. Amidst these personal concerns, America drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, changing Yuriko’s life forever.
The story is based on the life of the author’s mother, who was twelve when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. The details of Japanese life during the war are interesting and, I assume, accurate. They celebrate the New Year with traditional foods and the Shishi-mai, lion dancers. Yuriko and a friend make a stitch on a soldier’s one-thousand stitch belt, so he’ll know that one thousand women are thinking of him. The girls listen to jazz music in secret when it is outlawed.
Yuriko narrates the story. She is a sweet and innocent 12-year-old, very concerned about her relationship with her father. The story moves a little slowly. The true suspense comes from the reader’s knowledge that Hiroshima will be bombed and wondering what will happen to the characters. The story is painful and tragic, and provides a needed look into a world not often presented to young, English-language audiences. Recommended for ages 11-13.
