Warriors in the Crossfire

Kirkus Reviews

In World War II, the United States fought Japan for control of the Pacific islands, but what about the people who already lived on those islands? This brief and powerful story will help to keep alive the memory of indigenous families caught in the crossfire between the Japanese and American armies. Kento, son of a Japanese official, and Joseph, a villager, are friends on the island of Saipan in the spring of 1944, and it is their friendship and experiences during the war, related in Joseph's first-person point of view, that will bring history home. The final scene, in which thousands of Japanese men, women and children make suicidal leaps off Bonzai Cliff into the sea-and others are butchered before they ever get to the precipice-is so horrifying that this small tale will long linger. The understated design, which includes Japanese characters in the chapter titles and brief, impressionistic poems as chapter lead-ins, makes this volume stand out. An important and little-known perspective on World War II. (historical note, further reading) (Historical fiction. 11-14)

Publishers Weekly

Flood’s (Sand to Stone and Back Again) first novel recounts a story of a forbidden friendship on the Japanese island of Saipan during WWII. Thirteen-year-old cousins Kento and Joseph have been friends forever, but are divided by class when the war intensifies. Kento is half Japanese, while Joseph is one of the natives, who are suspected of being spies for the Americans. Restrictions and curfews multiply for the islanders, but the boys figure out a way to remain friends in secret, as Joseph shares survival skills with Kento, who teaches him kanji in return. “The Japanese may have taken our stores, our schools, even our lands, but they could not take this,” Joseph affirms. When the Americans invade, Joseph’s father tasks him with keeping his mother, sister, and nephew safe, and Joseph wonders if he has risked his family’s safety by trusting Kento. Drawing from true events in Saipan’s tragic history, Flood’s concise and passionate fictionalized account raises myriad complicated questions about friendship, family, and honor. Through Joseph’s eyes, readers experience the pain of war and loss firsthand. Ages 11-14. (Apr.)

Children's Literature - Uma Krishnaswami

Nancy Bo Flood's debut novel is set on the island of Saipan in the Northern Marianas. It is a place that is little known in the mainland United States but nonetheless played a significant role in the history of World War II. The story of that larger battle plays out in the small, intimate scenes of childhood and growing up that make up this heartfelt book. The novel's trajectory moves forward through the first person voice of young Joseph, son of a Saipan chief of Carolinian heritage, as he lives his life in the shadow of the Japanese occupation. We meet him exchanging hand signals on the beach with his cousin Kento. But Kento is part Japanese, a tension that tugs and pulls throughout the novel at the actions of the protagonist, leading first to suspicion, and in the end to the affirmation of family. The pacing feels oddly gentle, even with the chaos of war looming ahead. An interesting and graceful sleight of hand, this serves to heighten the drama when the family goes into hiding and Joseph must do his part to keep them all alive. The acknowledgments point to personal, shared narratives from people in the islands serving as the foundation of the story. Each chapter begins with a brief poetic epigraph. In a few places the dialogue falls short of the polish we come to expect from the rest, as does the device of following foreign expressions with their English translations within comma phrases. Still, in the realm of outsider cultural narratives, Warriors in the Crossfire is a thoughtfully crafted work that will draw young readers into an important historical time and place. Reviewer: Uma Krishnaswami

School Library Journal

Gr 5–9—This taut, poetic story of Saipan, set before and during the U.S. invasion of the island in spring 1944, is narrated by the 13-year-old son of a local village chief. To the Japanese, who have occupied the island since 1922, controlling schools and stores, restricting movement, and enforcing curfews with violence, Joseph's people are gai-jin ("barbaric outsiders"). Still, he and Kento, son of Joseph's aunt and a Japanese administrator, have grown up as friends. Though Kento wants to be a samurai, he also longs to be an island warrior like Joseph, able to live off the land and protect his mother and sister. As war comes closer, the two trade lessons in island survival for lessons in Japanese characters. But their loyalties are tested. Before he leaves with the other village men to clear airfields, Joseph's father shows him the secret cave where his people have waited out generations of invasions—and when U.S. troops arrive, Joseph must lead his family there to survive the brutal crossfire. Short, well-paced chapters reveal the rich cultural life of the villagers and lead to a dramatic end that includes the shocking suicide march of Japanese citizens off the island cliffs. Joseph is an engaging and three-dimensional character. Compelling relationships form the heart of the story and aid his growth as he learns what it really means to be a warrior. A useful endnote separates fact from fiction. A unique and important addition to World War II fiction.—Riva Pollard, Prospect Sierra Middle School, El Cerrito, CA