Our Community Reads 2007
Weedflower, by Cynthia Kadohata

The Novel

Weedflower, by Cynthia Kadohata

Set in America immediately before the attack on Pearl Harbor, this insightful novel by the Newbery-winning author of Kira-Kira traces the experiences of a Japanese-American girl and her family. Sixth-grader Sumiko, the only Asian student in her class, has always felt like an outcast. Early on, a heartbreaking scene foreshadows events to come, when Sumiko arrives at a classmate’s birthday party and is told by the hostess to wait outside on the porch, and is then sent away. The girl’s feelings of isolation turn to fear after the United States declares war on Japan. First, government officials take away Sumiko’s uncle and grandfather. Then her aunt must sell their California flower farm; they are transported to a makeshift camp and later to a Native-American reservation in Poston, Arizona. Living like a prisoner in the desert, Sumiko nearly succumbs to what her grandfather termed “ultimate boredom” (“that mean close to lose mind,” he explains). But Sumiko finds hope and a form of salvation as a beautiful garden she creates and a friendship with a Native American boy, Frank, both begin to blossom. The contrast between the Native Americans’ plight and that of the interned may enlighten many readers (“They take our land and put you on it. They give you electricity,” snaps Frank.) Kadohata clearly and eloquently conveys her heroine’s mixture of shame, anger and courage. Readers will be inspired by Sumiko’s determination to survive and flourish in a harsh, unjust environment.

Find Weedflower in our catalog.

The Author - Cynthia Kadohata

Cynthia Kadohata’s father was held in the Poston internment camp during World War II. His experiences – and those of the tens of thousands of other Japanese and Japanese Americans – compelled her to write Weedflower. Ms. Kadohata is the author of Kira-Kira, winner of the 2005 Newbery Medal and a New York Times bestseller. She also has written novels for adults, and her stories have appeared in the New Yorker, Ploughshares, Grand Street, and other publications. She lives with her son in California.

Other books by the author:

• Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam
• Kira-Kira
• In the Heart of the Valley of Love (adult)
• The Floating World (adult)

Author Interview Online

• Book Browse

Funding For Our Community Reads Provided By

• Our Community Reads grant from the Kane County Regional Office of Education, Dr. Clem Mejia, Regional Superintendent
• St. Charles Public Library (Illinois Per Capita Grant)
• Elgin Community College Writers Center