When the Emperor was Divine Review

by Ranelle Irwin

“‘If there was something wrong with my face,’ the girl asked, ‘would you tell me?’” 

When the Emperor was Divine (2003) is Julie Otsuka’s short debut novel detailing the hardships of a Japanese-American family taken from their California home and sent to a Japanese internment camp in Utah during World War II. This story uses some familiar elements from contemporary fiction because it is told from the perspectives of each of the family members, with the father’s point of view being especially impactful because of his confession to the crimes of his countrymen.  

Many stories about World War II focus on the European front, the Holocaust, or the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, so it’s refreshing to see a book written about what life was like for those in the United States who claimed Japanese heritage. The family in Otsuka’s novel has lived in the United States for a long time and they have adapted to the culture in numerous ways. However, as the war begins, the racist overtones slowly start to emerge. The two children, a sister and a brother, don’t even speak much Japanese, yet because they are a minority race, they have to confront the stereotypes of Japanese people at the time. 

“On the street we tried to avoid our own reflections wherever we could. We turned away from the shiny surfaces and storefront windows. We ignored the passing glances of strangers. What kind of ‘ese’ are you, Japanese or Chinese?” 

While the internment camps for the Japanese-Americans were not as awful and unforgiving as the concentration camps that the Germans made for the Jews, this story shows that America acted out of fear and ignorance and used the pretense of “safety” in order to allow these desert internment camps to happen. This book serves as a good reminder of what racism can lead to and how minorities feel about being blamed for the problems of their respective mother countries.  
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When the Emperor was Divine is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and at other booksellers.  

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