Four-Four-Two by Dean Hughes - ESSENTIAL

Hughes, Dean Four-Four-Two, 259 pgs. Atheneum, 2016.  $17.99.  Language: G; Mature Content PG; Violence: PG-13 (war description).

Yuki Nakahara is a teenager forced into Topaz, a Japanese internment camp during World War II.  He and his good friend, Shig, enlist to fight in the war to prove that they are indeed loyal Americans.  Because of prejudice against Japanese Americans during the war, all the AJA (American Japanese) were put into their own battalion.   As the author notes, “The 100th Infantry Battalion, and the “Go For Broke” 442nd Regimental Combat Team is still the most decorated unit in U.S. military history.”   

As we follow Yuki and Shig through their battles, we get an insight into the horrors of war and the unique difficulties AJA faced.  Dean Hughes weaves a haunting tale of war and friendship that is hard to put down. Yuki’s journey takes him not only across an ocean, but is a journey of the soul as well.  The book was beautifully written and uncovered an aspect of WWII I was unfamiliar with.  This book will enlighten while it pulls at your heartstrings.  The violence is an integral part of the story, but isn’t overly graphic.  

MS/HS-ESSENTIAL.  Michelle in the Middle