Nisei Daughter, by Monica Sone, recalls the author's
childhood as a Japanese girl, growing up in Seattle, during
World War II. The book takes a look on how the Japanese
culture was treated in this time. At a young age Monica
realizes she is not like most little girls in America.
Japanese were put in interment camps in 1942. But this
isn't the first time Monica notices a difference. She was
small and in grammar school when the first signs began to
appear. She knew she looked different, but she also sounded
different at home. At home her family spoke in Japanese.
Monica was known to her parents as Kazuko Monica Itoi. And
after Kazuko was finished with her day at grammar school,
she and the rest of the Japanese boys and girls went to
Japanese school to learn the native language and etiquette.
During a point in Kazuko's childhood, her father is set
up by two corrupt police men accusing for father of selling
illegal sake. During dinner a police man interrupted the
family and told Mr. Itoi that he was the one that was
selling liquor to a bum on the street. The police had been
tipped by the bum that a Japanese man, who owned a hotel
sold him the alcohol. Kazuko's father did own a hotel and
owned a hotel, but so did several other Japanese men on that
street. Kazuko's father insisted, "Mine? It's not I don't
drink,"(35). The officer interrogated both Kazuko's father
and mother while rummaging haphazardly through the Itoi's
kitchen looking for the rest of the sake. Mrs. Itoi knew
there was something was strange and called out to the men,
"Don't think we're such fools,"(37). Kazuko's father was
trying to prove that he was innocent and instead of the
officer listening, he arrested Mr. Itoi and took him down to
jail. This incident showed Kazuko that her family was not
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