The Fences Between Us: The Diary Of Piper Davis, Seattle, Washington, 1941 (2010) - Plot & Excerpts
Honestly, I'm a bit frustrated with this one. This book follows the story of the Japanese internment camps in America following the attack on Pearl Harbor. However, it is told from the perspective of a white girl. This seems like really odd choice especially for the Dear America series which has featured a variety of different girls and races. I admit that the main character's father was inspired by an actual preacher, but the thought of a young white girl spending any real amount of time in an internment camp seems really unlikely. If this story had taken the approach of a fictional sort of Farewell to Manzanar it would probably be stronger. Piper Davis is a typical thirteen year old girl living in Seattle, Washington in 1941. She loves clothes, makeup, candy bars and BOYS! She hates being a PK (preacher's kid) because her dad is so strict but she has her older sister and brother as allies. Her brother enlists in the peace time navy in the fall of 1941 and Piper misses him a lot. When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor on December 7, Piper's world changes in an instant. She is constantly reading the newspaper for any news of her brother's ship, worrying about his safety. She also has to deal with the wounded men who were sent home from Hawaii. Piper's Japanese neighbors experience discrimination and attacks once America declares war on Japan. Piper feels that discrimination is wrong, but she isn't willing to take a stand yet. Her father, on the other hand, as minister of the Seattle Japanese Baptist Church, will fight for the rights of his friends and neighbors. When Piper's Japanese neighbors are rounded up and sent to incarceration camps, the time comes for her to take a stand, at least until her father ruins her life with a monumental decision. Resentful and sullen, Piper feels sorry for herself until she sees that her friends have it much worse. This new book holds up to the standards of the previous books in the series. It's well-written and Piper's voice sounds like a typical teenager. Piper can be bratty and immature at times, like all teenagers, but her experiences help her grow up and learn to think about others. The story is also about endurance and hope and how Japanese-Americans dealt with the terrible events of WWII. The story hooked me in and I really cared a lot about the characters because they were so well described, I felt like I was reading about real people. The story is entertaining and educational, sad and funny all at the same time. This book is a bit more mature than some of the others. Piper is a bit older and the descriptions of life in an incarceration camp are not downplayed at all. I highly recommend this book to readers 11 and up.
What do You think about The Fences Between Us: The Diary Of Piper Davis, Seattle, Washington, 1941 (2010)?
Good book - were some minor things; disobediance to parents, a few unkind words. Great WWII History.
—Amanda
I read this book and than donated it to the local library because they didn't have it.
—gmorga2
this book is so good iif there was a ten star rating i would pick it.
—Shar
