Review
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* "The story of two young Japanese-American men who enlist in the 442nd Regiment, a segregated unit of
Japanese-American soldiers and white officers that fought in the European Theater.... Hughes sends these men through the
wringer. They endure foot rot and the stress of taking the next hill (which is worse is up for grabs), and they also
grapple with the consequences: how does one reconcile shooting a kid, even if he's an enemy soldier? Yuki reflects that
"what he and Shig were doing—and the Germans, too—was brutal, disgusting," and he would "spend his life trying to remove
all this ugliness from his head and his hands." Throughout, Hughes never shies from the institutionalized bigotry that
put these Americans of Japanese ancestry into harm's way more than their fair share of times. Nuanced and riveting in
equal parts." (Kirkus Reviews, September 2016, *STARRED REVIEW*)
"Yuki Nakahara is American. He was born in California, wears jeans, and has never even visited another country—but at
the start of World War II he becomes aware that other Americans see him as a foreign enemy. His family is one of the
thousands of Japanese American citizens arrested and forcibly transferred to internment camps in the rural desert.
Although depressed about their situation, Yuki and friend Shig decide to join the army to fight for their country and to
prove once and for all that they are loyal to the United States. As the war wages on, however, Yuki realizes that he
must respect himself and where he came from, and that neither war nor changing others’ minds is as easy as he had
imagined. Although this is a work of historical fiction, the author’s thorough research about the boys of the
100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team and his meticulous descriptions of battle scenes bring the story to life without
boring readers familiar or unfamiliar with the lifestyle. The strong emotions evoked by the vivid details of
battle and the other realities of war make this work sometimes difficult to read, but the excitement and compassion will
keep even the most hesitant readers turning the pages. Those who follow the news will find connections between Yuki’s
plight and current events. VERDICT: A solid purchase for collections looking to entice reluctant readers and those where
historical fiction or war novels are popular." (School Library Journal, October 2016)
"Events, characters, and dialogue create an indelible sense of time and place.... Yuki emerges as a true hero during
this dark period of American history." (Horn Book Magazine November/December 2016)
* "Hughes' writing effectively evokes the horrors of war and the internal conflict of young men fighting for a country
that has treated them unjustly. The challenges of Yuki’s reentry into the States are also well conveyed: the guilt of
survival, the difficulty of communicating the war experience to civilians, and the continued widespread racism.... This
is historical fiction at its finest—immersive and inspirational." (Booklist, November 2016, *STARRED REVIEW*)
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About the Author
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Dean Hughes is the author of more than eighty books for young readers, including the popular sports series
Angel Park All-Stars, the Scrappers series, the Nutty series, the widely accled companion novels Family Pose and Team
Picture, Search and Destroy, and Four-Four-Two. His novel Soldier Boys was selected for the 2001 New York Public Library
Books for the Teen Age list. Dean Hughes and his wife, Kathleen, have three children and nine grandchildren. They live
in Midway, Utah.
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