May grows up near San Francisco with her traditional parents. She attempts to balance her life at home eating traditional food, speaking Japanese, and drinking plain green tea with her life everywhere else eating spaghetti, speaking English, and drinking tea with milk and sugar. However, upon graduation, May finds herself back in Japan and uncomfortable with her expected role. May's mother insists that she must learn calligraphy, flower arranging, and wear kimonos. May's mother wants her to be a proper Japanese lady, but May desperately wants the freedom she experienced in America. When her parents begin arranging a matchmaker and potential suitors, May packs up and leaves for a nearby city where she begins to work. She becomes more and more comfortable, even finding a job that embraces her English speaking skills and eventually leads her to her future husband.
This story is a window into the traditional Japanese customs and how they contrast with the typical customs of America, even in the 1990s. The juxtaposition of May's life at home with her life outside of home makes it easy to identify the differences and begin to delve into those customs. This could also lead to an exploration of various cultures around the world. The two settings in America and Japan also make distinguishing differences easier. Additionally, May describes how uncomfortable she was and how she sought out ways to find her own way in the world on her own terms. Finally, most students will resonate with a story about a child rebelling against the wishes of her parents.
I would recommend this book to anyone in third-grade and older. Third-graders will easily grasp the differences between the cultures, and older students will be capable of analyzing the differences and evaluating the changes in customs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGBkdw2LQyY
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