The Journal of Ben Uchida is a fictional novel from the "My Name is America" series. This book is best for middle school ages or students who are English language learners. It tells the story of a young Japanese American boy before and during the internment process. It is great for younger readers, because it is told through the perspective of a kid. ( )

After reading [b:The Fences Between Us: The Diary of Piper Davis, Seattle, Washington, 1941|7886561|The Fences Between Us The Diary of Piper Davis, Seattle, Washington, 1941 (Dear America)|Kirby Larson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328837952l/7886561._SX50_.jpg|11103189], I wanted something raw and more angry... and it exists, published eleven years prior in the "My Name is America" boy diary equivalents. While also not an #ownvoices book, Barry Denenberg at least recognizes that the story of Japanese American incarceration should be told through the eyes of those forcibly removed from their homes- not a bystander. Ben Uchida is a salty, sarcastic 12 year old who is upset with the situation but also feels powerless (in gallows humor, mentioning that they might never leave). With the perspective of a Japanese American kid, we see his father get taken without any word where he is or when they'll hear from him. We see them have to sell/find what to do with their belongings over a week's notice. We get the annoyance and frustration over every part of this. I shouldn't keep comparing the two, but Kirby Larson's Piper just doesn't capture the feelings around this because frankly, Piper doesn't really care as much because it doesn't directly affect her.

Per the epilogue- why is Naomi's future husband Caucasian? There's no in-text hints for that so it seems out of nowhere (unless like Kirby's Betty Sato we're making [a:Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston|86883|Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1216938312p2/86883.jpg] proxies). And, it only makes me speculate more about Ben.

The historical section does a broad look at Asian American discrimination, including the Chinese Exclusion Act (and thus why Japanese labor was needed but also why they could bring families) and additional legislation re: the 1924 Asian exclusion act and later legislation on quotas per country. This would be a good intro for children to broader Asian American history, along with [b:Journal of Wong Ming-Chung: A Chinese Miner, California, 1852|25263|Journal of Wong Ming-Chung A Chinese Miner, California, 1852 (My Name is America)|Laurence Yep|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1389824883l/25263._SX50_.jpg|2894578]. ( )

00007489

00008022

00001251