Book Review: Kira-Kira

Kadohata, Cynthia. Kira-Kira. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2004.

Kira-Kira is a young adult novel told in first person by a Japanese American character named Katie Takeshima. The novel explores the experiences and life of Katie and her family after they move from Iowa to Georgia. The story is set in the mid 1950’s and deals with the many struggles this Japanese family encounters within the United States. Katie experiences her parents working long backbreaking hours just to provide for their family in the Deep South. She must also deal with the deteriorating sickness of her older sister Lynn who she is incredibly close to. The book is titled Kira-Kira which means glittering in Japanese because this is the consistent positive outlook Katie has on life, even with all of her family’s struggles for equality.

Kira-Kira is a coming of age story about the struggles of a young Japanese girl growing up in Iowa and Georgia. The story largely focused on the power of a united family to get though the transition from a Japanese community in Iowa to an all American town in the Deep South. Katie and her family both endure and overcome many troubling problems based on their Japanese identity. These same struggles are often felt by many Asian-Americans who read this book. Readers can relate to the entire family Kadohata has created in this story. What is so great about Kira-Kira is the positive outlook Katie keeps during all the dilemmas her family encounters. The novel portrays a very positive example of the power of a strongly bonded family and an optimistic child. Many times Asian-American families are incredibly close and often live with or close by their extended families. This book can help these readers feel good about their living situations which are somewhat different than the typical white American family. All these contributions to positive aspects of Asian-American culture and the hopeful outcome of the story make this an excellent and uplifting example of diverse literature.