Sign in or 
Share this
Snow Falling on Cedars
GUTERSON, David. Snow Falling on Cedars. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace, 1995. 345p. ISBN 0-1510-0100-6 (hc). $12.00. Map. Acid-Free.
At first glance this story comes off as an ordinary murder mystery story. It is set only eight years after the conclusion of World War II in a small island community that still remembers the influence of war. When a fisherman is found drowned, evidence seems to point to murder but as the story and courtroom drama unfolds, the scars of past and enduring racism towards the island’s Japanese American population become blatantly apparent making the reader question whether it really was murder or if an innocent man is paying for his ethnicity. I will be the first to admit that this book has flavors of stories already written. Its theme is very similar to those found in books like To Kill A Mocking Bird and Farewell to Manzanar, however, it is the beautiful setting of the islands of the Pacific Northwest, the people who live on these islands and above all the rich language used by the author in his careful crafting of the story that makes the imagery of Snow Falling on Cedars stay with you long after you put the book down. This book forces Americans to deal with their unjust past in how the Japanese Americans were treated during World War II and makes it a personal issue by using themes everyone can relate to such as hard work, love, loyalty, and justice. The book was so well received that it was even made into a major motion film in 1999.
Author David Guterson was born and raised in Seattle and later moved to Bainbridge Island in the Puget Sound. Even though the book’s San Pedro island was fictional, Guterson’s understanding of Puget Sound island people and Puget Sound island life is reflected in this work, right down to their strawberry crops. Guterson received the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award for this book and he has also received a Guggenheim fellowship.
While the theme of this book is one that is often used in high school courses, it has a high level of sensuality that may not be deemed appropriate for that age level, however, this book should be recommended as a valuable contribution to college and public libraries as well as any library wishing to focus on Asian or American Pacific North West studies.
At first glance this story comes off as an ordinary murder mystery story. It is set only eight years after the conclusion of World War II in a small island community that still remembers the influence of war. When a fisherman is found drowned, evidence seems to point to murder but as the story and courtroom drama unfolds, the scars of past and enduring racism towards the island’s Japanese American population become blatantly apparent making the reader question whether it really was murder or if an innocent man is paying for his ethnicity. I will be the first to admit that this book has flavors of stories already written. Its theme is very similar to those found in books like To Kill A Mocking Bird and Farewell to Manzanar, however, it is the beautiful setting of the islands of the Pacific Northwest, the people who live on these islands and above all the rich language used by the author in his careful crafting of the story that makes the imagery of Snow Falling on Cedars stay with you long after you put the book down. This book forces Americans to deal with their unjust past in how the Japanese Americans were treated during World War II and makes it a personal issue by using themes everyone can relate to such as hard work, love, loyalty, and justice. The book was so well received that it was even made into a major motion film in 1999.
Author David Guterson was born and raised in Seattle and later moved to Bainbridge Island in the Puget Sound. Even though the book’s San Pedro island was fictional, Guterson’s understanding of Puget Sound island people and Puget Sound island life is reflected in this work, right down to their strawberry crops. Guterson received the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award for this book and he has also received a Guggenheim fellowship.
While the theme of this book is one that is often used in high school courses, it has a high level of sensuality that may not be deemed appropriate for that age level, however, this book should be recommended as a valuable contribution to college and public libraries as well as any library wishing to focus on Asian or American Pacific North West studies.
Submitted by H. A. E.
DrDrewHonolulu |
Latest page update: made by DrDrewHonolulu
, Oct 5 2009, 7:45 AM EDT
(about this update
About This Update
Edited by DrDrewHonolulu
4 words deleted view changes - complete history) |
|
Keyword tags:
None
More Info: links to this page
|
There are no threads for this page.
Be the first to start a new thread.
