Rising Sun, Falling Star by Vickie Hall - REVIEW and WIN $50, too!

Rising Sun, Falling Star 

by Vickie Hall

Different eyes and skin
Mock me from the mirror’s light
Enemy am I.

Dec 7, 1941
Today my life changed forever . . . I am no longer considered American, but by shear heritage I am now the hated enemy . . .
The lives of Kenji and Aiko Onishi and their American-born children are about to unravel when the United States is thrust into war with Japan. Confronted by insurmountable prejudice and fear, the family is ripped from their California home without just cause by the American government and sent to an assembly center “for their own protection.”
Forced to live in deplorable circumstances, every aspect of their lives regulated and controlled, the Onishi’s freedoms are stripped from their grasp as they struggle to survive behind barbed wire. It isn’t long before the mind-numbing confinement and feelings of helplessness begin to pit the family against one another.
When sent to a relocation camp in the center of the Utah desert, they’re beset by ever increasing emotional and physical challenges, and Aiko is faced with her greatest yet: to mend the broken spirits of her family, or risk losing them forever.
Based on true and tragic events that transpired during World War II, Rising Sun, Falling Star is a heart-rending story of one family’s struggle to survive uncalculated loss and emotional destruction.

My Take:
3 Stars
I really wanted to read this book because I wanted to learn the 'why' of this all. We already knew the Germans had Concentration Camps, so WHY would the US do this? To protect the Japanese, the US claimed. Was it really protection, or more horrific for the people who had to live there? I learned it was horrific. I'm ashamed OUR Country did this, and I can ONLY HOPE the US learned this is NOT the way to do things. I know we have learned this is NOT the way to do things because otherwise when a few other things have occurred in our country since then and aimed at us by foreigners, they could have taken those people of that nationality and put them into concentration camps, and thankfully the US did NOT. It's a shame we have to do things to learn from them to NOT repeat the same mistakes over again. At least that is what I was taught History is all about.
There was also another reason I wanted to read this story. My Grandmother had Japanese neighbors down the road from her. She HATED them. In fact, us grandchildren were told to ignore them. This would have been 30 years later, too! Why? I knew it had to have stemmed from the war all those years ago, and now I know that for sure, but boy was she mean!
I learned a lot from this book, and am glad I read it. Although fiction, this truly IS one thing that WAS LEFT OUT of my history books.
I do have to say this book was long. Very long, in my opinion. It seemed like it would never end, although, then again, is that the feeling this author was trying to give about having to live in a concentration camp? Some scenes were not needed which could have made the book move a little quicker. The end was only a 'May we remember . . . '. That was it. No resolution of the characters. Was that meant to be to? I don't know? I have too many unanswered questions about this book.
I received this book for FREE from the author in exchange to read and write a review about it. It is NOT required for this review to be either positive or negative, but of my own honest opinion. "Free" means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to read this book nor to write this review, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html

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Author Vickie Hall

Vickie is a native of Utah, but growing up, lived in the states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Nebraska. When she’s not writing, she’s composing music, or shopping with her sister. She loves animals of all kinds and camping with her family. Her favorite pastime is watching old movies on TCM, and unashamedly has a crush on Cary Grant.

Links:

Blog * Website
Facebook * Goodreads

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