The Buddha in the Attic

I just finished "The Buddha in the Attic" by Julie Otsuka and I have one thing to say.

Read it.

It's only 127 pages long and its so simply written even a third grader could understand it so you have no excuse not to. (don't actually LET a 3rd grader read it though...trust me)

The author manages to convey a multitude of ideas and emotions in very short and simple sentences and it is haunting. Haunting because as you follow the lives of Japanese immigrants leading up to WWII, you see shadows of America today. Replace the word "Japanese" with "Mexican" and you'll feel like you're reading a book about 2012 realize how little progress our country has made in nearly a century.

Everyone needs to read this book.