Summary
1941 is a time of increasing confusion for Tomi Nakaji, 13, who lives on the island of Oahu. As if his gruff, stroke-slowed grandfather, who insists on waving his Japanese flag around the yard, isn’t enough, he has to contend with Keet Wilson, the bully next door. From a treetop, Tomi and his haole (white) best friend, Billy, witness in disbelief the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Tomi finds the horrors personalized as his father, a poor fisherman, and later his grandfather, are arrested and his father’s fishing partner is killed. Tomi assumes responsibility for the family honor and katana, or samurai sword. He faces his fears and becomes assertive enough to stand up to Keet without besmirching his family’s honor and risks his life to see his imprisoned father.
Writer
Graham Salisbury/Under the Blood-Red Sun won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, the Oregon Book Award, Hawaii’s Nene Award, and the California Young Reader Medal. UNDER THE BLOOD-RED SUN is required reading in middle school curriculum across the United States.
Total sales of UNDER THE BLOOD-RED SUN: 601,933
Total sales of all Graham Salisbury books combined: 943,898
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