Dust of Eden

By Mariko Nagai

"We lived under a sky so blue in Idaho right near the towns of Hunt and Eden but we were not welcomed there." In early 1942, thirteen-year-old Mina Masako Tagawa and her Japanese-American family are sent from their home in Seattle to an internment camp in Idaho. What do you do when your home country treats you like an enemy? This memorable and powerful novel in verse, written by award-winning author Mariko Nagai, explores the nature of fear, the value of acceptance, and the beauty of life. As thought-provoking as it is uplifting, Dust of Eden is told with an honesty that is both heart-wrenching and inspirational.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
• Release date: Mar 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9780807517406

Mariko Nagai

Mariko Nagai is the author of Under the Broken Sky and Dust of Eden as well as several books of poetry and fiction for adults. She has received the Pushcart Prize in both poetry and fiction, as well as many other accolades. She is an associate professor of creative writing and Japanese literature at Temple University, Japan Campus, in Tokyo, where she is also the director of research.

Reviews for Dust of Eden

[lillibrary · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A slim novel in verse that chronicles the three years that Mina and her family spent in internment camps during World War II.

This is a very accessible book, easily recommended for upper elementary and middle school students as an introduction to an often overlooked part of American history. The strength of the story lies in Mina's observations about the indignities her family suffers and the hardships they face. I would have preferred more character development and emotional resonance, but as an instructional work of historical fiction, this fits the bill.

For an excellent nonfiction kids' book on the Japanese American internment, I highly recommend Joanne Oppenheim's Dear Miss Breed. It follows the correspondences of a San Deigo librarian with some of her former young patrons after they are relocated from their homes into internment camps. Filled with the actual letters, photos of the children, newspaper headlines and more, Dear Miss Breed exposes how a nation's fear could allow for this injustice. A real eye-opener and a compelling read.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A concise, searing, and evocative account of internments of Japanese-American citizens on the West Coast during World War II. The narrator is Mina Tagawa, a young middle-school student who loves her family, her best friend Jamie, and her cat Basho. She wants nothing more than to sing in the choir and be at school. The Second World War disrupts her life, and the forced internment of her family sends her to unlivable and unspeakable places, causing her family to fracture and break again and again. This novel in verse is incredible, because it conveys emotion with simple phrases and broken lines. I will be adding it to my teaching rotation immediately.