Weedflower

Weedflowers are the flowers farmed by the Japanese family of Sumiko in California. Their livelihood is shattered when Pearl Harbour is bombed and an even greater prejudice against the ‘Nikkei’ overtakes America; all Japanese are rounded up and shipped to camps to sit out the war. In the crushing boredom of virtual imprisonment Sumiko derives comfort from the garden that she creates in the desert and from her fragile relationship with a boy, Frank, from the local Native American reservation.

There is a great delicacy about this very readable novel, not to be confused with weakness. The heroine has a strong will and a spirit to survive despite insult and fear. The period it covers was new to me and frankly the underdogs in the tale come out a darn sight better than their host nation!

This Newbery Medal winning author is writing at the peak of her powers.