Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata- Book Review

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata- Book Review

Title: Kira-Kira 

Author: Cynthia Kadohata

Publisher: Atheneum

Publish Date: February 1, 2004

Rating: 5/5

Summary(blurb): kira-kira (kee ra kee ra): glittering; shining 

Glittering. That's how Katie Takeshima's sister, Lynn, makes everything seem. The sky is kira-kira because is color is deep but see-through at the same time. The sea is kira-kira for the same reason. And so are people's eyes. When Katie and her family move from a Japanese community in lowa to the Deep South of Georgia, it's Lynn who explains to her why people stop on the street to stare. And it's Lynn who, with her special way of viewing the world, teaches Katie to look beyond tomorrow. But when Lynn becomes desperately ill, and the whole family begins to fall apart, it is up to Katie to find a way to remind them all that there is always something glittering--kira-kira—in the future.

**This book review may contain spoilers**

Since I don't have any older siblings, it's hard to imagine how having an older sibling feels like. Especially the middle child in a family with three kids-- you're treated like a little kid, but expected to be a good older sibling at the same time. But this book showed me a little bit of how it was like to have an older sibling, the level of attachment and love. Maybe this is how some of my friends with older sisters feel like. 

It's the 1950s, and Kira-Kira captures the innocence of a young child completely trusting her older sister about anything and everything. The age gap is not explicitly mentioned, but it seems to be about two or three years. I don't know if it's that accurate-- surely the level of attachment varies from household to household-- but Katie regards her older sister Lynn as something of an idol, an example to follow. Just these quotes from chapter 1 make you see how completely Katie trusts Lynn:

"[My mother] was dismayed over how un-Japanese we were and vowed to send us to Japan one day. I didn't care where she sent me, so long as Lynn came along." 

"Lynn was the bravest girl in the world. She was also a genius. I knew this because one day I asked her, "Are you a genius?" And she said, "Yes.""

But as the sisters grow up and go to school in Georgia, they start to face the realities of their Japanese heritage. They experience discrimination and prejudice, both in and out of school, and Katie espcially has a hard time at school because of her white classmates ostracizing her. Although the Japanese community in their town is supportive, Katie still relies on Lynn extensively for emotional support. But then comes the bad news out of nowhere-- Lynn is diagnosed with anemia. This is a crushing blow for the whole family, but especially Katie. They recently got a younger brother Sam, and Lynn can no be the leader of the Japanese kids in town that she used to be. In the following years, Katie's life keeps getting worse; Lynn has a new friend called Amber who she always hangs out with, making Katie feel like the unwanted third wheel; their parents work even longer hours than before to keep the family running, and their boss is famously ruthless; Lynn's health is getting worse, as she gets sick more often and more tired every time. 

A while later the family saves up enough for a loan and buys the new house Lynn always wanted. But Lynn's condition keeps getting worse and worse, as she additionally contracts lymphoma, and eventually dies. The whole family is stricken with grief, and Katie is left Lynn's diary. As she reads it she starts to understand how much Lynn loved her even when Katie felt she was forgotten. 

This book tackles many issues at once, yet masterfully integrates them all in a very natural way-- racism against Asians in the 1950s and early 60s, labor unions rising up against corporate factory owners, discrimination based on wealth and race, and just how difficult it is to hold together a family that's rapidly falling apart with illness. Portraying all that from the perspective of a little girl who idolizes her older sister, the book becomes a poignant narrative of just how unjust society is. Torn apart on the outside by racism and poverty and ravaged on the inside by anemia and later cancer, Katie's family only stays together thanks to the community around them and her parents' unending work. 

 

Back when I first read this book (in sixth grade as part of a Newbery Medal reading challenge), my favorite element of the story was Katie's innocence and relationship with Lynn. At the time, it was eye-opening how much Katie idolized her sister; Lynn taught Katie a wealth of knowledge and most of what she knows, and she was a natural leader who organized the playing with all the Japanese children. From Katie's perspective I could see how large Lynn was in her eyes. However, on this reread, I was able to focus more on the character of Uncle Katsuhisa. Uncle is a very supportive figure who is constantly present throughout the story; he is the one who extends the offer for the family to move to Georgia, he helps them with the move, he plays with the children, he takes care of them and even takes them camping-- all while supporting his own family. It's not unlike the role of Yoseb and Kyung-hee in Pachinko by Min Jin Lee-- these two took in Isak and Sunja in their Japanese home, providing the comfort of familar faces in a foreign setting, even though they were a family of their own. Uncle Katsuhisa similarly makes many sacrifices for Katie's family in Kira-Kira, and is always there to help in times of great distress. He also has has a personal connection to Katie's grieving over Lynn's death, since he reveals that his first son had also died, so he knows how Katie and her family feels. Although I haven't noticed it before, it seemed like Uncle Katsuhisa was contributing more to raising Katie, especially near the end when Katie's parents couldn't be around for their children a lot. 

Additionally, another thing I enjoyed about this book was that the writing style and words were all suited to the age of Katie and followed it closely. When she was young and innocent, her thoughts went everywhere. She would branch out on tangents in her narration, suddenly bringing up her toothless neighbor and rice candy while talking about her dreams for the future. However, as she grew up and matured, her thoughts began to consist more of reflections on her actions and thoughts about Lynn's feelings, about exactly what it is about Lynn that is so admirable. This is Katie after her sister dies: 

"Lynn wanted her life. I thought she was willing to suffer if she could still taste her food, if she could still talk about the sea, if she could still feel a breeze across her face, and even if she could still argue with her crazy sister!"

The writing matches closely to Katie's age level, which further amplifies the feeling that we're actually in the story with Katie and not just having it told by a mediator called the author. Through it, readers can follow Katie's character development closely and take a look into her mind as she matures and grows mentally as well as physically. 

 

All in all, Kira-Kira was a great, touching novel that allowed me to discover some aspects I hadn't noticed before (like the significance of Uncle Katsuhisa) It's a moving, poignant story of racism, prejudice, loss, but hope as well. 

I would recommend this book for anyone old enough to understand the novel, which is about fourth grade and up. The target audience is mostly children and students, but it's a story that's relevant to many people, so I suggest anyone who can get their hands on it to read it. Besides, it's got a Newbery Medal-- if that won't make you trust a book, I don't know what will.

Rating: I would give this a 5/5 - Even side characters such as the Uncle were important to the characters' development, and I liked how the writing style evolved as if to follow Katie and her maturing thoughts over the span of the book.