Book Review - Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet

I read this book solely based off the recommendation of our very dear family friend Barbra. When Barbra was over for Thanksgiving we were discussing and sharing book recommendations and this was one of the books she absolutely raved about and said I must read it. She was so right. I loved this book. I read it in under a week and loved every minute of it. I was so excited knowing I would get to see her for my birthday and could tell her how much I loved the book and was so glad she recommended it. And to put the icing on the cake the book was available through my library e-books and there was no wait for it so it was available to download immediately. I can't believe there was not a wait, it was so good.

Book Title: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet by Jamie Ford

Book Summary (From Amazon): Henry Lee is a 12-year-old Chinese boy who falls in love with Keiko Okabe, a 12-year-old Japanese girl, while they are scholarship students at a prestigious private school in World War II Seattle. Henry hides the relationship from his parents, who would disown him if they knew he had a Japanese friend. His father insists that Henry wear an "I am Chinese" button everywhere he goes because Japanese residents of Seattle have begun to be shipped off by the thousands to relocation centers. This is an old-fashioned historical novel that alternates between the early 1940s and 1984, after Henry's wife Ethel has died of cancer. A particularly appealing aspect of the story is young Henry's fascination with jazz and his friendship with Sheldon, an older black saxophonist just making a name for himself in the many jazz venues near Henry's home. Other aspects of the story are more typical of the genre: the bullies that plague Henry, his lack of connection with his father, and later with his own son. Readers will care about Henry as he is forced to make decisions and accept circumstances that separate him from both his family and the love of his life.

Book Review: I loved this book for so many reasons. I loved the way the story alternated between the past and present and both stories kept me wanting more to see what was going to happen. I think it addressed a topic that is seldom talked about. I can remember learning about this during school but at that age never thought anything more of it. But to imagine our own government only 60 years ago rounding up its own citizens and placing them into camps is unbelievable. This story put such a face to what went on then. I also loved reading about young Henry's story of the cultural issues he was impacted by as a young Chinese American during the time period. And of course the budding love story of two young children and how they were also impacted by these events. This book was such an enjoyable read for me, I would def recommend it!