Within These LInes

GIVEAWAY

MORRILL, STEPHANIE
WITHIN THESE LINES

Separated by war, injustice, and hatred...
they must find their way in a world divided.

Evalina Cassano's life in an Italian-American family in 1941 is everything it "should be" until she falls in love with Taichi Hamasaki, the son of Japanese immigrants. Despite the scandal it would cause and the fact that interracial marriage is illegal in California, Evalina and Taichi vow they will find a way to be together. But anti-Japanese feelings erupt across the country after the attack on Pearl Harbor and Taichi and his family are forced to give up their farm and move to an internment camp.

Degrading treatment at Manzanar Relocation Center is so difficult, Taichi doubts he will ever leave the camp alive. His only connection to the outside world are treasured letters from Evalina.Feeling that the only action she can take to help Taichi is to speak out on behalf of all Japanese Americans, Evalina becomes increasingly vocal at school and at home.

With tensions running high and their freedom on the line, Evalina and Taichi must hold true to their values and believe in their love to make a way back to each other against unbelievable odds.

My Review:

Sitting here staring at a blank screen because I have no words to describe the impact this novel had on me. I think because I can see repeating patterns in history. It's like we just can't seem to learn from our mistakes which is one of the reasons I think stories like Within These Lines are so important. Reading about relatable characters, caring about them, immersing ourselves in their stories increases our capacity for empathy, and hopefully, the resolve to act instead of ignore as so many Americans (and Canadians) did during World War II.

In some ways this is a classical Romeo and Juliet love story -- only without that dire ending! Evalina is fiery and passionate and impetuous! I love how she's prepared to fight for social justice. She's just one voice in a sea of anger and fear but she's stubborn! And Taichi is much more easygoing, calm, measured -- a perfect complement to Evalina's intensity. Their love grows out of stolen moments until anti-Japanese sentiments after Pearl Harbor pull them apart when Taichi and his family are forced into an internment camp.

The conditions in the camp are horrendous  and Morrill does a fantastic job of bringing the atrocities of day-to-day life to light. My blood pressure is rising just thinking about it! Gah! There are so many senseless contradictions and it's clear the government hadn't thought things through. So, we get Taichi's POV from the camp and Evalina's from back home and the way their stories are woven together is sheer artistry!

A stunning novel that deserves every literary accolade it's eligible for!!!!!

Please note: this isn't a Christian Fiction selection though Blink is an imprint of Zondervan. It publishes clean Young Adult fiction across all genres. Really exceptional YA literature as a matter of fact so if you have a teen in your life (or just like YA) head to your library and check out some of their titles.

And just a little something to think about from the author's notes at the back of the book:

"History storyteller Dan Carlin talks about how dangerous it is to judge those who have come before us from our 20/20 hindsight, and he applied this statement specifically to the incarceration of Japanese Americans. That when modern Americans talk about WWII, we ask why so few Germans stood up to Hitler. Carlin makes the point that for Germans, speaking out had deadly consequences. In America even when it wouldn't have been deadly, and perhaps there would have been no real consequence at all, very few spoke out on behalf of the Japanese Americans." (from the author's notes: 'About the History' p 347)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Within These Lines, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday May 18 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!