Within These Lines
Within These Lines by Stephanie Morrill is a historical young adult novel published by Blink in 2019, featuring 350 pages in English. The story centers around Evalina Cassano, an Italian-American girl, and her love for Taichi Hamasaki, the son of Japanese immigrants, set against the backdrop of World War II and the injustices of Japanese internment in America. As anti-Japanese sentiments rise following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Taichi and his family are forcibly relocated to an internment camp, challenging their relationship and their futures.
Readers will find a narrative that explores themes of love, hope, and family amidst the harsh realities of war and racial injustice. The dual perspectives of Evalina and Taichi highlight their struggles and resilience as they navigate societal pressures and personal sacrifices. The book addresses significant social themes, including the impact of military actions on individuals and the complexities of interracial relationships during a tumultuous period in American history. This edition provides a poignant look at a dark chapter in U.S. history through the lens of young love and activism.
Official synopsis Publisher
“Within These Lines is a moving story of love, hope, and family set against the dark history of Japanese internment in America. This book had me captivated!” –Maureen McQuerry, YALSA award-winning author of The Peculiars
Evalina Cassano’s life in an Italian-American family in 1941 is quiet and ordinary … until she falls in love with Taichi Hamasaki, the son of Japanese immigrants. Despite the scandal it would cause and the fact that interracial marriage is illegal in California, Evalina and Taichi vow they will find a way to be together. But anti-Japanese feelings erupt across the country after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Taichi and his family are forced to give up their farm and are incarcerated in a Japanese internment camp.
Degrading treatment at Manzanar Relocation Center is so difficult, Taichi doubts he will ever leave the camp alive. Treasured letters from Evalina are his sole connection to the outside world. Embracing the boldest action she can to help Taichi, Evalina begins to radically speak out at school and at home, shining a light on this dark and shameful racial injustice.
With their future together on the line, Evalina and Taichi can only hold true to their values and believe in their love against all odds to have any hope of making it back to one another.
Within These Lines is:
- A historical YA novel set against the backdrop of WWII and the shameful era of American injustice surrounding Japanese internment camps
- Told from the dual points of view of an Italian-American woman and Japanese-American man brought together by love then separated by war, injustice, and hatred
- As haunting and unflinching as it is hope-filled and love-driven
- Perfect for fans of Monica Hesse, Ruta Sepetys, and Elizabeth Wein
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