Reviewed by Lucinda E Clarke for Readers' Favorite

There must be many people who are unaware that during World War II, after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the Americans rounded up those of Japanese descent and interned them in camps. In Shirley Miller Kamada’s book No Quiet Water, Fumio Miyota, together with his parents Yasuo and Sachiko, and his little sister Kimoko, are dispossessed of their farm and moved to California. Two previous generations had grown strawberries and reared chickens in Bainbridge Island, Washington State. Along with other Japanese families, in 1942, they were loaded onto buses and trains, transported against their will, and housed at Camp Manzanar in California. Here they lived in hastily built cabins, which leaked and failed to keep out the dust and the cold. A year later, they moved again to Camp Minidoka in Idaho. Their farm was left in the care of neighbors along with Flyer the Border Collie. Parts of the story are from the dog’s point of view but are mostly through young Fumio’s eyes. Within the confines of the camp, the family struggled to adapt and survive. Aided by their culture of hard work, good citizenship, honesty, politeness, and obedience, their love helped them through the darkest of times.

I loved Shirley Miller Kamada’s No Quiet Water. Not only is it beautifully written, it is a shining example of a united family and their mutual respect. It highlights the Japanese culture which is greatly to be admired. An extra dimension includes the events recounted by Flyer the dog. This surprised me at the beginning of the book, but he comes into his own later with his adventures. I loved how he buried the marshmallow for Fumio and how he interpreted what he could understand from human words. Kamada takes us into the heart of a Japanese family. Fumio respects his parents, a breath of fresh air today, with no talking back and no screaming tantrums. The family doesn’t waste time whining and complaining but makes the best of life and all their friends and neighbours help each other out. You can only admire their fortitude and grow to love them as I did. When Fumio wants to make a drum for his sister, he asks to work and earn what he needs to put it together, an attitude that is so refreshing. A book that lifts the lid on a recent slice of history is to be treasured, especially events that are seldom mentioned or acknowledged today. In turn, the rounding up of innocent Japanese families, depriving them of their land and livelihood, was a shameful act in American history. The reader is left with deep admiration for those who not only survived but thrived as best they could. The author has researched this book thoroughly and, although it is described as fiction, with her family connections she has taken us into a world we might never have known. A fantastic book, so well put together, and while sad in many ways, the beauty of the story and the language used shine through. Highly recommended.