The Newberry Medal-winning book Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata, is a work of fiction. However, it is based upon her own experiences as a child in a Japanese-American family in the 1950s and 1960s, during which she frequently moved across the United States while her parents were looking for jobs. This book focuses on the ideas of love, hope, and most notably, beauty (hence the title, which means “glittering” in English.
The story follows a middle child in a Japanese-American family named Katie Takeshima. Her parents were first-generation Japanese-Americans, and they worked day and night to provide for their family, constantly chasing what they believed to be the American dream. Katie always looked up to her older sister, Lynn, for as long as she could remember, admiring the way she did well in school, seemingly effortlessly, and her beautiful appearance. Lynn, in turn, matched this admiration, seeing her younger sister as a source of boundless joy in her life. She served as a guide, teaching Katie concepts as concrete as homework to those as abstract as racism and the idea of beauty. The two share a special bond that is tested as the story progresses. From the beginning, when the Takeshima family moved from Iowa to Georgia, Lynn was always there to help Katie adjust to the new situation. As Lynn matured, she met Amber, and the two of them became inseparable. Katie was briefly annoyed with their friendship, since they were both older than she is, and acted like it. She chose to accept it instead of breaking the bond she had with her sister, and the three of them learned to get along. However, when Lynn fell ill, her friendship with Amber faded. Katie drew closer to her sister than ever, but, almost blinded by her love, she found herself breaking all of the three most important rules her parents insisted their family must abide by: no hitting, no stealing, and no lying.
Although this book is narrated from Katie’s perspective, I would argue that Lynn is the main character, instilling hope in all other characters while attempting to remain strong in the face of her own grim situation. Honestly, this book has made me rethink my relationship with my sister. She is quite a bit younger than I am (9 years), so I definitely empathize with Lynn’s point of view, but I also relate to Katie’s undying love for her sister. This unique connection that I feel with these characters is not one I feel often, and it is a hallmark of a good author. Kadohata deftly manipulates both sentence structure and vocabulary and uses simple but highly effective imagery to address difficult issues like racism, gender inequality, and illness, and the economic struggles that accompany all of them.
Written in modestly simple but heartbreakingly compassionate language, Kira-Kira is a true reminder that we must appreciate the everyday beauty in life while we still can, no matter how hard our situation is. If we don’t, we risk losing sight of our goals, or worse, our identities.
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